Research Blog #9: Argument and Counter-Argument.

My research argues that since American colleges aggressively recruit international students by viewing it as a lucrative business, it leads to that they are reluctant to devote resources in order to fully understand cultural differences. This causes the majority of international students, especially Chinese students face more challenges academically. Therefore, it is a potential reason that international students are more likely to conduct academic unethical behavior such as cheating and plagiarizing during exams.

The Neutralization Theory can partly explain the phenomenon since some international students may use one of the "Neutralizing Techniques" to justify cheating and plagiarizing. For example, they may view that they should not be held accountable for breaking the rules because not only do they pay twice as much as the tuition as compared to in-state-students but also receive insufficient guidance in terms of academic integrity. 

One possible counter-argument would be that the idea that international students and in this case, particularly Chinese students use certain "Neutralizing Techniques" to justify cheating and plagiarizing is only a fraction of the big picture. The issues maybe more culturally orientated in the way that international students do not feel as being part of the the American culture. They thus tend to believe that it is unnecessary to obey certain American rules because they will ultimately return their home countries. The education system, for example, plays a significant role in determining how people view the concept of academic disintegrity.

Therefore, the "Neutralizing Techniques" may not be as effective in order to explain international students' intentions to cheat and we have to bring the role of "cultural differences" into consideration.