Personal Project: How Does the IB Middle Years Programme’s Capstone Experience Impact Students, Educators, and School Communities?

A multi-cultural research team based at the APCLC consisting of Dr Darren Bryant, Prof Allan Walker, Dr Ewan Wright, Dr Chrysa Keung, Prof Sylvia Tang and Dr Gail Yuen have been awarded a competitive International Baccalaureate (IB) research grant to investigate the impact of the IB Middle Years Programme’s capstone experience on students, educators, and school communities. More specifically, the research will: 1. Use extant IB data to examine how IB Middle Years Programme students’ Personal Project completion associates with subsequent performance in the IB Diploma Programme. The academic performance of IB and non-IB students will be examined to assess the impact of Personal Project experience. 2. Gather interview data from six schools across six jurisdictions that cover the IB’s three regions: (i) Africa, Europe and the Middle East, (ii) The Americas, and (iii) Asia Pacific. In-depth interviews and focus groups will be conducted with principals/vice-principals, IB coordinators, Personal Project supervisors and coordinators, Extended Essay supervisors and coordinators, students who recently completed the Personal Project, and Diploma Programme students taking the Extended Essay. Thematic and cross-case analyses will explore the impacts of the Personal Project experience on students, educators, and school communities. 3. Compare quantitative and qualitative datasets to investigate context-specific nuances that impact PP outcomes and the generalisability or transferability of study findings.

Funding Source: Non-HK - Others^^