Is the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme effective at delivering the International Baccalaureate mission statement?

Abstract

The International Baccalaureate (IB) organisation, through its three programmes (Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme and pre-university Diploma Programme), aims to develop students who contribute to a more peaceful world through promoting intercultural understanding and respect. The aim of the study on which this article is based was to examine the extent to which the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is effective at delivering the IB mission statement. Literature has first been reviewed in order to explore the aims of international education and how curricula and school systems can influence the development of values within students. Within the review, concepts are explored and compared to the IBDP. The literature review concludes with a model reflecting the influences on the promotion of international education within a school. The article then describes a case study carried out in an international school that delivers the IBDP, using a mixed methods approach with an exploratory sequential design. A small number of IBDP students were interviewed, and the findings of these interviews were triangulated using a questionnaire completed by all Diploma Programme students in the case study school. The results of the student interviews and questionnaires were used as the basis for ascertaining the ways in which the IBDP has influenced student attitudes.The study concludes that the values of the students in question were moving towards those expressed in the IB mission statement. The significance of different elements of the school curriculum and the school environment for the development of values within the student population has been highlighted as an area for possible further research.

Keywords

International Baccalaureate international education values education

Aim of this study

International education is increasingly more visible (Dolby and Rahman, 2008; Hayden et al., 2002) both in academia and through the development of independent international education curricula including those of the IB (2011c), Fieldwork Education (2013) and Cambridge International Examinations (CIE, 2012). International curricula tend to include as an aim the development in students of attributes such as ‘intercultural understanding and respect’ (IB, 2011c) or ‘international understanding’ (International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC), 2012). Yet there would seem to be a lack of research into the effectiveness of educational programmes in developing the global citizenship and cultural understanding of students (Wilkinson and Hayden, 2010). When this lack of research is compared with the growth of international educational curricula (Crippen, 2008; IB, 2012a), it is clear that further analysis of the effectiveness of these curricula is increasingly necessary. Recent growth in uptake of the three IB programmes (Primary Years Programme [PYP], Middle Years Programme [MYP] and pre-university Diploma Programme [DP]) is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1.

International Baccalaureate 5-year growth by programme, 2007–2012 (IB, 2012a).

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the curriculum and structures put into place by the IB to achieve its mission statement, which is stated as follows:

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.

These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right. (IB, 2011c)

Particular attention was placed in this study on the first sentence of the mission statement and the ability of the IBDP to meet the aims expressed therein.

This article is split into two distinct parts. The first part is a comparison of the IB’s aims with those found in the literature on international education, followed by an analysis of the ability of an examined curriculum to promote these aims. The second part explores the effectiveness of the IBDP curriculum in developing within students the aims of the IB. This ability of the curriculum to influence student attitudes is evaluated by interviewing and then undertaking a survey of students at an IB world school (a school offering one or more of the IB programmes) with regard to the impact the IBDP has had on the development of their views.

Literature review

Defining international education

The term ‘international education’ does not have a universally agreed definition (Gunesch, 2004; Marshall, 2007; Sylvester, 2007), and due to its global nature, international education has developed differently around the world. The aim of this first part is to consider the term ‘international education’ and its different interpretations which can arguably be roughly divided into three different areas:

The formation of an education system designed to foster and develop international understanding and with this the promotion of peace and respect for different cultures, as seen in, for instance, the United World Colleges (2013) and the Round Square Schools (2013).

The development in a host nation of an education system for expatriate children whose curriculum aims are the same as those of the home nation, as seen in schools such as The British School of Paris (2013).

The introduction of international students into a nation’s public school system as seen at schools such as Wellington College, New Zealand (2013).

The predominance of English as the medium of instruction in the examples above is a reflection of the historical development of international education and the use of English as an international business language (Matthews and Sidhu, 2005).

Of the three definitions for international education given, this literature review will focus mainly on the first: the formation of an education system that aims to promote international understanding, peace and respect. Since 1962, the IBDP has been developed around this ideal (Hill, 2002). This interpretation of international education can be seen in the founding principles of a number of international school organisations including the United World Colleges (2013) and the Round Square Schools (2013), and is also mirrored in academic writings on international education including those of Hill (2002) and McDonald (2002). A number of themes run through educational systems designed to promote the development of international understanding. These include human rights education, cosmopolitanism, globalism and peace education (Hayden et al., 2007). I will now make a closer examination of two of these areas: cosmopolitanism and human rights education.

Cosmopolitanism and international education

The idea of cosmopolitanism and the development of an inclusive morality is a theme that resonates with the ideals of international education in terms of the development of a person with an intercultural outlook. Hansen (2010) suggests that

cosmopolitanism implies more than tolerance of difference. Rather, it suggests a willingness to learn from or with other traditions and human inheritances. (p. 6)

The ideal expressed above, combined with the need for a person actively to pursue the ideals of cosmopolitanism (Gunesch, 2004; Hansen, 2010), reflect the dynamic nature of modern society. The dynamic nature of cosmopolitanism allows for assimilation and development of cultural awareness and hence the promotion of understanding between people who hold different views. The active and continued development found in cosmopolitanism is also a characteristic of educational programmes that promote lifelong learning, which is in keeping with the IBDP (IB, 2011c). These findings show the ability of cosmopolitanism to act as a basis for an education system that promotes international ideals and understanding.

Human rights education and international education

The idea of a global community can also be developed within the model for human rights education presented by Tarrow (1992, cited in Marshall, 2007), where the ideal of human rights runs as a core theme through ethical education. Cardenas (2005) noted that the promotion of human rights within education systems can ‘foster social tolerance, a democratic citizenry, and a climate wherein human rights abuses are less likely to occur’ (p. 364). This stance is supported by Ramirez et al. (2007) who identify the links between human rights education and the promotion of global citizenship. These outcomes closely link with the aims of international education as presented by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO, 2012) which states that ‘Education should encompass values such as peace, non-discrimination, equality, justice, non-violence, tolerance and respect for human dignity’.

Curriculum structure and international education

As identified by Sylvester (2007) and Marshall (2007), and as mentioned earlier, there is no universal definition of the term ‘international education’. Having said this, the general underlying theme in international curricula worldwide is ‘the need (for students) to be prepared for an increasingly multicultural and globalized world’ (Räsänen, 2007: 57). To meet these aims, different curriculum designers work from different starting points and structure their curricula differently.

Thompson (1998) identifies a trifecta of factors that can be combined as a structure for international education, these being a balanced curriculum, cultural diversity and administrative styles (Figure 2). Thompson (1998: 287) notes that international ideals are ‘caught not taught’ in schools where the experiential learning of students exposed to an international educational environment is more important than the instructional learning that they experience. It is the combination of these three factors outlined above that can help create an atmosphere in a school that allows the experiential learning to occur.

Figure 2.

Factors contributing to international education.

The implementation of this model means that international education does not have to be restricted to a school with an international intake; in a national school, it can be a ‘state of mind’ (Cole-Baker, 1989, cited in Hill, 2007: 26). Indeed, simply placing international students in a school does not necessarily result in the kind of intercultural exchange and understanding that a programme of international education would set out to achieve (Belle-Isle, 1986, cited in Hill, 2007; Matthews and Sidhu, 2005).

The effects of assessment on teaching and learning

The aim of international education, in terms of developing students’ international outlook and intercultural skills, has been outlined above. This section seeks to investigate the effectiveness of the assessed curriculum in positively influencing students’ development of an international outlook.

The summative assessment of a curriculum is a very powerful tool in terms of influencing the teaching and learning in a school. This influence may be magnified when the assessment in question can be classed as high stakes. High stakes summative assessments exert noticeable pressure on the institution, teacher and student alike. This pressure and the assessment of schools and teachers through examination results can affect the teaching and learning styles employed.

The driving force behind an examination structure should be dictated by the learning theory that underpins the course. The learning should dictate the style of the examination rather than the other way round. This alignment between the examination and the learning underpins the validity of the examination system (Bring, 1996; Tang, 1997, cited in James, 2006). It is not possible with externally developed examination curricula to design the assessment around the teaching that has taken place. Instead, the assessment is likely to dictate the teaching that takes place. This factor is acknowledged by a number of examining bodies, including CIE (Maughan, 2008) and the IB (2011a), who aim for examinations to promote ‘best practice’ in the classroom.

The ability of the examination system to influence positively the teaching in a classroom is noted by Maughan (2008) who states that assessment ‘can now be designed to impact on the actual learning that takes place in schools rather than purely to measure the outcomes of that learning’ (p. 1). It is important for the examination/curriculum bodies to construct carefully the assessment in order to ensure that the desired teaching and learning strategies are experienced. This influence of the examination on what is taught is noted by Jacob (2004). Spratt (2005) and Pan (2009) note that the attitude of teachers is significant in creating a positive washback from examinations onto everyday teaching and learning. Spratt (2005) notes that for the examination to have a positive effect on teaching and learning in the classroom, teachers need to believe that the tests are beneficial to the education of the students.

The monitoring of schools by examination results can affect the teaching styles of the institution and cause them to move from a constructivist or social-constructivist approach to a more behaviourist methodology. This can have a negative effect on student learning, and the ability of a curriculum to promote the aims of international education, by not allowing a student to develop or explore ideas fully. The development of an international outlook on a problem or situation requires students to develop the ability to look at something from multiple angles, an ability that can be classed as a thinking skill. The development of thinking skills requires the use of both constructivist and social-constructivist theories of learning by teaching staff. Constructivism is based upon the work of Piaget (1950, cited in McGregor, 2007) and is identifiable by its development of increasingly complex layers of knowledge. Looking at Hipkins’ (2006) definition of thinking, a constructivist approach can help develop the critical and reflective personal practice needed to develop an international outlook, as desired by the IB.

Social-constructivism is based on the work of Vygotsky (1978) and promotes the idea of language as a tool for improving thinking. By getting students to discuss ideas, we are helping them to learn, think and develop those ideas, thereby improving the creativity of the thought process. Social-constructivism is useful in problem solving in new situations and in subjects where there is not a single correct answer. Part of developing an international outlook is appreciating that there is more than one answer to a problem. It is therefore important that the summative assessment used promotes the use of constructivist and social-constructivist teaching styles.

The IB and international education

When comparing different interpretations of international education to the aims of the IB, it is worth considering some of the historical influences on the development of the IB. These influences included

Practical necessity for a school curriculum that could be delivered to students who were going onto tertiary education worldwide (Sylvester, 2007).

Demands of parents (the customers) who were politically influential and who disliked the cultural bias and lack of international perspective of national systems (Sylvester, 2007).

Following the ideals of international education as education to encourage peace and cultural understanding as promoted by UNESCO (Marshall, 2007; Sylvester, 2007) and reflecting the peaceful ideals of post-Second World War society (Hill, 2007).

These influences can be seen in the IB mission statement where IB expresses its aim to develop ‘inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect’ (IB, 2011c).

One of the main aims of IB programmes is to ‘develop internationally minded people’ (IB, 2009: 7). However, international mindedness does not have a singular definition within education, nor does the IB have a singular succinct line within its curriculum documents to define the term. Previous editions of the IB standards and practices document (IB, 2005) made reference to the ideals connected with the ideas of internationally minded people in statements such as ‘The school encourages student learning that strengthens the student’s own cultural identity, and celebrates and fosters understanding of different cultures’ (p. 2). This statement resonates with the ideas of cosmopolitanism presented by Hansen (2010) and recognises that students have their own cultural identity. This statement has been replaced in the latest copy of the IB standards and practices (IB, 2010) with ‘The school develops and promotes international-mindedness and all attributes of the IB learner profile across the school community’ (p. 2).

Ellis (2006) succinctly summarises the aims of the IB in terms of international education as ‘viewing our world not as “us and them” but as “us and us”’ (p. 25). Not only is this a concept that can be found at the heart of both cosmopolitanism and human rights education as discussed above, but it also fits comfortably with the UNESCO ideals that were at the heart of the formation of the IBDP.

Curriculum structure for international education and the IBDP

Wilkinson and Hayden (2010) found that there had been a change in attitudes of students following the IBDP, in line with the aims of the IB mission statement. Also highlighted in their study was the importance of the whole school environment in encouraging these changes. The IB has a number of principles and practices that it requires a school to implement as part of its application to become an IB World School. The standards that the IB requires a school to implement include Standard A2: 12 practices that help shape an international outlook within a school. As discussed by Thompson (1998), the structure and overall ethos of a school is important in the development of an international outlook in students. This ethos is important in terms of nurturing an atmosphere where the ideals of international education can be ‘caught’. By putting in place these structures and by making these aims explicit within the school community, the school increases the chance of ideals being caught by students and of them developing an international perspective. The whole school structure that the IB seeks to develop is also reflected in the ideas of McDonald (2002), who highlights the importance of the administrators (leaders and managers) of the school in developing a bold vision that filters down into the school ethos and structure. When this bold vision includes the ideals of international education, it can help foster these ideals in the school.

Within the IBDP, both the academic subjects and the core curriculum are used as a vehicle to help develop the ideals and values outlined in the IB mission statement. The connection between the visibility of values education, teacher buy-in and the effectiveness of the values programme is made by Lovat et al. (2010), who have noted that values education is most successful when a whole school approach is taken, encompassing the curriculum, teaching staff and the school leadership. These findings are supported by Halstead and Taylor (2000), who note that ‘a whole school policy is much more effective in influencing the development of young people’s values than adopting a single approach in isolation’ (p. 190). They can also be linked to Thompson’s (1998) model for the development of international education and his argument for the need to build a whole school approach which will result in effectively promoting, within students, the ideals expressed in the IB Organisation (2011c) mission statement.

The IBDP curriculum and summative assessment

As discussed above, high stakes summative assessment can have a noticeable effect on teaching and learning. The nature of the IBDP assessment is unmistakably ‘high stakes’ as it is the culmination of the 2-year programme whose results determine university placements and employment opportunities. If a student has followed the MYP, which is not externally assessed, then the IBDP would be their only formal certification after completing 7 years of secondary education.

The IB has a clear assessment philosophy where the DP strives to assess academic skills in line with its stated goals. The IBDP assessment also aims to encourage ‘an international outlook and intercultural skills where appropriate’ (IB, 2011a). The IB is aware of the influence of the summative assessment on teaching and learning and has aimed to construct an assessment system that influences the everyday teaching and learning (IB, 2011a). It is this system that we will now consider.

Central to the ideals of the IB and international education, as discussed earlier, is the development of an appreciation of other cultures and the ability to learn from them. Within the IBDP, this awareness is developed within the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) component of the curriculum and through topics chosen within the academic areas studied. Of the six groups of the IBDP curriculum, study of a subject chosen from ‘Group 1: studies in language and literature’ is undertaken in a language in which a student is ‘academically competent’ (IB, 2011b). When studying world literature, students can use translated texts, allowing them access to literature from different cultures. The use of translated texts is not allowed in some nationally based systems, for example, in England within A-level English. By introducing these factors into the examined curriculum, the IB can ensure a positive influence on the teaching and learning in IB World Schools. As well as helping to develop an appreciation of other cultures, the study of literature from different languages can also help to create an international state of mind, as promoted by Cole-Baker (1989, cited in Hill, 2007).

The study of TOK involves critical reflection on knowledge and experiences that students gain as part of the curriculum and their lives as a whole. This knowledge is explored using the curriculum model above and Socratic analysis. By using a Socratic method, different viewpoints can be distilled down to their cores, and along with this, commonly held truths can be examined. From this point, an appreciation of other cultures’ viewpoints can develop. This approach can also help students develop critical thinking skills (Maxwell, 2009), which is one of the aims of the IBDP. Students’ work is internally assessed (and externally moderated) in TOK through an assessed presentation and an essay, with credits being awarded towards their final point score. By assessing these areas of the curriculum, the IB is ensuring its status in the curriculum and that dialog between students occurs. This again helps develop opportunities for social-constructivist teaching to be implemented through the influence of the curriculum.

As part of the continued development of the IBDP, new subjects are being introduced and developed. These developments include interdisciplinary subjects that can be studied on both a local and global scale. An example of this is the World Studies Extended Essay. The extended essay is one of the IBDP core components. A World Studies Extended Essay has three key requirements: students must focus on a topic of global significance (e.g. the global food crisis or climate change), students must take an interdisciplinary approach when studying the topic, and while doing this, students must link their thinking from local to global (IB, 2012c). The move towards an Extended Essays on a topic of global significance is a move away from the more academically based topics that students traditionally choose for their Extended Essays. This move by the IB to encourage students to investigate global issues can be seen as a positive move to develop students’ global perspectives and their international understanding.

Literature review: conclusion and further questions

The ability of a school to promote the ideals of international education requires a combination of different factors. Thompson (1998) identified three factors that help create a culture of international education within a school. As discussed above, these three elements do not stand in isolation and have a number of external influences. Figure 3 is an expanded version of Thompson’s model for international education, highlighting the influences on the three areas, including that of the IB.

Figure 3.

Influences on creating a school environment suitable for promoting international education with the International Baccalaureate.

A comparison of the findings of the literature review to the curriculum and systems put into place by the IB shows a number of parallels. These parallels include the development of a syllabus that emphasises cultural awareness and affords multiple opportunities for students to explore this curriculum area, the development of the administrative side of the school through the standards required of IB World Schools and the requirement of all staff teaching the IBDP to undertake professional development which includes a focus on the IB philosophy. This professional development is recognition of the significant part the teaching staff play in the formation of the school culture and the emphasis of the lessons, as identified by Spratt (2005) and Pan (2009). When all of these factors are considered as a whole, it can be said that the IB has sought to build a culture within the school in line with Thompson’s (1998) model for international education, creating an atmosphere most likely to promote the aims of the IB mission statement.

Having argued that the IBDP meets the aims of international education and has put structures in place through the curriculum and the standards and practices that it requires IB World Schools to adopt, the effectiveness of these systems in achieving the IB’s aims, as stated in their mission statement, will now be considered in discussing a case study undertaken in an IB World School.

The case study

The effectiveness of the structures put into place and the washback from the assessment in achieving the stated goals can be determined by the attitudes of the students, which can be considered in three respects: how aware the students are of the IB mission statement, how explicit students feel the international educational aims of the IB are in the everyday teaching and learning, and how students feel their perceptions have been changed over the course of their study of the IBDP. The approach adopted was similar to that used by Wilkinson and Hayden (2010).

Adopting a case-study approach allowed the enquiry to be tailored to the school under investigation, making an appraisal of the effectiveness of the infusion of international education ideals into the IBDP.

The case study school

The study took place in an independent fee-paying school in Switzerland that has been offering the IBDP since 2006. The school had an international student and staff body with 480 students aged between 5 and 18. There were 52 nationalities within the student body in the academic year when the research was undertaken. The major national groups within the school were as follows: British 21%, Russian 9%, Swiss 7%, American 5% and French 5%. The school had 240 students in the secondary section (11–18 years old) with 25–30 students in each IBDP intake. The major language of instruction in the school was English, with 84% of students opting to take the Group 1 Language A (literature) course in English.

An initial series of semi-structured interviews were carried out with small groups of IBDP students. The case-study school year starts in August, and the interviews were undertaken in March with 18 students. Interviewees were a mixture of 13 first-year and 5 second-year IBDP students. The timing of the interviews within the school year meant that all students had a good working knowledge of the IBDP curriculum. Once the semi-structured interviews had been completed and trends identified, a second wave of research took place which involved circulating questionnaires to all 45 IBDP students in the school to see if the trends identified in the semi-structured interviews were reflected in the whole student body. A total of 34 out of 45 questionnaires (a return rate of 76%) were completed.

The semi-structured interviews and the questionnaires followed a similar pattern, with the students being questioned about their reasons for studying the IBDP, what they knew about the IB mission statement and their understanding of it. Finally, students were asked about where they saw evidence of the IB mission statement in their lessons. The semi-structured interviews were recorded and then transcribed, allowing for trends in the students’ answers to be identified. In the questionnaire, students were presented with answers to the questions that reflected those given in the semi-structured interviews and asked to indicate on a 6-point scale their agreement or disagreement with these statements. Analysis of the student interviews and responses to the student questionnaires follows below. The student questionnaire and a summary of the student responses are included in Appendices 1 and 2, respectively.

Analysis

Part 1: what reasons do students have for studying the IBDP?

When students were asked to explain why they studied the IBDP, responses could be split into two distinct groups: those who chose the school before the qualification and those who chose the qualification before the school. When looking at students’ reasons for choosing the IBDP before the school, two factors were highlighted: the breadth of the IBDP and the appeal that it had to employers and universities. These two ideas were reflected in student comments made during the semi-structured interviews, such as

The only real other alternative was A Levels and I would prefer to do the IB because it gives you a more broad choice of subjects rather than just the three of A Level.

I think that the IB opens more doors for the universities, so I had more options than at A level.

Of the students who chose the school over the qualification offered, the main reason given involved social ties within the school. Highlighted by students were the difficulties experienced when moving to a new school, as illustrated by one student:

Student:

‘I came here beginning of Year 10 and I don’t really want to change school again so I thought it would be better’.

Interviewer:

‘But why did you not want to change school?’

Student:

‘It’s not the best of experiences; it can be a bit tough at the beginning’.

The desire to stay in a stable place can be linked to the feeling of loss experienced by third culture kids or ‘global nomads’ when moving between schools and homes (Pollock and Van Reken, 2001).

Part 2: IB philosophy

The interviews then moved onto the IB mission statement and, in particular, whether students were familiar with the mission statement and the meaning of the terminology used in the statement. Particular attention was paid to the phrases that referred to the development of international understanding and respect. The interpretation of these statements is central to the understanding of the mission statement and how it is seen within the programme. Students were asked how aware they were of the IB philosophy and to explain what they understood by the terms used in the mission statement. They were generally aware of the IB mission statement and linked this with the IB learner profile, although they were neutral in their response to the extent to which the mission statement was made explicit in lessons.

When questioned about their understanding of the terms used, there was a wide range of interpretations, reflecting the wide range of terms found in educational literature. When asked to explain the term ‘intercultural understanding and respect’ students focussed on being open minded about people’s cultures and beliefs. Students talked about taking time to understand where people’s ideas and opinions have come from and not judging someone on one set of criteria:

To me it means getting an understanding of other cultures through education. And with this understanding of other cultures, you can respect them in a different way than you would if you had no knowledge.

Being able to see someone from probably not where you’re from and not being shocked and being able to relate to them.

These ideas were strongly confirmed in responses to the questionnaire.

The use of the term ‘international education’ in the IB mission statement was also discussed. Students’ responses reflected the different uses of the term found in educational literature, highlighting its use to include a curriculum studied worldwide and a qualification internationally recognised by employers and universities:

Up until now I’ve not really decided where I want to go to university, and I think IB is more accepted universally. So if I go to America, or if I go to England, or if I go to Sweden, nobody will be asking, ‘What’s IB?’

This interpretation of the term ‘international education’ reflects the multinational nature of the student population in the case-study school and the international mobility of the students’ lives. It is typical of students in the case-study school not to be studying in the same country as their passport and to have lived in a number of different countries: only 7% of the case-study students are Swiss.

Also highlighted in discussions around the IBDP was the international nature of the curriculum. This was seen as positive when compared to the perceived bias found in other examined syllabuses. The case-study school examines students at age 16 with the CIE International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE). As a result, many of the students interviewed have completed this programme:

Because I recall from the IGCSE course I did, it was English, how the English looked at the world, it was not international.

As part of this discussion, students linked international education not only to the curriculum followed but also to the student make-up of the school. A number of interviewees commented that this mixing of many nationalities was a more significant influence on their opinions than the curriculum followed:

I’m not sure that it’s the IB’s teaching that’s directly made me more an international student, rather than being surrounded by the different cultures within the school.

The final question on the IB mission statement was about the meaning of the phrase ‘to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right’. During the interviews, students focussed on the second half of the statement, linking this statement to ideas explored in their TOK course:

respecting other people’s views on different subjects and accepting change in your ideas based on other people’s opinions.

I think what it also means is that as well as being open, you are curious about other cultures, it’s not that you accept them but you search to accept them.

Part 3: teaching and learning

The third part of the interviews investigated how students perceived the aims outlined in the IB mission statement. This included talking through the IB mission statement and exploring its meaning; in particular, the terms international education, intercultural understanding and respect and compassionate and lifelong learners. Having explored these ideas, students had a greater understanding of these concepts and were able to give examples of where the mission statement was visible in the curriculum. This can be considered a reflection of the lack of transparency of the mission statement in the everyday teaching of the IBDP in the case-study school.

Students were first asked to give examples of where they felt the mission statement was reflected in their academic studies within the IBDP’s different groups. As highlighted below, students found the most examples of the mission statement within languages and humanities and the least within mathematics and sciences.

Of particular note from the group interviews were the differences found between the IBDP and the IGCSE programme that many of the students had previously studied. These differences included the lack of prescription found within the IBDP case studies used in humanities, and the freedom students were given to explore these ideas from multiple perspectives:

Yes, even in history you look at the history of other nations but also how they interacted with each other.

Geography, because we don’t specifically study Switzerland; we study other case studies all over the world.

Students highlighted the influence that the multinational student body has on the nature of discussions in humanities lessons. Within each class, there is a number of different cultural perspectives and knowledge that helps build an appreciation for different viewpoints. A number of students highlighted this factor as a bigger influence on their development of an international outlook than the formal curriculum:

being in somewhere that has so much difference, and so many different people from different countries, it’s perhaps taught me more than what I’ve learnt directly through the IB.

Students were then asked to consider the IBDP core of Creativity, Action, Service (CAS), TOK and the extended essay, and how they saw the IB mission statement reflected in this part of the curriculum. The majority of the students expressed that this was where they saw the most connection between the mission statement and everyday teaching and learning. The inclusion of the IBDP core subjects was noted as a major difference between the IBDP and other examination syllabuses, for example, A level, as it forced students into areas of study and activity that they would not have chosen otherwise.

When talking about the TOK course, students recognised that this was a good environment in which to examine both their own opinions and those of other students:

I think TOK makes you appreciate the different aspects of the cultures and the different opinions of the cultures more than we would have done otherwise.

Students found the inclusion of CAS useful as a prompt to push them into new situations that they would not usually be in. This included moving out of the ‘bubble’ that they lived in and meeting people with whom they would not normally interact.

Part 4: development of individuals

The final part of the interviews focused on whether students felt that following the IB had changed their perspectives. This can be considered the litmus test of the effectiveness of the curriculum. If students do not feel their perspectives have been changed or developed, can the IBDP be said to have achieved its stated aim? When considering the student responses, it is worth noting that potentially only half of the student responses were from students who had completed the majority of the course: the stage of the students in the course was not recorded in the questionnaire.

Students noted that there was a change and a development of attitudes over time, with some attributing these to the education system they were in. Comparisons were made to peers in students’ home countries who did not share the same experiences and had developed different attitudes, as in the following case:

I went to Vietnam last year and I had a total different perspective, just because of the international education.

Students identified that it was difficult to separate the influence of the curriculum and the school environment, as noted by one student:

I’ve thought about this myself, and I’m not sure whether this is coming from being in an international school since Year 8 (12 years old), or whether it’s actually come from the IB. It’s a bit difficult to distinguish.

I think that you notice more after school than during school, because the whole time you are in the building and you don’t leave to [go to] other places. And I think you’d notice the difference more when you leave school.

Summary of analysis

The results of the semi-structured interviews show that within the case-study school, the IB mission statement does not have a highly visible profile, with students only having a rough idea of the statement, though they were found to have a greater familiarity with the learner profile. When students were asked to give reasons as to why they chose to study the IBDP, the main reasons were the global currency of the diploma and the breadth of the programme offered. Once students explored the terms used in the mission statement, they began to make connections between the curriculum structure, the mission statement and teaching and learning. Their definitions of the terms ‘international education’, ‘cultural awareness’ and ‘compassionate learner’ affected how they saw the mission statement as part of the curriculum.

Students found that they could see the mission statement infusing learning most in the IB core modules of CAS and TOK. Within the non-core courses, the mission statement was most visible in languages and the humanities, and least visible in mathematics and the sciences. In terms of personal development, students identified that during their time in school, their opinions had moved towards the ideals expressed in the mission statement. They found it difficult to distinguish between changes brought about through following the IBDP and those arising from being in the case-study school environment. As the school environment is influenced by the standards and practices put into place as part of the school being an IB World School, this may be an example of the programme influence extending beyond the curriculum.

The results of the questionnaire correlated with the findings of the semi-structured interviews, suggesting that the views of the interviewees are representative of students more widely at the case-study school.

Discussion

Within literature, there is no universally agreed definition of international education (Sylvester, 2007). When the IB mission statement was considered, however, it was found to correlate closely with the ideals found in cosmopolitan education (Hansen, 2010), the educational aims of UNESCO (1996, cited in Hill, 2006) and human rights education. Gellar (2002) highlights the importance of education in promoting international understanding as people become increasingly dependent on one another. Thompson (1998) identified three factors that combined to form an international education: a balanced curriculum, a culturally diverse student and staff body and an appropriate administrative style in the school. Thompson’s model can also be used as a working definition to identify a school that offers an international education.

In the semi-structured interviews of this study, students identified instances where the three areas of Thompson’s model were visible in the school. This included identifying the cultural diversity of the school as a significant influence on their attitudes. Students particularly noted the role that this cultural diversity played when discussing topics in class, in terms of the presentation of multiple perspectives. One of Thompson’s factors for the development of an international education, the administrative style, can be related to the standards and practices that the IB Organisation (2005) requires IB World Schools to implement which can help create the appropriate administrative culture for the fostering of international education. The development of a whole school culture is seen as significant in the development of values education (Lovat et al., 2010).

When questioned about a change in their attitudes while studying the IBDP, students found it difficult to identify which of Thompson’s factors had the most influence on them. This can be seen as a reflection on how the three elements interact to form a culture within a school that is perceived as a whole. A review of the students’ responses suggested that their attitudes are in general alignment with those promoted by the IB, findings which support those of Wilkinson and Hayden (2010).

Thompson (1998) states that the formation of the appropriate culture within the school environment is important because the ideals that international education seeks to promote are ‘caught not taught’ (Thompson, 1998: 287). Students appeared to support this idea by questioning if the ideals of international education and of the IB can be taught, or if being exposed to these ideals is in fact of greater influence.

The main draw of the IBDP for students was the international currency of the qualification. Students were attracted to the worldwide mobility that the IBDP gave them, rather than to the ideals expressed within the IB mission statement. These findings echo those of Paris (2003). The interpretation of the term ‘international education’ as a global qualification can be seen in the structure and marketing of the IB programmes (IB, 2012b). The global nature of the qualification is not mentioned in the mission statement which focuses more on an ideological interpretation of the term ‘international education’. The factual subject knowledge delivered as part of the curriculum, and its assessment, is mentioned in the IB mission statement and the IB assessment philosophy. The rigour of the assessment helps create the market currency of the IBDP.

Students were found not to be overly aware of the IB mission statement and needed reminding before they could identify its place in everyday teaching and learning. The need for a reminder could suggest one of two conclusions: that the mission statement ideals are not being overtly promoted in the teaching of the IBDP in the case-study school or that the language of the mission statement is not in everyday use. After students discussed the terms used in the mission statement, they started making connections between the mission statement and their studies, which would indicate that it is the language of the mission statement that is not in everyday use in the case-study school. Students identified the core IBDP components of TOK and CAS as being the most visible aspects of the IB mission statement. The ability of the IBDP to promote in students the ideals expressed in the IB mission statement has echoes of the findings of Wilkinson and Hayden (2010). Of the non-core subjects studied, languages and humanities were found to have the most evidence of the IB mission statement within lessons.

The development of specific values through a curriculum is seen as a challenging goal and one that requires curriculum and teachers to work in tandem (Wells, 2011). Within the IBDP, academic topics studied are used as a vehicle to foster the development of intercultural understanding and respect within students. Using an academic subject as a vehicle to develop a second skill or trait is best done explicitly, as emphasised in the analysis of values education by Lovat et al. (2010) and in the work on thinking skills of McGuinness et al. (2007). It can be concluded that although the students were being exposed to the attributes of the programme which was helping them develop intercultural understanding and respect, this was not being made explicit to them. Spratt (2005) and Pan (2009) identify the significance of teacher attitudes on the development of positive washback from the curriculum.

The emphasis that each subject teacher places on the mission statement is open to the individual preference of that teacher. This personal preference can be influenced by a number of factors including training, background and perceived importance of the mission statement in that subject (Wells, 2011). The reasons for individual teachers emphasising the IB mission statement or not is an area that requires further research.

The IB has aimed to develop an assessment structure that creates a positive influence on teaching and learning. This includes promoting the ideals expressed in the mission statement and encouraging a social-constructivist approach to learning (Bullock, 2011). The possibility of high pressure examinations having a negative effect on teaching styles was highlighted in the literature review, with the pressure of examinations causing teaching staff to move away from a constructivist or social-constructivist approach towards a behaviourist one (Jacob, 2004).

There is evidence from the student interviews of a social-constructivist approach being used in lessons and of class discussions taking place. The impact of the international intake of the school on these discussions was highlighted by students, suggesting that the global variation of experiences contained within the classes helps develop intercultural understanding. It then follows that the ability of the IBDP curriculum to instigate intercultural interactions helps develop students’ attitudes, a factor highlighted as important by Wilkinson and Hayden (2010). This suggests that the IB Diploma examinations are not having a negative effect on the teaching styles implemented. The exact effect of the examination on the promotion of a social-constructivist approach to learning is beyond the scope of this study.

Conclusion

The literature review that formed the first part of this article concluded that the IB has put structures in place to help develop in students the ideals expressed in its mission statement. These structures are in line with research on international education and, in particular, with Thompson’s model on the development of a culture within a school designed to promote the ideals expressed in the IB mission statement. This mission statement was found to align with the principles of international education in terms of developing international understanding and peace. The second part of this article then aimed to answer the question posed at the beginning of the article: Is the curriculum of the IBDP effective at delivering the IB mission statement?

It is not simple to answer this question; students within the case-study school were not familiar with the IB mission statement on the IB’s aims. These aims were also not generally the reasons why students had chosen to study the IBDP. Once familiarised with the IB mission statement, students could identify areas where it permeated teaching and learning, including TOK, the CAS programme, languages and humanities. This suggests that students were not familiar with the language of the IB mission statement.

The presentation of the mission statement in everyday teaching and learning is not explicit to the students in the case-study school, leading to the question Are the curriculum and assessment practices of the IBDP responsible for the infusion of the aims of the IB into the case-study school? It can be argued that the curriculum is contributing to student interaction and that this helps promote in the school an atmosphere that encompasses the ethos of international education. Students identified the core IB elements of TOK and CAS as providing the most opportunities for the development of the IB mission statement ethos. The IBDP is unique in requiring students to complete these components, so it can be said that this is a definite example of where the curriculum is helping achieve the aims of the IBDP. Having said this, it is not possible from the evidence gathered to separate the influence of the IBDP from the influence of the international demographic of the school. Increasing the profile of the IB mission statement within lessons would make students more aware of its presence in the curriculum, which may lead to an increased development of students’ learning along the lines of the IB mission statement.

The evidence gathered in the case-study school suggests that the answer to the question posed: Is the curriculum of the IBDP effective at delivering the IB mission statement? is Yes it is. However, the study was not able to apportion the amount of influence the IBDP curriculum had on student values compared to other factors, including the existing school ethos and the international diversity of the students and staff. This reflects the complexity of developing values in young people and the need for further studies on the effectiveness of the IBDP in this context.

Areas for further research

The completion of this study and the analysis of the findings reflect the complexities of promoting the ideals of international education in a school. The combination of factors that influence the culture of a school where the ideals of international education are likely to be caught are summarised in Figure 3. The expansion of Thompson’s (1998) model and the findings of this study have highlighted areas that would benefit from further research. These include establishing the relative impact of the three main factors above in creating the international education environment. This major question, when placed in context of the study into the IBDP, will involve determining the ability of a curriculum to develop student values. A starting point for this could be to compare the development of students’ attitudes studying the IBDP and those studying the high school diploma in the case-study school, which could help ascertain the significance of the IBDP curriculum in developing the student values compared to the school environment. Highlighted above was the difficulty of separating the influence of the international demographic of the school from the influence of the curriculum. A further study in a school without an international student intake could help clarify this question. Finally, in order to help determine the influence that the programme has had on the development of students’ values, it would be helpful to record the stage students have reached in their IBDP studies when invited to share their perceptions on these issues.

Footnotes

Appendix 1

Appendix 2 Author biography

Richard Lineham has taught Science and Outdoor Education in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Switzerland where he currently teaches IB Science and coordinates the IB Diploma Creativity Action Service (CAS) programme. This research formed part of his MEd at Queens University, Belfast, and was supported by the International Baccalaureate through a Jeff Thompson Research Award.

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