IB Programme impact research – current and future studies

This workshop is run by Brad Shrimpton, the IB Global Research Manager of the Asia Pacific region. He is a former university professor from Australia and is based in Singapore. He commissions 40-50 research studies per year in Asia Pacific. By commissioning, that means that Brad outlines studies and collects offers from universities in the UK, Australia, USA, Japan and Spain to conduct the research. They are totally independent from the IB. The IB publishes research findings both “good” and “bad”. The research is published on the IB website here.

The IB Global Research department is very large and there are three main areas.

program development research (Hague)- literature reviews and case studies to find best practices in the schools

quality assurance (Washington) – evaluating professional development, authorization/site visits

program impact research (Washington/Singapore)- the value and impact of an IB education

IB makes big claims in academic achievement at university and success post university across the course of their lives.learner profile, university outcomes, success post university and across the life course – where is the evidence? The research commissioned by the IB is the evidence. This evidence is good for parents, governments and school that want to know if they should work with the IB. The research contributes to scholarly knowledge and improves the IB.

Outcomes from two recent IB Asia Pacific studies

PYP outcomes in Australian state schools

In a study of 13 PYP schools in Australia, Annette Gough from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology found that on the NAPLAN, a standardized assessment in Victoria, student achievement in reading and numeracy in grades 3 and 5 from 2008 – 2012 was higher than in like schools and all Australian schools. The study also found much more benefit from the PYP than just the NAPLAN results, and anecdotal evidence demonstrated students were more independent learners, showed international-mindedness, etc. For schools, improved outcomes included encouraging students to take control of their learning, a shared languagem deeper understanding of concepts and a better school climate, A negative effect on the school were the high fees and PD costs. Some teacher comments included,

“It has given me a whole new love of teaching.”
“I am more engaged and therefore my students are more engaged.”

They are next doing a study looking looking at the MYP in 10 Malaysia state schools.

Learner Profile in the DP A researcher at the University of Melbourne found in 9 schools (3 each in India, Hong Kong, Australia) that the teacher and student awareness and understanding of the Learner Profile attributes in the DP were quite low.

Future Studies – 2015…