The purpose of the study was to examine the Standards of Learning (SOL) test results of students participating in an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP) and compare their achievement with students of similar ability in schools not authorized to offer the Middle Years Program (MYP). It was important to determine if the MYP students, who were learning in a different and more holistic manner, were still competitive with their counterparts on standardized achievement measures. The study was guided by four questions: (1) To what extent is there a difference between the SOL achievement scores of students in an IBMYP and the SOL achievement scores of students not in an IBMYP?; (2) To what extent is there a difference between the SOL achievement scores for Black students in an IBMYP and the SOL achievement scores of Black students not in an IBMYP?; (3) To what extent is there a difference between the SOL achievement scores for Hispanic students in an IBMYP and the SOL achievement scores of Hispanic students not in an IBMYP?; (4) To what extent is there a difference between the SOL achievement scores for White students in an IBMYP and the SOL achievement scores of White students not in an IBMYP? The study was organized into intervention and control groups, which were statistically similar. In order to determine if the groups were statistically similar at the onset of the study, baseline data were established. One group of eighth grade students who were participating in the MYP program (intervention) and a non-participating group of eighth grade students (control) were matched by their Grade 5 VA Standards of Learning (SOL) achievement scores and ethnicity. The SOL data from the spring 2004 test administration were used for the study. Independent t tests were conducted to determine to what extent, if any, was there a difference between the SOL achievement scores of students who were participating in the MYP and the SOL achievement of students not participating in the MYP. Additionally, t tests were used to measure to what extent was there a difference between the achievement of Black, Hispanic, and White subgroups of the MYP and non-MYP students measured by their SOL scores. The effect size was calculated to determine the strength or magnitude of the differences between the two sets of data. The findings of the study indicated the average SOL mean scores of the total MYP group were higher than the mean scores of the total non-MYP group in all areas although there were no statistically significant differences (p<.05). The results also indicated that no statistically significant difference existed between the average SOL mean scores of Black students who participated in the MYP and Black students who participated in non-MYP schools across the division (p<.05). The results further indicated that no statistically significant differences existed between the average SOL mean scores of Hispanic students who participated in the MYP and Hispanic students who participated in non-MYP schools across the division (p<.05). Lastly, the results indicated that no statistically significant difference existed between the average SOL mean scores of White students who participated in the MYP and White students who participated in non-MYP schools across the division (p<.05). The content area that showed the greatest difference was English: Reading, Literature, and Research (15 scaled score points). Performance on the History/Social Science and Science SOL tests were virtually identical. For Black and Hispanic IBMYP students, the highest levels of performance were limited to the English: Reading, Literature, and Research test. / Ed. D.

With an introduction to the Sustainability Challenge and Sustainable Development this paper discusses the role of education as an important strategy in the transition towards sustainability. It argues that Sustainability Education (SE) should be infused into the curricula, especially at the adolescence stage. The research uses the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development as an approach for backcasting from the envisioned future: the ideal secondary school graduate equipped to meet the Sustainability Challenge.By conducting a meta-analysis of literature, the research develops the Criteria for Analysing Sustainability Education (CASE). In terms of Knowledge, it advises developing awareness of Sustainable Development, Economy, Environment and Society. With regard to Skills, it includes Cognitive Thinking Skills, Practical and Functional Skills, and Interpersonal Skills. In relation to Attitudes, it comprises Attitudes about Self and Attitudes about People and Planet.The paper then evaluates the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme, using the CASE and interviews with practitioners, with focus on curriculum design of the Middle Years Programme, Diploma Programme, and Learner Profile. It concludes that the IB generally aligns with the criteria for quality SE, but some gaps exist. The paper suggests recommendations that can further improve the IB with regard to SE.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Education / Master / Master of Education

Under the background of booming demands in international school programmes provided for heritage language Chinese speakers, teaching Chinese has become a challenge in balancing between promotions of heritage understanding and incorporation of international awareness, so as to comply the aims of International Baccalaureate curriculum. The research initiates with reviewing a series of literature related to interpretation of international mindedness and cultural understanding, international education and Chinese teaching in international context. This qualitative research specifically focuses on teachers and students in an IB diploma programme affiliated to a local Hong Kong school, aiming to find out the practice and perception of the participates in and towards Chinese as a heritage language teaching and learning down to the implementation of international mindedness. Student questionnaires, interviews and observation are included into methods of data collecting. In conclusion, international mindedness is seen as a pathway rather than a goal in Chinese lessons, and one important concept in thinking. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Kemi är ett ämne som anses av många vara svårt. Syftet med det här arbetet är att få en fördjupad inblick i hur kemi skiljer sig mellan IB-programmet och naturvetenskapliga programmet. Metoden som används är en litteraturanalys av ämnesplan och läromedel. En jämförelse gjordes mellan läromedlen sinsemellan och likaså för ämnesplanen. Utgångspunkten för studien var i följande frågeställningar; hur presenteras halogenalkaner i ämnesplanen respektive läromedlen samt hur miljöperspektivet skiljer sig åt mellan läromedlen. Böckerna som analyserats är från förlagen Pearsons (IB) och Gleerups. Resultatet av studien visade att det finns stora skillnader mellan både ämnesplanen och läromedlen. I de svenska ämnesplanerna är lärandemålen översiktligt beskrivna. Ämnesplanen för IB-kemin är däremot mycket specifik. läromedlen skiljer sig också åt mycket. Läromedeljämförelsen visade att IB-kemin är innehållsrik med fokus på ämneskunskaperna av ren kemi medan svenska kemin fokuserar på miljö- och hållbar utveckling.

This mixed-method study, grounded in critical pedagogy, explored teachers of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) in Costa Rican public and private schools and examined the growth of the IB there. It surveyed the global mindedness of the teachers to understand their perceptions of the IB. The study also aimed to understand the IB’s Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS) as a form of global education. Furthermore, neoliberalism was explored as a force driving the IB’s growth in Costa Rica. The study collected quantitative data from the Global Mindedness Scale (GMS) (Hett, 1993) from teachers of the IB in Costa Rica, assessing their level of global mindedness, factors that may have contributed to their score, and what differences, if any, existed between public and private school teachers. In the qualitative phase, four teachers were interviewed to explore how they perceived the IB in Costa Rica. It also critically analyzed the CAS requirement of the IB, as well as the neoliberal forces that have driven the growth of the IB in Costa Rica. The findings show that the type of school does not affect teachers’ global mindedness. Participants’ age and whether they have lived outside their country had a positive but weak relationship to teachers’ global mindedness. Teachers of STEM courses had slightly lower GMS scores. The interviews showed that teachers had positive perceptions of the IBDP and saw benefits for themselves, their students, and Costa Rica. The teachers were mostly uncritical in their responses, but the highest GMS scoring interviewee did express critical ideas. An analysis of the CAS requirement of the IB concluded that it reflects both soft and critical approaches to global citizenship education. Finally, the document analysis confirmed neoliberalism as a force behind the IB’s expansion in Costa Rica. Several recommendations were offered. First, an instrument is needed that can measure global mindedness on an international scale. Second, teacher education should incorporate issues related to global education. Third, implementation of the IBDP and other global education curricula requires ongoing support from policymakers, organizations, and schools. More research should examine the growth of the IB in other countries. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The research presented here shows the reflections of some International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma students of a bilingual school on the attributes of the IB Learner Profile and the extent to which these can contribute to students being internationally minded. I approach the research after reviewing the concept of the self and using pragmatic methodology The research consisted of a questionnaire and semi-structured interview aimed at eliciting from the students their opinion about the extent to which they had equal command of the different attributes and, if they had differing abilities, if they were seeking to improve their command of the attribute(s) and who they though could help them do so. I was also interested in knowing if the students believed that the attributes of the IB Learner Profile helped them to be internationally minded, as suggested by the International Baccalaureate. The results suggest that most of the students believe that they have differing degrees of command of the attributes and that it is necessary for them to develop the ones that they feel less proficient in. They tend to believe that the attributes are developed partly at school, but also by their parents, themselves and others. They tend to believe that they are similar in terms of character to students that study at schools that do not offer the IB, but academically they are somewhat different. That said, they also tend to believe that the attributes of the IB Learner Profile help them to be internationally minded, particularly those of ‘open-minded’ and ‘communicator’, which coincide with the theoretical position of Castro et al (2013) and Singh and Qi (2013). While the school seems to play a significant part in developing the attributes, students seem to believe that they themselves, and parents, also have a key role to play.

Briefing for a clinical simulation in nursing school is an information session that sets the stage for a meaningful simulation activity. Improper or inadequate briefing practices can impact the quality of learning nursing students receive through clinical simulation experience. The purpose of this study, guided by the novice to expert and social cognitive theories, was to explore accelerated baccalaureate nursing (ABN) students' perceptions of their briefing experiences and how the briefing experiences influenced the acquisition of clinical skills and knowledge. Twelve ABN students from a school of nursing in one of the Northeastern states were interviewed through e-mail correspondence. Thematic coding was conducted on the data and the themes derived were inconsistencies in briefing practices, a sense of uncertainty, and inefficient acquisition of clinical skills and knowledge. The inconsistencies in the practice of briefing varied between courses and instructors and improper briefing generated a sense of uncertainty among participants and feelings of ineffective acquisition of clinical skills and knowledge from simulations. The results will enable nurse educators in the local setting to improve briefing protocols and adhere to the briefing standards to facilitate students' learning. The use of rigorous research designs involving a larger sample size from multiple research sites in different geographical regions is recommended for future research to examine if this problem is relevant to all nursing schools. The implications for positive social change include the potential impact of proper briefing practices in enabling ABN students to acquire clinical skills and knowledge effectively so that they can safely provide quality care to their patients.

Clinical self-efficacy, or the confidence that nursing students have in their ability to successfully perform nursing clinical skills, is imperative for the safe and effective practice of nursing. A gap in knowledge exists about the change in clinical self-efficacy as baccalaureate nursing (BSN) students move through a nursing program, in which they learn and practice clinical skills in laboratory and clinical settings. Guided by Bandura's social cognitive theory, the purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the relationship between clinical experience within a nursing program and the reported clinical self-efficacy of BSN students in the sophomore, junior, and senior years. One hundred ten BSN students (29 sophomores, 39 juniors, and 42 seniors) were recruited from 2 universities in the Central United States to answer the Clinical Skills Self-Efficacy Scale survey, which assessed 9 clinical nursing skills. Data were analyzed using a one-way MANOVA, which revealed statistical significance. Post hoc analysis using the Tukey HSD indicated statistically significant differences between sophomore- and junior-level students on intramuscular and insulin injections, intravenous therapy start, intravenous piggyback administration, and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube feeding. Noting this relationship, nurse educators can evaluate clinical curriculum to ensure that instructional methods and opportunities to practice clinical skills are sufficient to foster the development of clinical self-efficacy. Preparing nurses with higher self-efficacy promotes positive social change because a more confident nurse with higher self-efficacy provides a higher quality of care. Future research should focus on conducting a longitudinal study to note the progression of self-efficacy in students as they progress through the nursing curriculum.

Over the last few decades, a growing body of research has linked extracurricular activity participation with positive outcomes among high school students. Extracurricular activities often provide a rich environmental context for positive youth development, given that they provide opportunities for identity formation, the creation of interpersonal connections, and the development of social, emotional, academic, and/or career-related skills. However, there are no studies to date examining the relationship between extracurricular activity involvement and student outcomes among students enrolled in rigorous high school curricula (e.g., Advanced Placement [AP] and International Baccalaureate [IB]). The purpose of the current study was to extend the current understanding of the relationship between extracurricular activity involvement and academic and mental health outcomes for youth enrolled in AP and IB programs by investigating the levels of extracurricular activity participation among AP/IB students, and examining whether participation predicted student success in terms of academic and mental health outcomes. Given the increased academic demands faced by this group of students, this study aimed to also investigate the overscheduling hypothesis to see whether there was a curvilinear relationship between extracurricular activity involvement and student success (i.e., a point of diminishing return). In addition, this study examined whether the program type (i.e., AP or IB) moderated the relationship between extracurricular activity participation and student outcomes. Using data obtained from a larger research project led by Dr. Shannon Suldo and Dr. Elizabeth Shaunessy-Dedrick (Institute of Education Science: R305A100911), results indicated that on average, AP and IB students (N= 2,379) reported being involved in 3-4 different extracurricular activity types and spent approximately 5-9 hours per week involved in extracurricular activities. Findings also revealed that compared to AP students, IB students participated in a greater number of types of activities (3.38 vs. 3.89) and more hours of activities per week (3.03 vs. 3.18, where “3” corresponds to 5-9 hours per week). Although a significant difference in the overall levels of involvement in extracurricular activities was observed between AP and IB students, these differences did not translate into differences in associations between extracurricular involvement and student outcomes. Finally, this study found significant linear associations between the breadth of extracurricular activity participation and higher levels of life satisfaction, lower levels of psychopathology, higher GPAs, and higher AP/IB exam scores. Significant linear relationships between the intensity of extracurricular activity participation and lower levels of psychopathology and higher GPAs were also observed. Regarding the overscheduling hypothesis, results from the current study found curvilinear relationships between breadth of participation and AP/IB exam scores and GPA, with optimal levels of breadth of 4.1 and 5.2 types of extracurricular activities, respectively. Moreover, curvilinear relationships were also observed between intensity of participation and students’ psychopathology and GPA, with optimal intensity scores of 3.2 and 3.3 (i.e., between the “5-9” and “10-19” hours per week response option categories), indicating that participation in 20 or more hours of activities per week was associated with diminishing outcomes. Implications of findings for school psychologists and educational stakeholders, as well as future directions for research are discussed.