Cal Poly Pomona education researcher leaves post after rampant plagiarism is revealed
In late June, we wrote about a case of wholesale plagiarism involving an education researcher in California, Thienhuong N. Hoang. Our post prompted a flurry of emails from readers cluing us in to other cases in which Hoang, of California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, had lifted essentially entire articles from other scholars and changed little, if anything, but the author information.
For example, Hoang’s “‘The Contributions of Teachers’ Credentialing Routes and Experience Levels on Classroom Management,” in the January 2009 issue of the International Journal of Instruction, was the same, nearly word-for-word, as the work of two other authors, “Exploring the relationship between certification sources, experience levels, and classroom management orientations of classroom teachers,” published in Teaching and Teacher Education in 2007.
The International Journal of Instruction has removed the article from its archive and placed this announcement on its site:
Dr. Hoang plagiarized the article, titled “The Contributions of Teachers’ Credentialing Routes and Experience Levels on Classroom Management” (IJI 2009, 2/1, pp. 3-16)
The original work of Dr. Ritter and Dr. Hancock, titled “Exploring the relationship between certification sources, experience levels, and classroom management orientations of classroom teachers” was published in Teaching and Teacher Education, 2007, 23, pp. 1206–1216)
We condemn Dr. Hoang’s plagiarization.
Now we learn that Hoang has left her job as a result of the revelations. M.G. (Peggy) Kelly, the dean of Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Education & Integrative Studies, wrote in an email to someone who brought this to her attention that:
We have investigated this and similar matters in compliance with the relevant university policies and procedures. Dr. Hoang has separated from the university.
Although we never like to see anyone fired — we’re assuming that she was, but the school has refused to talk to us – Hoang’s behavior was about as egregious as we’ve yet seen. We looked at several of “her” papers and found them to be blatant thievery — no gray area, no potential for generous interpretation. For all we know, Hoang never wrote an original article.
Hat tip: Multiple readers, incluiding Vincent Natthapoj
“Dr” Hoang eh? What are the odds that her doctoral thesis was really hers I wonder…?
Neuroskeptic
August 10, 2011 at 5:54 am
A good thought. Anyone here with access to the dissertation and some familiarity with the literature? A plain-vanilla rendering of the title might be “How social perspective affects interpretation of literature”
Thienhuong Ngoc Hoang
Organization and Leadership | The Hues of Viewpoint, Textual Connection, Interpretation, and Socio-Cultural Dynamics and their Effects on the Art of Composing Meaning in Literature.
Dissertation Chairperson: Dr. Patricia Mitchell
University of San Francisco, 2004
http://ignacio.usfca.edu/record=b1699672~S0
Peter Harris
August 10, 2011 at 11:47 am
I was a graduate student in two of Ms Hoang’s classes (Special Education). There were several of us who expressed concern regarding the quality of the activities in a graduate level class (credentialing program), the unanswered concerns when Blackboard assessment questions were horribly flawed, and the general “smoke and mirrors” responses we received to our in-class questions and concerns.
To read that Ms Hoang is guilty of plagiarism is not surprising.
DP McCain
August 10, 2011 at 6:09 pm
Sadly, yes, there is now doubt cast on all of her work, and we won’t know for sure anytime soon if any of her work has been original. I hope for her sake that her thesis was legit. *sigh* I am glad for one that she’s no longer at Cal Poly Pomona; she deserved to be let go. And god help her if she tries to parlay her stay at Cal Poly Pomona for some personal gain. Is it too harsh of me to want her condemned academically for the rest of her life?
JKR
August 16, 2011 at 2:12 am
I can’t believe she was given a credential for all the fraudulent papers she wrote. Thien Hoang is a poor excuse of a “teacher” if she even deserves such a title. For the sake of education, I plead that no learning institution employs her as she has nothing to offer to individuals who want an honest education. What a joke.
Randall
April 19, 2012 at 5:24 pm