Investigating Perceptions and Practices of Plagiarism among Nigerian Undergraduates in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era: The Role of ChatGPT
John Olayemi Okunlola 
Issue: Vol.5 No.11 Issue Article 14 pp. 1796-1808
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451114 | Published online 11th September, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
One of the technological innovations that characterized the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is ChatGPT. ChatGPT has been engaged in different academic tasks by tutors and learners. This study examined the perceptions and practices of plagiarism among Nigerian undergraduates in the era of 4IR. The study adopted a quantitative research design, and 120 undergraduates from the Tourism Department of Osun State University were enumerated. Data was collected from the participants with the aid of questionnaires. The data was analyzed using frequency, percentage, and mean indices. The study revealed that ChatGPT has the capacity to promote plagiarism practices among undergraduate students, sometimes unintentionally. The study showed that the lecturers did not have sufficient knowledge and training on plagiarism in ChatGPT-generated content, leading to the inability to promptly address plagiarism among undergraduates from ChatGPT. It is recommended that higher education institutions take training in the ethical usage of ChatGPT seriously to avoid plagiarism practices. This study contributes to scholarship by providing empirical evidence on the influence of ChatGPT on plagiarism practices among Nigerian undergraduates, highlighting the need for enhanced training and awareness for both students and lecturers regarding the ethical use of AI tools in academic writing in the era of the 4IR.
Keywords: ChatGPT, Plagiarism, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Undergraduate
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John Olayemi Okunlola (PhD) is a Senior Postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Education Leadership and Management, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. His research interests include quality assurance in education, human resource management, educational policy, conflict management, and leading in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
Okunlola, John Olayemi. “Investigating Perceptions and Practices of Plagiarism among Nigerian Undergraduates in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era: The Role of ChatGPT,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.11 (2024): 1796-1808. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451114
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
