I Was Not Aware I Plagiarized From Online Resources: A Phenomenological Research

Many studies suggest that university students commit plagiarism in their academic studies, which is considered to be a major problem. the aim of this study is to develop an insight into the opinions of prospective elementary school teachers who plagiarize in their research reports about this experience. this study used a phenomenological design. a total of six students were selected for the study using homogeneous sampling. the research data were collected in 2011-2012 academic year using focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. the collected data were analyzed thematically. the results revealed that the prospective teachers committed plagiarism due to personal characteristics, peer relationships, role of instructors, culture of the use of technology and role of the course. the prospective teachers need to develop awareness that the internet makes it easy to plagiarize but, at the same time, it also makes it easy and instant to reveal plagiarism. they should also be informed about the ethical use of the internet. finally, realizing this not only in terms of courses themselves but also in terms of institutional policies could be more functional.