Keywords

Introduction

In this chapter we present an overview of key issues related to academic integrity with regards to primary and secondary education and teacher training, also known as pre-service teacher education. We contend that concepts related to academic integrity, including ethical decision-making, and ethical behaviour must be introduced early and reinforced throughout one’s learning journey starting from a young age. Ethical behaviour is not something one learns through a tutorial, a brochure, or a workshop, but rather it is practised through one’s daily living, through the myriad of decisions one makes on a given day. If young people develop poor ethical practice and bad habits during their schooling years, they can become normalised to unethical behaviour, resulting in misconduct later at university and in the workplace (Tauginienė & Gaižauskaitė, 2019). It is important to begin ethics education, including instruction related to academic integrity, as early as possible. For this to happen, those aspiring to teach at the elementary and secondary levels should receive practical and explicit instruction on how to teach ethics to young learners.

Our Positionalities: United by Our Commitment to Integrity

We frame this introductory chapter, and the overall book project, by acknowledging our positionalities as scholars, educators, and human beings. We are co-authors and co-editors of this book from different parts of the world, with wildly different upbringings, different academic backgrounds, and different personal circumstances. One of us (Eaton) was born in Canada to a Canadian father and English mother, both of whom left school at age 16. Raised mainly by a single mother, Eaton spent part of her formative years living in the servants’ quarters of the estate home of a wealthy English family (Eaton, 2020), later moving back to Canada to settle in the east coast city of Halifax before moving west for graduate school. She was the first person in her immediate family to earn a degree and later went on to be a first-generation academic. She spent the first 22 years of her career as a precariously employed academic before securing full-time employment in 2016.

The other of us (Khan) is the daughter of two zoologists who were also career-teachers, and lived in a residence in the Dubai zoo, reserved for the Head of Zoo, his family and zookeepers (Ravindranathan, 2017). Khan, like most girls in Asian households, was brought up to pursue a career in medicine but her acute fear of blood and insance sympathy pains pushed her to change course and sign her very first contract with her father at the age of 18, taking responsibility for changing her career path and promising to still succeed with a “Dr.” in front of her name.

We were raised in different cultural and religious traditions, but both of our paths led us to higher education, with one of us (Eaton) being a faculty member in a faculty of Education in Calgary, Canada, whereas the other (Khan), is a faculty member in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences in Dubai, UAE. We met through the European Network for Academic Integrity (ENAI), brought together by a common commitment to ethics and integrity in educational contexts. We have spent countless hours meeting virtually as part of working groups and collaborative projects, as well as on this book project. Synchronous video meeting technologies have allowed us to develop a deep professional connection, with time zones being the only barrier (and really, more of an inconvenience than anything). We met in real life for the first time after the manuscript for this book had been completed, and it felt as though we had known one another our whole lives.

Over the past several years, we have had numerous conversations about the need for academic integrity and ethical decision-making to be taught from a young age. Neither of us is a K-12 teacher ourselves, but we are both award-winning scholars of academic integrity. We kept looking for resources that we could use in our own work as educators, scholars, and advocates and were both frustrated and surprised by the lack of resources. Finally, we decided that there was a need for a book on the topic and this edited volume is the result of that decision. We managed the entire book project with each of us working from our respective continents, cities, and homes. The book was conceptualised, proposed, accepted, developed, and published during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we look back, we recognized that to bring a project such as this to fruition under these multiple complicated circumstances has been a feat of scholarly commitment to one another, to the contributors, to the teaching community and especially to academic integrity and its importance to both of us and the communities we live and work in.

Starting with these statements of positionality are relevant because like any scholarly or professional work, ours has limitations and biases. We are biassed in favour of pluralistic approaches to values, ethics, culture, and education. We both recognize that academic integrity is neither solely a moral concept, nor a behavioural one, but rather that it integrates both morality and behaviour. We are neither absolutists, nor relativists, but instead we have an appreciation for theoretical complexity, and recognize the need for practical approaches to education and integrity that can help others make ethical decisions as part of their daily living. We acknowledge that there is no “one size fits all” approach to integrity or ethics, but are nevertheless united in our stance that academic integrity and ethical decision-making must be taught from a young age and in order for that to happen, teacher trainees, as well as in-service teachers, need explicit and practical education about how to make that a reality in their classrooms.

In the sections that follow, we provide an overview of some of the key issues relating to ethics in teacher training. Our overview is not exhaustive and many of the themes are addressed in more depth and from different perspectives in the remaining chapters of the book. What we offer here is a high-level synopsis of major points, starting with integrity values and expectations as a foundation of education. Then, we discuss the vital role that teachers play as role models of ethical behaviour. We acknowledge how the lack of training regarding academic integrity in pre-service teacher education is a global issue, but has local implications. We discuss the role that multinational networks and organisations play in promoting ethics education. We conclude with recommendations and considerations for how ethics and integrity can be better incorporated into teacher training programs and curricula so it can then become an established aspect of primary and secondary education worldwide.

Integrity Values and Expectations as a Foundation of Education

Others before us have argued that academic integrity values and expectations should be taught to students from a young age (Lathrop & Foss, 2005; Stoesz, 2022; Tauginienė & Gaižauskaitė, 2019; Wangaard, 2016). Despite these pleas, students across the world continue to arrive at post-secondary institutions ill prepared and first-year students are at particular risk for committing academic misconduct in part, because they are unaware of what is expected of them and the standards of academic integrity to which they may be held (Bertram Gallant et al., 2015; Mazer & Hunt, 2012; Tauginienė & Gaižauskaitė, 2019; McNeill, 2022). This creates a perpetual cycle in which those who work in tertiary education blame those who work in primary and secondary (also known as ‘K-12’) education for not preparing students adequately in terms of teaching the skills and personal development to act with integrity after high school. Conversely, those working in K-12 argue that they are bound by curricula which are often prescriptive in nature, and that there is no room in their day to teach anything extra, beyond what is mandated. This presents a conundrum in which students can arrive at a post-secondary learning institution with little to no training in citing, referencing, or other skills related with academic integrity. Furthermore, students may have already been acculturated to teachers turning a blind eye to cheating, from as young as the age of six (Wangaard, 2016). It is possible that students can arrive on campus for a first-year post-secondary experience, with upwards of a decade of learning in which no one ever talked with them about academic integrity or openly addressed student cheating in the classroom. It is no wonder that first-year college students are among those most at risk for committing academic misconduct in post-secondary contexts.

It is essential that teaching academic integrity be part of the curriculum in teacher education programs. That way, when K-12 teachers begin their careers in primary and secondary classrooms, they are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and motivation not only to infuse their daily professional practice with ethical teaching and assessment that model integrity, but also to speak directly to students and parents about the expectation to maintain integrity in learning. We contend that ethical decision-making can be both modelled and taught in line with existing curricula even if academic integrity is not stated explicitly as an outcome of a formal K-2 program of learning.

The Vital Role That Teachers Play as Models of Ethical Behaviour

Teaching is both a “knowledge endeavour and … a moral enterprise” (Ball & Wilson, 1996, p. 155) and “in teaching, concerns for the intellectual and the moral are ultimately inseparable” (p. 155). Teaching academic integrity must be age-appropriate without being reductionist; it must be straightforward without being oversimplified. Simply saying, “Don’t cheat!” will do little to help students understand how to navigate moral and ethical complexities that they will continue to face in their classrooms as well as in daily life.

As Ball and Wilson (1996) point out, “intellectual honesty implies engaging students in the conjecturing, investigating, and argument that is characteristic of a field” (p. 182). They also point out the need to address the reality that as students pass from one classroom to the next, they may encounter teachers with different approaches and opinions. For both students and teachers, learning to recognize and reconcile these differences is an important part of teaching and learning. One aspect of professionalism in education is for teachers themselves to demonstrate civility, respect, and tolerance for one another. It is not a teacher’s job to cast moral judgement on another teacher whose views may differ from their own, but it is a teacher’s job to teach students how to use reason as part of the learning process. In this way, students can learn to develop the intellectual capacity to be tolerant of opposing ideas and viewpoints, while building their own identity, values, and knowledge.

A Global Problem, with Local Impact

We have yet to identify an institution, a region, a country, or a jurisdiction that could serve as an exemplar of excellence for teaching ethics and academic integrity to pre-service teachers. It would be naive of us to suggest that there should be a singular approach to teaching ethical decision-making in schools or in teacher training programs. We recognize the field of ethics is both broad and deep, with various and often conflicting approaches within the field of education, including moral relativism, subjectivist relativism, postmodern ethics, and foundationalist approaches (Walker & Donlevy, 2006), among others. As Walker and Donlevy (2006) point out, “any attempt, by groups or individuals, to claim universality in ethical commitments is dismissed as being ethnocentric.” (p. 220). We advocate for pluralistic approaches to academic integrity and ethics education that not only acknowledge the values and norms of local culture, but also prepare students to be global citizens.

In the sub-sections that follow, we highlight three organisations whose work on academic integrity can be used to help teacher trainees, in-service teachers, and students to learn more about academic integrity and ethics. First we discuss the European Network for Academic Integrity (ENAI), which, despite its name, is a global community of educators, scholars, and advocates that stands as an exemplar of excellence in terms of valuing diversity and plurality (Eaton, 2022). Next, we acknowledge the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI), and in particular, the “Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity” framework developed by those working with the centre. Finally, we highlight work done by UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), as a global organisation focused on human rights and peacebuilding. What readers will not find in this chapter is a discussion of compliance-based approaches or recommendations on how to punish academic misconduct. As this book is focused on education, we take the position that as teachers, our focus is on education, rather than enforcement. Of course, we recognize the importance of addressing misconduct when it occurs, but there is already an ample body of literature on how to address student misconduct and school discipline (e.g., Fabelo et al., 2011).

European Network for Academic Integrity (ENAI): A Champion of Academic Integrity

The European Network for Academic Integrity (ENAI) has an active working group on Integrity in Secondary Education composed of members from multiple countries. The purpose of the working group is to promote ethics and academic integrity training across secondary education. A second working group is the Outreach group that aims to extend efforts in developing understanding of various stakeholders, raising awareness and promoting good practices beyond higher education, looking at both K-12 and vocational, and also at communities beyond geographical borders. Both working groups promote numerous free, online educational resources (see European Network for Academic Integrity, n.d.), including those developed by other highly respected bodies such as the Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA), among others.

International Center for Academic Integrity: Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity

Within the field of educational integrity, the International Center for Academic Integrity (2021) document, “The Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity” are widely used as a framework for understanding ethical decision-making in school contexts. The values document was originally written in 1999, starting with five fundamental values: fairness, honesty, respect, responsibility, and trust. A sixth value, courage, was added in the second edition, published in 2014. Interestingly, a former president of ICAI has written about the need to pay attention to nuances in how academic integrity can be framed as individual decision-making, which is the predominant approach in the United States, versus “cultural expectations or systemic issues” (Fishman, 2016, p. 8). Fishman also notes that, “[a] notable feature of academic integrity discourse in the USA is the tendency to frame transgressions of rules, standards, and norms in terms that connote moral weakness, willful misconduct, duplicity, or wrongdoing. This framing of cheating, and especially plagiarism, as an issue of morality rather than education can be observed throughout the history of such discussions, in articles published in a wide array of journals across various grade levels and (academic) disciplines” (p. 13). Of particular note here is Fishman’s acknowledgement that these ‘fundamental values’ are neither absolute, nor universal, but were developed and continue to be fostered from an Ameri-centric perspective with regards to how academic integrity is conceptualised and promoted. We recognize the importance of having guiding documents to help frame productive conversations about ethical decision-making, and further advocate for interpretations that allow for cultural and local differences to be acknowledged, respected, and incorporated.

UNESCO’s Role in Promoting Academic Integrity

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialised agency within the United Nations dedicated to peace-building through education, culture, and science. UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), has a strong focus on academic integrity, supporting various publicly available web resources and reports (ETICO, n.d.; Plikšnys et al., 2009). IIEP helps to promote ethics in education, including the Guidelines for the design and effective use of teacher codes of conduct (Poisson, 2009), which is available in English, French, Spanish, and a number of other languages, too. What is notable about these guidelines is the emphasis on ethics, though concepts such as values, integrity, honour, honesty, truth, fairness, respect for others, and dignity are mentioned throughout.

Poisson (2009) notes that too often, quality assurance and excellence in education are overly focused: “on quantitative data such as learning time, class size, physical infrastructure and facilities, teaching and learning materials and qualification of teachers, rather than on ‘intangible inputs’, such as:

  • the commitment of teachers and other staff to their profession,

  • their capacity to help every pupil reach his or her potential,

  • their ethical and professional behaviour and responsible judgment.” (p. 13)

It is essential that these intangible inputs are critical to ensuring the quality of education (Poisson, 2009). Poisson (2009) notes that it is important that codes of conduct and ethical standards for teachers be developed by groups of stakeholders, be open to feedback and then be approved through formal governance processes for formal adoption. Then, the code must be disseminated and promoted in a way that is user-friendly and clear. In order for implementation to be successful, there needs to be a body to oversee proper enforcement of the code, as well as education, professional development, and formal mechanisms to address breaches of the code, including guidelines for reporting and addressing misconduct. There should be regular reviews and evaluation of the code to ensure it remains relevant and appropriate. Many of these same principles apply to academic integrity policies (e.g., Bretag et al., 2011a, b; Razi et al., 2021; Stoesz & Eaton, 2020; Stoesz et al., 2019).

What is notable about guidance provided by Poisson (2009) and other resources produced by UNESCO is that the focus of ethics and integrity in the teaching profession is not about compliance or rule-following, but rather on offering clear and specific guidance focused on rights, responsibilities, and expectations for ethical conduct.

Recommendations and Conclusions

It is clear to us that academic integrity is inseparable from the concept of ethics and that ethics education and training is strengthened by including a focus on academic integrity. In other words, academic integrity is not about preventing plagiarism or cheating on exams, but rather it is an enactment of applied ethics in education. In this case, ethics is both an abstract philosophical foundation, as well as a practical application of everyday decision-making. We cannot separate academic integrity from ethics, and nor should we separate ethics from academic integrity. Instead, we situate academic integrity as one aspect of ethics in educational contexts. We contend that academic integrity ought to be explicitly articulated into ethical codes of conduct for teachers. If not, academic integrity may continue to be viewed as an administrative or management issue, rather than a pedagogical matter, but in fact, academic integrity is as much about teaching, learning, and assessment as it is about managing misconduct.

We conclude by offering five recommendations about how ethics and integrity can be incorporated into teacher education. Our recommendations are drawn from the extant literature, as well as other chapters in this book. We do not propose to have all the answers and we recognize that the ways these recommendations might be taken up will depend on local cultures and normals and so we have intentionally opted not to be overly prescriptive. Instead, we offer these recommendations as a backdrop to broader topics addressed throughout the rest of this book.

Recommendation #1: Incorporate Ethics Education into State and National Educational Curricula

We hear repeatedly from K-12 teachers that they are so busy teaching subject matter content that they have no time to teach concepts or skills related to ethics. One way to ensure that integrity and ethics education is taught in schools is to ensure that it is part of the mandatory curriculum. The responsibility for the implementation of this recommendation rests not with front-line teachers, but with policy makers within state, provincial, or national levels of government responsible for setting the educational agenda for their jurisdiction.

Recommendation #2: Make Ethics and Integrity Education an Explicit Component of Teacher Training That Is Focused on Values and Ethical Decision-Making

It is not enough for teacher training programs to include ethics training that is focused only on compliance, or worse, include no ethics training at all. Curricula for teacher training programs must include explicit ethics and integrity training that promotes ethical decision-making as an essential aspect of teacher professional conduct, as well as pedagogy.

Recommendation #3: Use Existing High Quality and Freely Available Resources for Ethics and Integrity Education

There are ample free resources available worldwide including a number from UNESCO (e.g., ETICO, n.d.; Poisson, 2009) and ENAI (see European Network for Academic Integrity, n.d.). Although investment in new resources can be helpful, there should be no barrier to adopting existing high-quality materials that are already freely available from reputable organisations.

Recommendation #4: Ensure That Academic Integrity Education at the Primary and Secondary Levels Is Age-Appropriate and Practical

One way to prevent students arriving at tertiary education ill-prepared in terms of academic integrity skills and expectations is to ensure they have basic education relating to citing, referencing, and ethics prior to arriving at a post-secondary institution. To do this, these skills must be an explicit aspect of secondary education curricula. Students will only learn skills associated with academic integrity with intentional instruction and multiple opportunities to practise. However, not all skills need to be taught with excruciating detail immediately. Providing opportunities for students to scaffold their learning throughout their schooling can help them build knowledge and practice their skills over time. Ensuring that ethics and integrity education is age-appropriate and practical is important. How this is defined and enacted may depend, in part, on the approved curricula; however, engaging classroom teachers in conversations, planning, and implementation is an important aspect of ensuring that materials and lessons are effective and appropriate.

Recommendation #5: Engage Multiple Stakeholders in a Variety of Ways

Because classroom teachers are on the front lines of education and work with students on a daily basis, it is essential to include them in conversations, recommendations, and decisions about how and what to teach; this includes in matters related to ethics and integrity. Teachers have valuable insights from their daily professional practice that are worthwhile and deserve to be heard and considered. Similarly, parents are also an important stakeholder group in education, so engaging them in conversations about how to support ethics and integrity education is important.

Concluding Remarks

We recognize that we have barely scratched the surface with our overview and there are many limitations to our work, not the least of which is that neither of us is a K-12 classroom teacher ourselves. Instead, we are professors in higher education who see the result of students who arrive to our campuses ill-prepared and often unaware of what is expected of them. The overview we have provided in this chapter is intended as a point of departure for a deeper and ongoing dialogue about how to support ethics and integrity education from a young age and how to ensure K-12 teachers have the training and support they need to carry out that work.