Ben Wightman

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Program Evaluation Part B

Plan for Improvement: Social Responsibility

Library Site: Solvay Middle School (SMS), Solvay Union Free School District (Syracuse, NY)
*Disclosure note: I am currently student teaching in this library
Essential Element in Need of Improvement: Social Responsibility
While Solvay is proficient overall in this area, many
classrooms appear to be caught in a self-reinforcing
loop in which citing sources requires great effort from
students due to lack of practice. This effort in turn
discourages teachers from requiring citations, giving
rise to a pattern of weak attribution ethics (plagiarism).
The issue appears to stem more from ignorance than
malice, but it is nonetheless a problem. Fortunately, it
is not a unique problem. The challenge of promoting
ethical information use is well documented at all levels
of education, and research suggests that there are
explicit and effective steps schools can take to instill
principled behavior in the lower to middle grades.

Characteristics of a Distinguished
School Library in the Area of Social
Responsibility
Through collaborative LMP
teaching, students use information
in all formats, actively seek multiple
perspectives, avoid plagiarism, and
take advantage of the Internet while
avoiding its pitfalls students keep
data safe, avoid spam, and use
Netiquette, in a minimally or
nonfiltered environment.

Annotated Bibliography:
Ballard, Susan D., Gail March, and Jean K. Sand. "Creation of a Research Community in a K-12
School System Using Action Research and Evidence Based Practice." Evidence Based
Library and Information Practice EBLIP 4.2 (2009): 8-36. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Summary: In this research study, the authors asked 87 fifth graders to rate a series of information
use behaviors, such as asking a librarian for help or making a copy of a video, as fair or not
fair. Participants were able to express uncertainty. The survey revealed that about one third of
the students did not know they needed to use quotation marks when copying two sentences from
a webpage, or that they could not copy and paste a chart into a report without including a citation
for it in their bibliography. The authors responded by developing a lesson on copyright, which
they added to the beginning of a thematic research unit. A follow-up survey revealed that the
students understanding of fair and unfair practices improved between 20% and 60% after the
direct instruction.
Relevance: The participants in the study are within the age range served at SMS, and the study
shows both the deficit in ethical knowledge that accompanies incomplete instruction and the
positive effect of direct instruction on ethical behavior. The authors limited their teaching to the
imperative of citation, not the process, so it is unclear whether direct instruction is enough to
maintain a long-term culture of attribution. However, some of their suggestions appear to be
aimed at giving students and teachers ongoing practice with the process.

Ben Wightman

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Program Evaluation Part B

Suggested Interventions:
Develop a district level policy on plagiarism. Explain the policy in the student
handbook, and on the school website (19).
Encourage teachers to design assignments that dont lend themselves to plagiarism
(19).
Purchase resources for research at or below students reading levels. If they can
understand and paraphrase ideas more easily, they will be more able to engage with them,
and less tempted to simply copy and paste (19).
Begin the process of taking notes and citing sources starting in second grade (19).
Engage teachers in research projects as a component of professional development (20).
Dow, Mirah. "Teaching Ethical Behavior in the Global World of Information and the New
AASL Standards." School Library Media Activities Monthly 25.4 (2008): 49-52. Web. 28
Mar. 2016.
Summary: In this article, Dow shares strategies for teaching ethical behavior as required by
AASL anchor standard 3.
Relevance: Although Dows suggestions are somewhat broad, she is the only author in this
survey who explicitly links her advice to learning standards. The four ideas below are most
relevant to attribution, although, like Ballard, March, and Sand, Dow focuses more on teaching
students the imperative of citation rather than the process.
Suggested Interventions:
Conduct an inquiry-based research project focused on: trade secrets, copyright, [and]
patents (50)
Have students articulate their own values and participate in self-assessment of ethical
behavior (50)
Have students deliver information ethics presentations (50)
Grantham, Carol. Plagiarism: Taking the Lead. Access Mar. 2009: 5-8, 12. Web. 28 Mar.
2016.
Summary: In this article, Grantham surveys research on the causes of plagiarism, and various
methods primary schools can use to avoid plagiarism and promote ethical information use.
Relevance: Grantham writes from an Australian perspective, but most of her suggestions are
universally applicable. They are also wide-ranging, with a strong mix of short-term and longterm options. However, it appears that some of her suggestions are experience-based rather than
research-based. The majority of her citations are in the first half of the article.
Suggested Interventions:
Develop policies on plagiarism collaboratively, with teachers, parents, and students all
involved in the process (7).

Ben Wightman

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Program Evaluation Part B

Choose one citation style to be emphasized throughout the grade levels, and modify it as
necessary for younger students (7).
Teach citation explicitly, with print and digital templates and guidelines available to
students (7).
Make the teacher librarian responsible for grading the citation portion of research. This
will both ensure consistency and reduce the burden on classroom teachers (7).
Design higher order research questions that copied informational text cannot adequately
answer (8).
Assess and grade both drafts and the final product of research (8).

Hamalainen, Maryellen. Useful Tips on Avoiding Plagiarism. Library Media Connection Mar.
2007: 40-41. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Summary: In this article, Hamalainen argues that lower order research questions are partially to
blame for plagiarism because it is difficult for students to transform or improve on a source text
when they are only responsible for communicating the same facts. She suggests avoiding reports,
posters, slideshows, and brochures as products of research in favor of results like a persuasive
essay written from an imagined historical perspective.
Relevance: Although she uses experience and reasoning rather than data, Hamalainen offers a
simple, yet comprehensive vision for engaging students in research more effectively. She does
not make many direct references to the role of attribution in the process, but her advice is
relevant to SMS because encouraging teachers to emphasize the transformation of information
from sources will also prompt them to consider the role of sources in their teaching more
explicitly.
Suggested Interventions:
Give students citation sheets and collect them as part of the assignment. Do the same with
rough drafts (41).
Assign more research (41).
Hongyan, Ma, Eric Yong Lu, Sandra Turner, and Guofang Wan. An Empirical Investigation of
Digital Cheating and Plagiarism among Middle School Students. American Secondary
Education 35.2 (2007): 69-82. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
Summary: The authors of this research study attempted to gauge the information use behavior of
middle school students through a series of focus groups with 36 students recruited from three
different schools one urban, one suburban, and one rural. They found that 2/3 of the students
knew someone who had copied and pasted an assignment from the Internet, 1/3 had used online
sources to find homework solutions without thinking what they were learning, and had
submitted a copied and pasted assignment as their own. Based on the students comments, the
researchers identified a permissive peer culture, conveniently copied websites, lack of
reinforcement for ethical behavior, pressure for achievement, and lack of conceptual

Ben Wightman

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Program Evaluation Part B

understanding of plagiarism as the five most significant causes. (These align well with the
theoretical model described in the Williamson and McGregor study below).
Relevance: Although the researchers did not test any interventions, their study provides a
research-based framework for evaluating the suggestions in the other articles that are not
research-based.
Suggested Interventions:
Provide a clear definition of plagiarism to middle school students, then help them build a
habit of thinking for themselves (79).
Have students write bibliographies (79).
Engage students in activities that are related to their interests. [] The students felt they
were justified to cheat if the work they were doing is boring and meaningless, yet they
wanted a good score (79).
Establish specific rules and consequences (Hongyan et. al., 80).
Make peer culture a positive influence by cultivating an atmosphere that encourages
ethical behavior (Hongyan et. al., 80).
Compliment model behaviors and showcase students original writing or evidence of
creative thinking (Hongyan et. al., 81).
Mitchell, Sara. "Penguins and Plagiarism: Stemming the Tide of Plagiarism in Elementary
School." Library Media Connection Apr.-May 2007: 47. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
Summary: In this article, Mitchell offers suggestions for intervening at a young age to counteract
unethical use of information.
Relevance: Mitchells suggestions are based on her experience as a librarian rather than a
controlled experiment, but they are practical and aimed at the age group which SMS serves.
Suggested Interventions:
Begin discussing intellectual property in the primary grades.
Use concept maps to force students to take notes in short phrases rather than large
chunks.
Start by asking students to find basic information, like author and title, and scale up to
full citations as they get older. Introduce online citation tools in 3 rd or 4th grade.
Consistently prompt students to gather citation information before beginning to take
notes.
Explicitly remind students that they need to credit their source when they paraphrase.
Make sure students have ample time for notetaking, so they can gather bibliographic
information and think about rephrasing without feeling pressure to copy and paste.
Southworth, Amy Jo. Plagiarism Can Be a Learning Opportunity. School Library Monthly 31.4
(2015): 12-15. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.

Ben Wightman

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Program Evaluation Part B

Summary: In this article, Southworth surveys literature (not all of it scholarly) on why and how
students plagiarize. Based on that information, she proposes integrating research into teaching
more thoroughly and systematically. The second half of the article is a list of practical
suggestions for how to do so.
Relevance: Southworth offers a larger vision for change that goes beyond teaching one or two
lessons on ethical behavior.
Suggested Interventions:
Assess and grade all stages of the research process, not just the final product (14).
Require annotated bibliographies as a simple means for prompting students to think about
both where their information is coming from and how they intend to use it (14).
Ensure students conceive of photos, charts, and interviews as sources (14).
Create and distribute an infographic about citation (14).
Give students plenty of time and models for the research process (14).
Have students use databases to locate the sources of a published work using the citations,
so they can see how citations are useful for consumers of research (14).
Have students highlight their own ideas in one color and ideas from their sources in
another color, so they can see patterns in the ways they use both (15).
Williamson, Kristi, and Joy McGregor. "Information Use and Secondary School Students: A
Model for Understanding Plagiarism." Information Research 12.1 (2006): n. pag. Web.
28 Mar. 2016.
Summary: The authors of this research study developed a model for understanding the causes of
plagiarism based on constructivist theory and interviews with seventeen Australian high school
students. They postulate that a students beliefs about what forms of plagiarism are acceptable
are influenced by his or her prior learning and the people, practices, attitudes, and technology
around him or her. Conditions like people who are willing to supply (or I might say spoon
feed) information, high pressure deadlines, ease of copying and pasting, engagement, prior
motivation, and lack of instruction about ethical use of information all tend to contribute to
permissive attitudes about plagiarism.
Relevance: Williamson and MacGregors model provides a research-based framework for
evaluating the suggestions in the other articles that are not research-based. Although the model is
based on the experiences of high school students, it can still be relevant to SMS because students
begin forming values in middle school. Early attention to the conditions that give rise to
unethical information behavior should inhibit the development of that behavior in high school.
Suggested Interventions:
None. While possible courses of action may be inferred from the model, the authors stop
short of making any explicit suggestions for how to respond to plagiarism.

Ben Wightman

Action Plan:
Root Cause of Plagiarism
As identified by Hongyan
et. al. (HLTW) and
Williamson & McGregor
(W&M)

Prior Learning (W&M)

Limited Understanding of
Plagiarism (HLTW)
Theory: Students engage in
unethical behavior because
they do not know better.
Their instruction in the
areas of quoting, citing,
bibliography writing,
plagiarism, and ethical
values is lacking.

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Program Evaluation Part B

Immediate Interventions

Short-Term Interventions

Long-Term Interventions

Can be implemented
unilaterally by SLMS

Can be implemented by SLMS in

collaboration with classroom
teachers

Must be implemented over time

at the building and district level

Develop and distribute

resources about ethical
information use:
Post a clear definition of
plagiarism (Hongyan et.
al., 79) and guidelines for
attribution (Grantham, 7)
in student-accessible
language on library
website, to augment
existing links to online
citation generators.
Share through Google
drive printable note
templates, which prompt
students to record
information about their
sources (Grantham, 7).
Distribute an infographic
(Southworth, 14) or other
visual aid on when and
how to cite sources at least
twice each year.

Develop a series of lessons for the

4th and 5th grade information
literacy classes that:
Provides a clear definition of
plagiarism (Hongyan et al.,
79).
Ensures students conceive of
photos, charts, and interviews
as sources (Southworth, 14).
Prompts students to evaluate
their own ethical behavior
and articulate their values
(Dow, 50).
Requires an inquiry-based
research and creative
presentation component
(Dow, 50).
Potential activity: Students

Collaboratively review and

revise (if necessary) the district
level policy on plagiarism
with input from teachers,
parents, and students (Ballard,
March & Sand, 19; Grantham,
7).

highlight their own ideas in one

color and ideas from their
sources in another color, so they
can see patterns in the ways they
use both (Southworth, 15).

Begin providing instruction on

taking notes and citing sources
in second grade (Ballard,
March, & Sand, 19; Mitchell,
47).

Potential scaffolding: Start by

asking students to find basic
information, like author and
title. Scale up to full citations
as students get older.
Introduce online citation tools
in 3rd or 4th grade (Mitchell).

Ben Wightman

People (W&M)
Peer Culture (HLTW)

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Compliment model behaviors in

the library, and showcase
students original writing or
evidence of creative thinking
(Hongyan et. al., 81).
This effort will dovetail
with our PBIS program.

Compliment model behaviors

schoolwide (Hongyan et. al., 81).
This effort will dovetail with
our PBIS program.

Model strong ethical behavior

when teaching collaborative
units.
Encourage teachers to model
Hold all instructional
strong ethical behavior:
materials to the same, or
higher standards of
Include information and
ideas about source
attribution that the students
evaluation and attribution
are expected to uphold.
in library news publications Emphasize process over
at least four times per year.
product. Avoid
Post plagiarism and
communicating with
copyright guidelines next
students in ways that
to copying equipment
separate information from
(Grantham, 7).
its source.
Include an attribution
Create assignments that allow
Practices (W&M)
component in all library
students to practice attribution
assignments.
and citation:
Lack of Reinforcement
Consistently prompt
Consistently prompt students
(HLTW)
students to gather citation
to gather citation information
information before
before beginning to take
Theory: Students engage
beginning to take notes
notes (Mitchell, 47).
in unethical behavior
(Mitchell, 47).
Explicitly remind students
because they have gotten
that they need to credit their
Explicitly remind students
away with it in the past.
that they need to credit their
source when they paraphrase
The standards of their
source when they
(Mitchell, 47).
prior assignments are not
paraphrase (Mitchell, 47).

Have students create

conducive to learning
bibliographies (Hongyan et.
ethical behavior.
al., 79) and annotated
Theory: Students engage
in unethical behavior
because the people
around them, including
their peers, family
members, and teachers
are doing the same,
and/or feeding
information to them so
that the information and
source become
disconnected.

Program Evaluation Part B

Make peer culture a positive

influence by cultivating an
atmosphere that encourages ethical
behavior (Hongyan et. al., 80).
Provide professional development
(PD) in ethical information use:
Remind teachers of the
importance and requirements
of attribution.
Encourage them to cite the
sources of the information and
images they use in their
instruction.
Engage them in research
projects as a component of all
PD, not just PD related to
ethics (Ballard, March, &
Sand, 20).
Collaboratively establish specific
rules and consequences for
unethical behavior (Hongyan et.
al., 80).
Consistently and explicitly
remind students of attribution
expectations (Mitchell, 47).
Choose one citation style to be
emphasized throughout the grade
levels, and modify it as necessary
for younger students (Grantham,
7).

Ben Wightman

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Note the significant overlap in

all three columns of this
domain. Reinforcement of
expected behavior must be
ongoing and consistent
throughout the building, but
also something for which
individual teachers take
responsibility

Attitudes (W&M)
Pressure for
Achievement (HLTW)
Theory: Students engage
in unethical behavior
because their
assignments do not
engage them, and
product is emphasized
over process in highstress ways.

Engage students in activities

related to their interests
(Hongyan et. al., 79).

bibliographies to prompt
them to consider where their
information comes from and
how they intend to use it
(Southworth, 14).
Assess and grade the entire
research process, rather than just
the final product (Grantham, 8;
Southworth, 14).
Give students citation sheets
and collect them as part of
the assignment. Do the same
with rough drafts
(Hamalainen, 41).
Give students models of
work that meets expectations
at all steps of the research
process (Southworth, 14).
Engage students in activities
related to their interests
(Hongyan et. al., 79).

Program Evaluation Part B

Make research a regular part of

instruction, not just a periodic
activity (Hamalainen, 41).
Continue to assess and grade
the entire research process,
rather than just the final
product.

Engage students in activities

related to their interests (Hongyan
et. al., 79).

Engage students in activities that Consistently emphasize process

demonstrate the authentic value
over product.
of attribution.
Structure research assignments
Potential activity: Have
so students have ample time
students use a published
for notetaking, gathering
works cited page and a
bibliographic information, and
database to check an
synthesis. Reduce pressure to
authors sources.
copy and paste (Mitchell, 47;
(Southworth, 14).
Southworth, 14).

Ben Wightman

Technology (W&M)
Easily-Copied Websites
(HLTW)
Theory: Students engage
in unethical behavior
because the structure and
format of their
assignments and sources
makes it easy to do so.

LIS 585 Spring 2016

Make resources at or below

students reading levels
available for research (Ballard,
March, & Sand, 19).

Design assignments that dont

lend themselves to plagiarism
(Ballard, March & Sand, 19):
Use concept maps to
encourage students to take
notes in short phrases rather
than large chunks (Mitchell,
47).
Ask higher order research
questions that copied
informational text cannot
adequately answer
(Grantham, 8).
Include twists that require
creativity or synthesis
(Hamalainen, 41).

Program Evaluation Part B

Encourage [all] teachers to

design assignments that dont lend
themselves to plagiarism
(Ballard, March, & Sand, 19).
Help students develop a habit of
thinking for themselves (Hongyan
et. al., 79).
Implement solutions that address
the behavior, not the technology.
Additional filters are not a
recommended solution.