Concurrency of Learning: Strategies and Challenges of Promoting Coherence in the Core in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP)

This study explored the empirical evidence with regards to concurrency of learning among the Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) and Extended Essay (EE), which are the core components in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). This mixed method research used a concurrency of learning questionnaire developed by the researchers as well as a focus group interview to explore and explain how concurrency of learning is promoted in the core. The research findings provide readers with insights on the strategies, good practices, challenges as well as suggestions provided by the school practitioners while achieving coherence in the core.

An analysis of National Certificate of Educational Achievement chemistry courses in terms of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment: With comparison to the International Baccalaureate Diploma

<p>New Zealand has seen significant change in curriculum and qualification frameworks in recent years. The implementation of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) from 2002 and a revised national curriculum in 2007 have underpinned the forces of change. However, preceding its implementation, the NCEA qualification sparked controversy both in the education literature and general media. This controversy around the NCEA continues. Classroom-based evidence on the impact of the NCEA on teaching and learning has a significant role in informing policy, and this work aimed to make such a contribution. As a number of secondary schools in this country offer alternative senior school qualifications, this invited the opportunity to compare the phenomenon of teaching chemistry to Years 12 and 13 students under two structurally different qualification frameworks. The overarching research question investigated in this study was: In the context of NCEA and International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBD) chemistry courses in New Zealand secondary schools, how do teachers manage the tension between learning, teaching, and assessment? Teachers’ views and practices were explored through inquiry questions relating to the following: Teaching the content and procedural knowledge of chemistry (referring to curriculum and pedagogy); and their approaches to assessment. Qualitative research was undertaken from a comparative case study within an interpretive paradigm. Two case schools offered both NCEA and IB Diploma qualifications, and one case school NCEA only. A total of ten participants from the three case schools were interviewed, and short sequences of lessons taught by the participant teachers were also observed. Following the coding of the interview data, emergent themes provided direction for the simple statistical analysis of national NCEA results data. Manageability of courses and their assessment, feeling accountable for high grade outcomes, and the wish for subject specific professional development were areas that teachers of both NCEA and IBDP noted as factors that concerned them. The influence of high-stakes assessment was seen in the teaching methods used in the case schools towards preparing students to attain these qualifications. It was evident from the interviews that participants had much more to say about their teaching of NCEA than they did for the IB Diploma qualification. The imbalance in the collected data, with more being related to the NCEA, was interpreted as arising from issues related to the achievement standard structure of this qualification. The impact of the NCEA on teaching and assessment of chemistry in Years 12 and 13 was found to be significant. NCEA achievement standards were seen to be the default curriculum (rather than the New Zealand Curriculum), and drove course designs in the three case schools. Extrinsic motivation from NCEA credits and grades were considered by the teachers to be key factors in students’ approaches to learning. Courses were designed to maximise grades, and teachers identified the time spent on rehearsal leading up to internal assessment as a concern. When mapped to the New Zealand Curriculum, it was evident that curricular holes in NCEA courses existed; in particular with regard to nature of science and investigation learning objectives. In the case schools, coherence of chemistry as a discipline was compromised in NCEA courses, with implications for students understanding. The performance of schools is evidently being judged, by both government and the media through the publication of league tables of NCEA grade data. This seems to be driving chemistry learning in directions that are counter to international directions in curriculum reform. Based on the findings of this study, several recommendations are made. Attention should be paid to supporting (and resourcing) full implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum, with a focus on subject specific professional development for teachers. The relationship between the New Zealand Curriculum and the NCEA needs addressing; the achievement structure of the NCEA as it currently exists, is coming at a high cost in terms of compromising pedagogy and subject connectedness. Issues of the reliability and validity of NCEA assessment also exist, suggesting that review of current implementation and assessment policy, including that relating to the conduct of national examinations, need review.</p>

An analysis of National Certificate of Educational Achievement chemistry courses in terms of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment: With comparison to the International Baccalaureate Diploma

<p>New Zealand has seen significant change in curriculum and qualification frameworks in recent years. The implementation of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) from 2002 and a revised national curriculum in 2007 have underpinned the forces of change. However, preceding its implementation, the NCEA qualification sparked controversy both in the education literature and general media. This controversy around the NCEA continues. Classroom-based evidence on the impact of the NCEA on teaching and learning has a significant role in informing policy, and this work aimed to make such a contribution. As a number of secondary schools in this country offer alternative senior school qualifications, this invited the opportunity to compare the phenomenon of teaching chemistry to Years 12 and 13 students under two structurally different qualification frameworks. The overarching research question investigated in this study was: In the context of NCEA and International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBD) chemistry courses in New Zealand secondary schools, how do teachers manage the tension between learning, teaching, and assessment? Teachers’ views and practices were explored through inquiry questions relating to the following: Teaching the content and procedural knowledge of chemistry (referring to curriculum and pedagogy); and their approaches to assessment. Qualitative research was undertaken from a comparative case study within an interpretive paradigm. Two case schools offered both NCEA and IB Diploma qualifications, and one case school NCEA only. A total of ten participants from the three case schools were interviewed, and short sequences of lessons taught by the participant teachers were also observed. Following the coding of the interview data, emergent themes provided direction for the simple statistical analysis of national NCEA results data. Manageability of courses and their assessment, feeling accountable for high grade outcomes, and the wish for subject specific professional development were areas that teachers of both NCEA and IBDP noted as factors that concerned them. The influence of high-stakes assessment was seen in the teaching methods used in the case schools towards preparing students to attain these qualifications. It was evident from the interviews that participants had much more to say about their teaching of NCEA than they did for the IB Diploma qualification. The imbalance in the collected data, with more being related to the NCEA, was interpreted as arising from issues related to the achievement standard structure of this qualification. The impact of the NCEA on teaching and assessment of chemistry in Years 12 and 13 was found to be significant. NCEA achievement standards were seen to be the default curriculum (rather than the New Zealand Curriculum), and drove course designs in the three case schools. Extrinsic motivation from NCEA credits and grades were considered by the teachers to be key factors in students’ approaches to learning. Courses were designed to maximise grades, and teachers identified the time spent on rehearsal leading up to internal assessment as a concern. When mapped to the New Zealand Curriculum, it was evident that curricular holes in NCEA courses existed; in particular with regard to nature of science and investigation learning objectives. In the case schools, coherence of chemistry as a discipline was compromised in NCEA courses, with implications for students understanding. The performance of schools is evidently being judged, by both government and the media through the publication of league tables of NCEA grade data. This seems to be driving chemistry learning in directions that are counter to international directions in curriculum reform. Based on the findings of this study, several recommendations are made. Attention should be paid to supporting (and resourcing) full implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum, with a focus on subject specific professional development for teachers. The relationship between the New Zealand Curriculum and the NCEA needs addressing; the achievement structure of the NCEA as it currently exists, is coming at a high cost in terms of compromising pedagogy and subject connectedness. Issues of the reliability and validity of NCEA assessment also exist, suggesting that review of current implementation and assessment policy, including that relating to the conduct of national examinations, need review.</p>

Multilingualism and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP): An Analysis of Language Learning in the IBDP in Light of the ‘Multilingual Turn’

This article analyses various International Baccalaureate policy documents to establish whether the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme has undergone what is described as a multilingual turn. After defining multilingualism and the multilingual turn, it outlines three main implications of what might be considered this paradigm shift for educational policies related to curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. These implications are used as a framework for the policy analysis to follow, which argues that International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme approaches to language learning are underpinned by a monolingual bias that might delegitimate the knowledge and experience of multilingual learners.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma: Assessment and perception of Ecuadorian teachers in the framework of student training

<p><span lang="EN-US">This article presents the results of an investigation directed to analyze the teachers' perception about the implementation of the curricular design of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in the province of Chimborazo, Riobamba - Ecuador. The design that was selected was qualitative, developing the interpretive paradigm. As a sample, a total of 18 teachers were considered who during the 2018-2019 school year administered the subjects and core components of the International Baccalaureate. A mixed questionnaire was applied, the data was organized in matrices and content analysis was applied for its interpretation. As negative aspects, they reveal that their experience has been marked by insufficient training that is evident in professional training for the development of pedagogical activity, in attention to the international parameters assumed by the Ministry of Education when implementing this modality of baccalaureate. There is, as well, evidence of a lack of material resources (laboratories, internet access, specialized bibliography). As favorable aspects, there was found teamwork to achieve the objectives and the willingness of teachers to continue the program</span></p>

Relationship Between Achievement Performances of University Entrance Examination and International Baccalaureate Diploma Program: A Case From Turkey

Prior research on the relationship between International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) scores and the university entrance exam scores is limited and varied to a great extent due to the conflicting results in the literature. This study investigates whether there is any relationship between the students’ achievement performance in IBDP and university entrance exam performance. The study revealed that there is no statistically significant correlation between IBDP scores and university entrance exam rank orders. Furthermore, the study showed that the IBDP scores cannot be taken into account as a strong predictor for university entrance exam performance.

Developing independent learners

Box Hill School is an independent school in Surrey, England. In 2008 the English curriculum was abandonedin favour of the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBD). A library is a statutory requirement of theInternational Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) endorsement who also recommend this be managed by aqualified teacher-librarian. In May 2008, I was employed to create a library and develop independentlearning throughout the school. This paper considers the rationale behind the physical design. It outlines theimplementation of independent learning in an international school community where no infrastructure topromote this style of teaching and learning previously existed.

Investigating the Relationship Between International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP): A Correlation and Regression Analysis in Languages, Sciences, and Mathematics

This study aims to explain the relationship between student performance in the International General Certificate Secondary Education (IGCSE) and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) as well as explore the predictors of the IBDP scores in languages, sciences, and mathematics. A purposive sample of 338 high school students was drawn from a private school implementing international programs in Turkey. The data consisted of external examination scores of students enrolled between the years 2010 and 2019. Data were analyzed for correlation and with a multiple regression approach. Strong, moderate, or weak relationships were found between the IBDP exam scores and the IGCSE exam scores with regard to the different subjects. From 4% to 65% of the variation in different IBDP subject scores can be explained by the simple linear regression model in different IGCSE subject scores. These findings will help international educators to make informed decisions about teaching and learning pedagogy in the international programs.