Relationship Between the Use of ChatGPT and Plagiarism in Higher Education: The Influence of Gender, Age and Previous Academic Results
Lucía Campo, Nahia Delgado, José María Etxabe Urbieta, Houssam Kanso, Mamadou Guèye
Abstract
Abstract While artificial intelligence (AI), exemplified by tools like ChatGPT, has undoubtedly ushered in numerous advantages within the realm of education, its implementation also underscores a range of constraints and challenges. The objective of the current study is to examine the association between the frequency of the use of ChatGPT for academic purposes and the extent of plagiarism, while also investigating the influence of personal variables such as gender, age, academic year, and educational background measured by previous results. To achieve this, a sample comprising 503 university students from Spain was recruited, and they were asked to complete a set of questionnaires designed to assess the constructs mentioned. The findings indicated that there is a correlation between the frequency of use of ChatGPT and Plagiarism, but causality was not found. Besides, a moderator effect of age and academic year on the relationship between the use of ChatGPT and Plagiarism was found. These findings suggest the need to address certain factors of plagiarism among higher education students, such as awareness of plagiarism or the management of perceptions about the academic requirements.