Programme Development Research Studies

What is Programme Development research? Read more here.

PYP Studies

First Years of Implementing an Inquiry-Based Curriculum Framework for International Primary Education: Case studies (in progress)

MYP Studies

Curriculum Integration: An Approach for the IB’s Middle Years Programme Curriculum Review (in progress)

DP Studies

Theory of Knowledge: The Core of Inquiry in the IB’s Diploma Programme (in progress)
Intergenerational Interactive Learning Project (2003-2005)
Finland Distance Teaching Project (2002-2004)

PYP/MYP/DP or Continuum Studies

The IB’s Learner Profile in Practice: A Case Study of a PYP school in the Africa, Europe and Middle East Region (in progress)
Practitioner-Researcher Project (2004-2006)

In Progress Studies

Programme

Working Title

Study Description

PYP

First Years of Implementing an Inquiry-Based Curriculum Framework for International Primary Education: Case Studies

The project is an inquiry into the process of early implementation of the PYP. It aims to explore how schools new to the IB initiate the implementation of the PYP within their unique educational and cultural contexts. Through the comparison of empirical evidence gathered from different school circumstances worldwide, it is expected to increase understanding of practices and challenges faced by schools throughout the implementation.

MYP

Curriculum Integration: An Approach for the IB’s Middle Years Programme Curriculum Review

The project aims to enhance research capacity of the programme to carry out rigorous and relevant research for curriculum development. By adapting curriculum integration as an approach towards interdisciplinary teaching and learning based on the current standards and practices of the MYP curriculum development, a systematic and strategic model for curriculum review will be established and piloted.

Theory of Knowledge: The Core of Inquiry in the IB’s Diploma Programme

The purpose of the project is to build the theoretical underpinnings of: 1) why theory of knowledge (TOK) is regarded as essential to IB Diploma Programme for international education and 2) how it impacts on students’ learning and development towards becoming inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young adults. Additionally, it is to maximize the value of the theoretical discussions through elaborating the practical implications for teaching and learning TOK.

Continuum

The IB’s Learner Profile in Practice: A Case Study of a PYP School in the Africa, Europe and Middle East Region

The project aims to explore the promotion of the IB’s learner profile and its impacts within an PYP school community in the Africa, Europe and Middle East region and consequently to provide a range of examples as teaching and learning resources to the wider IB community worldwide.

Completed Studies

Practitioner-Researcher Project (2004-2006)

Richard Caffyn et. al. (while with the IB Research Unit at the University of Bath, closed in 2008)

The IB Research Unit at the University of Bath investigated ways in which teachers working in IB World Schools could be both supported and encouraged to engage in research. “Research” in this context includes:

practitioner research as academic, as reflective, and as professional development

research undertaken for individuals, for groups, for schools, and for students

research into one’s own work and that of others

research undertaken by individuals, groups and schools; and inclusive of teachers, management, support staff, and academic researchers.

The project looked into the needs and perceived needs of research practitioners working in schools. It examined the possibilities offered by online learning, the use of the World Wide Web, and other distance learning systems. The aims of this project were to look at ways in which practitioners could best be supported in research and how they could be enabled to carry out their research in a more effective way. The main focus was a study of the research needs of teachers, administrators, and support staff working in schools. Out of this emerged various strategies to support and encourage practitioner research and develop schools as research focused communities. There was a strong link to the IB’s strategic plan and how we as an organization could offer support for teachers in schools.

Executive Summary

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Interactive Intergenerational Learning Project (2003-2005)

James Cambridge & Anna Simandiraki (while with the IB Research Unit at the University of Bath, closed in 2008)

This pilot project, which ran from May 2003 to December 2004, explored the interactions between the young and the elderly in the context of the IB Diploma Programme's creativity, action, service (CAS) component. The project consisted of creating a framework for description and analysis of intergenerational activity, a telephone survey to find IB World Schools in the UK where interactive intergenerational learning (IIL) was taking place as part of CAS, and structured interviews with students and teachers at a selection of these schools. CAS logs were also analysed and closing discussions between students and the project team took place. Categories of interactive intergenerational learning were: older adults serving/mentoring/tutoring children and youth; children and youth serving/teaching older adults (this was the most populated category), children, youth and older adults serving the community/learning together within context of a shared task and children, and youth and older adults engaged in informal leisure/unintentional learning activities. IB coordinators interviewed indicated change in student attitude and worldview as the most prominent result of IIL activities. Students included the following as advantages of participating in IIL as CAS: expanding their horizons and knowledge, reducing their prejudices against old people, gaining empathy, and development of communication and reflection skills.

Report

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Finland Distance Teaching Project (2002-2004)

IB Research Unit at the University of Bath (the IB Research Unit at Bath was closed in 2008)

In 2001 the IB authorized a pilot project that was proposed by Oulun Lyseo (hereafter known as Oulu), Finland, an established IB World School, to provide the Diploma Programme to a partner school, Rovaniemen Lyseonpuinston lukio (hereafter known as Rovaniemi), by distance teaching. Oulu (the provider school) had already accumulated substantial experience in distance teaching through its involvement with a number of partner schools in distance teaching initiatives within the national system in Finland. The pilot project aimed to extend that experience through the Diploma Programme, beginning with the August 2002 student intake, who registered for examinations in May 2004.

The evaluation aimed to provide:

continuous feedback on a regular basis to those responsible for the administration of the project, in both the IB and the two schools, so that appropriate adjustments may be made to the organization and management of the pilot project

continuous feedback to both teachers and students on the progress being made with regard to the nature and extent of learning in all aspects of the Diploma Programme