IB Education Research Articles

Cultivating global citizenship: The role of language learning in IB education

Cultivating global citizenship: The role of language learning in IB education

한 중등교사의 IB MYP 교사로서 삶에 대한 내러티브

This study seeks to understand what life a secondary school teacher experiences as a teacher in an IB school introduced to public education. Since Daegu City and Jeju Island introduced IB education into public education in 2019, IB education has been spreading nationwide. In this situation, it is of great significance to understand what experiences general public education teachers who teach based on the national curriculum have while operating the IB MYP curriculum and what kind of life they create as teachers. To achieve this research objective, a middle school teacher who had worked at an IB school in Daegu City for 5 years was selected as a research participant and an in-depth interview method was used. As a result of the study, first, the research participants experienced conflict between grade-based education and inquiry-based education at IB schools. Second, research participants experienced that the IB unitplan was a powerful tool that improved teacher expertise and led to inquiry-oriented classes. Third, the research participant came to recognize the possibility that she could maintain her life as a subject expert even as she grew older. Based on the above, it was discussed that a unitplan that supports the application of the national curriculum to school sites must be developed, that support for IB unit design for teachers is necessary, and that an appropriate response to the entrance exam culture is necessary to enhance IB education.

혁신교육공동체 교육과정 체계화를 위한 지역사회 접근 맥락 탐색

Purpose: This study theoretically explores the context of the school's approach to the community in order to secure the consistency and systematicity of the innovative education community curriculum. Method: To this end, this study reviews the community approach context developed by Olsen, Boyer, IB Education, and Minerva School and examines implications. Results: The community approach context is a key element of the curriculum that fosters talents who contribute to sustainable social innovation, and is universal and applies to all communities. The community approach context is a combination of the student's extensive community experience and Includes steps to support inquiry. Conclusion: The school's community approach context should be developed in a way that fosters future talent that contributes to the well-being of a sustainable global community and strengthens and deepens school-community linked education.

Letter from the Editors: Welcome to 2024

This first AIB Insights issue of 2024 contains five articles that address diverse topics: integrating generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into IB education, the process of academic capacity building and knowledge creation, a design thinking approach to international markets, how migrant entrepreneurs use liabilities of foreignness and outsidership for developing their marketing strategies, and implications of aging and shrinking populations in the CEE region. We also review the journal’s 2023 accomplishments and plans for the upcoming year.

A Decade-Long Roadmap to Understanding and Accommodating IB Students at a Japanese National University

Okayama University is a Super Global National University in Japan that introduced IB admissions in 2012 and proudly celebrates 11 years this year. As of April 2023, 122 IB students from IB schools in Japan and abroad have enrolled in 10 Faculties and 1 International Program. During the first decade of IB admissions, Okayama University gradually transitioned into one of the most IB-friendly Universities in Japan, not only among prospective IB students but also their family members and IB college counselors. A significant reason for this was due to the efforts put in by Okayama University to continuously obtain feedback from enrolled IB students regarding their needs, their hurdles, and their suggestions on how to improve their academic and campus lives. Student support and student voices merged as powerful resources for Okayama University to improve the overall condition of IB students from entry to graduation and created a robust platform for welcoming prospective IB students, who became Okayama University’s brand ambassadors following admission. Successful IB admissions result from a balance between what Universities have to offer IB students and what IB Students want. This paper will include a detailed description of the changes made by Okayama University regarding modifying IB admission guidelines, strengthening the IB student support system, and establishing the IB Office to better cater to IB student needs. Other highlights will emphasize the importance of understanding IB student backgrounds, IB education, and IB research by University representatives to make admission policies compatible with global higher education standards from the hands-on experience of Faculty members at Okayama University.

IB MYP 학교 교육적 실행 양상과 과제

Objectives This study aimed to obtain educational implications for the settlement of IB public education by identifying the educational practice patterns and perceptions of teachers applying the program in IB MYP schools introduced into public education. Methods To this end, data were collected through group focus group interviews, class observations, and teachers' council visits with 16 IB MYP candidate schools and world school teachers (as of ΄21) in A region that are introducing the IB program in public education. Analyzed and organized. Results As a result, teachers' curriculum literacy improved in the process of understanding the national curriculum for the application of the IB program, and professionalism, autonomy, and responsibility increased in the composition of classes and assessments. Although the IB evaluation system was cited as the biggest factor in improving class instruction, under the current situation, they felt the burden of operating dual evaluation systems such as nice evaluation and summative evaluation, relative evaluation and absolute evaluation, and short answer and multiple choice evaluation. Most of the teachers said that systematic IB education contributes greatly to the development of teacher professionalism and the strengthening of students' competence, but it is very important to secure the research time necessary for teachers' class design and preparation. Teachers said that the ‘evaluation system’, ‘school quality management system’, and ‘structure that induces collaboration’ were attractive in IB education, while lack of research time, sense of responsibility and pressure for IB program application classes and evaluation, and individual feedback The large number of students managed and the burden as a leading teacher appeared as job stress. Teachers thought that the IB program was a very good educational device, but it should be accompanied by training support, work reduction, and changes in the form of entrance exams to secure teacher expertise. Conclusions Therefore, in this study, in order for IB education to stably settle in public education, the feasibility of introducing IB education and the formation of strong consensus among members on the educational effects, securing teacher research time, supporting IB teacher network establishment, and developing IB school teachers and student growth. Necessities such as development of measuring tools, improvement of teacher training system, accumulation of data on introductory evaluation method, and exploration of the IB program applied curriculum education implementation process were suggested.

The Effect of Lesson Plans Based on IB Education Philosophy and UbD Model on Student Achievement

This study was made based on some discussions attempting to improve the quality of education by creating appropriate learning areas, differentiating education according to each student's interests, learning styles, and multiple intelligences. The aim of the study is the implementation and analysis of social studies lesson plans prepared in accordance with "UbD" and ‘’IB Planner’’ for 3rd grade students. The study was conducted using a nested-mixed design within the framework of mixed method research. In the quantitative dimension of the study, pretest-posttest control group experimental model data were used. In the qualitative dimension, the data based on the feedbacks of teachers who are the implementers of the lesson plans were used. The study group of the quantitative dimension consisted of 320 students in the 3rd grade of a public primary school who voluntarily participated in the study. The study group of the qualitative dimension consists of 36 primary school teachers who are the implementers of the prepared lesson plan. The findings of the study show that the social studies lesson plans prepared based on the IB Planner and the UbD model made a significant difference in favor of the experimental group on both student accomplishment (posttest) and student achievement(pretest-posttest). The qualitative findings obtained from the teachers' feedback on the prepared and implemented plans indicated that the plans included enriched activities and were comprehensively prepared to appeal to all students, including students with special needs and gifted students in the same class. In addition, it was observed that the differentiated content in IB and UbD lesson plans was not limited to methods and techniques, but also included assessment and evaluation techniques. Both quantitative and qualitative findings revealed that the plans were designed in such a way that students could effectively acquire the prescribed behavior. Moreover, the implementation of the plans improved students' social skills, self-management skills, communication skills, research and thinking skills, increased their self-confidence and raised their achievement.

Program Design Implications from International Business Majors’ Goals Before and After Undergraduate Study

ABSTRACT Understanding students’ post-graduation goals is important because it aids faculty and administrators in course and program design, mentoring, and generally serving students. Using a sample of almost 513,000 undergraduates from more than 600 colleges and universities, we examine goals and plans of international business majors. Students were surveyed near matriculation and graduation. First, responses of international business majors are presented. Then, goals of these students are compared to others, both other business majors and non-business majors. Finally, logistic regression analysis is used to estimate how different the typical goals of international business majors are from other students after controlling for demographics, background, and collegiate experiences. Nine different post-graduation goals are examined, including those pertaining to further education, future job characteristics, travel, personal wealth, and altruistic aspirations. Results indicate that IB students, on average, place a high level of importance on numerous goals, more so than other business students in most cases. The impacts of IB education on student goals are found to vary little across the type of institution attended. Misalignment between IB students’ goal prioritization and careers in the field motivates a discussion of areas with potential for improvement in IB programs.

The future of international business: Bridging practice, education, and research at Dutch universities of applied sciences

Five of the most important trends in the global economy and their impact on International Business Practice, Education, and Research are examined. Changes in today’s world are accelerating due to the Covid-19 crisis and other environmental changes. These factors have had a major impact on regional and worldwide business and customers. Disruptions in international supply chains are just one important example of how international business issues affect manufacturers, retailers and customers. Developing international business opportunities is both easier and more complex than ever before. In this light, it is impor-tant to develop and strengthen the relationship between international business practice, research, and education for the benefit of all stakeholders involved. Dutch universities of applied sciences historically have had good connections with the business community and can play an important role in learning ecosystems including learners, researchers, and practitioners. Given the large number of business students at Dutch universities of applied sciences they have a responsibility to delivering international business education which is relevant for all its stakeholders. It is for this reason that important international business trends are linked to various dimensions of IB education.

PYP Journey at KNUES

Education in our era calls for global learners who reflect on themselves with an open minded and inquiring attitude and lead positive changes in the world in preparation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the transition to a hyper-connected society. Therefore, our school is working hard on researching and implementing innovation in elementary education by running a program that incorporates the characteristics of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB PYP) for the first time in public schools. Kyungpook National University Elementary School (KNUES) has been conducting the Primary Years Program (PYP) since September 1, 2019, after being certified as an IB candidate school. The IB PYP has only been implemented at a few foreign private schools in Korea, and this is the first time that the curriculum has been introduced at a non-private elementary school. As a school leading the national curriculum, the foremost purpose of our school in implementing the IB PYP is to seek practical methodologies to enhance the effectiveness of the Korean National Curriculum. Therefore, based on the Korean National Curriculum, the IB program naturally incorporates the characteristics of the education system and continues to review the optimization of the Korean elementary education program. This is the major difference between IB education and main education at foreign schools in Korea. Our students are growing into self-directed lifelong learners by asking themselves questions and cooperating with friends through concept-based inquiry classes that transcend the subject. Through implementing the IB PYP education program, our school will improve the student-centered classroom culture and the curriculum-based teaching methods.

Exploring the Implications of School Curriculum Design Based on the Analysis of Linkage Between IB MYP Curriculum and Backward Design in Aspects of Goal Setting and Assessment

The present study aimed to analyze the link between Backward Design and IB curriculum, which is frequently mentioned and recommended as an alternative in overcoming the problems of our existing education. We also explored the implications of school curriculum design. This study has the following two major research lines. The first was to analyze the link between the Backward Design and IB curriculum. The results were derived through literature research and feedback from seven experts. The second was to explore the implications of such a relevance analysis for the Goals (Objectives) and assessments of school curriculum design. Several scholars, as well as the Daegu and Jeju education offices, acknowledge the advantages of IB education and strive to introduce it into public education. With the prospective increase of the number of IB-certified schools in Korea, such analysis and exploration of implications are expected to have a positive impact on our education in the future.

Teaching International Business in Europe and Latin America

An important topic in IB education is to convey the importance of international differences in culture, institutions (economic, political, legal), language, and religion; and the business impact of...

Rethinking what an IB education is for in a time of environmental crisis

Rethinking what an IB education is for in a time of environmental crisis

Relevance and meaningfulness: Student perspectives on the highly talented international business professional profile

Competencies deemed relevant and meaningful by international business professionals and implemented in IB education, still do not produce work-ready graduates. This may be because these competencies are not perceived as relevant or meaningful by students. This study was conducted to gain students’ perspectives on the relevance and meaningfulness of the HTIBP talent competency framework, and how they perceived working with it. Results show that the five competency domains of the HTIBP competency framework are perceived as relevant and meaningful by students, in alignment with the professional field, this was not the case for few associated items (behaviours) ‘showing entrepreneurship’ and ‘improving ideas from others’. The lack of clarity of these behaviours resulted in less experienced relevance and meaningfulness by students. Our findings will help educators to better facilitate students to understand the meaning and relevance of competencies. This may help to improve alignment with the professional field.

Letter from the Editors: Special Issue on “Responsibilities of Educators in International Business”

Working in cooperation with the AIB Teaching and Education Shared Interest Group and the Consortium for Undergraduate International Business Education, this focused issue of AIB Insights seeks to flesh out the contours of responsible IB education and promote a dialogue about enhancing the quality of IB education through an acceptance of greater accountability. The eight articles in the issue help us to better understand the responsibilities of educators in international business, while also proscribing actions we can pursue to achieve this important goal.

Does the curriculum of a Bachelor program in International Business meet the competency requirements of internationalizing SMEs?

This paper contributes to the research on discrepancy between employers´ needs and graduates’ competencies acquired at bachelor education. Given the fact that internationalizing SMEs have considered international relation competency (IRC) to be the key competency for starting export professionals, this qualitative study examines whether this key competency with its selected knowledge, skills and attitudes has been integrated into the curriculum of a bachelor program in International Business at a Dutch University of Applied Sciences. Based on a document analysis of this bachelor program and interviews with lecturers and alumni of this program, we found that the training of international relationship competency is almost absent in the curriculum. Both lecturers and alumni envision skills and attitude development to be incorporated into the curriculum of this internationally oriented bachelor program. The findings offer some suggestions for further research concerning developing cooperation between business and education and the assessment of international relation competency within the context of IB education.

Increasing Classroom Engagement in International Business Courses via Digital Technology

ABSTRACTDigital technology is an integral part of the new generation international business students in higher education. The new realities of a tech-savvy student profile require some upgrades in classroom settings within IB education. This study discusses the current challenges of instructors facing in the classroom. We propose some digital tools that can help to reduce learning barriers related to the syllabus, attention, real-life examples, and test anxiety in international business courses. The conceptualization of the paper is based on student engagement and active learning environment. We argue that traditional teaching methods have to be supported with digital technologies to increase teaching effectiveness. We conduct a combination of primary and secondary data research. In-depth interviews and teaching insights shared on the Internet help us to collect information on the challenges in teaching and possible digital solutions to overcome those obstacles. We propose 22 digital tools that educators can integrate into the IB classroom to improve the learning experience of students.

Course Delivery Format, Global Openness, and Openness to Experience in International Business Classes

ABSTRACTThis research studies the impact of taking an international business course (IB) under both online and face-to-face methods on changes in the attitudinal construct global openness. This research also examines how the personality trait of openness to experience influences the change in the degree of global openness achieved by the students. Findings show that taking IB significantly increases students’ degree of global openness in both online and face-to-face methods; however, the increase is greater with face-to-face students than online. By dividing the sample into both high versus low openness to experience and online versus face-to-face, findings show differences between the high and low openness to experience groups in both online and face-to-face courses. In face-to-face classes, the results showed that the low openness students increased their degree of global openness more than the high openness to experience students. The increase is not found to be significant with the online high openness group indicating that online IB education is less effective with high openness to experience students. The overall results suggest face-to-face teaching is more effective in making attitudinal changes than online teaching.

What Is the Effectiveness on IB Education?

What Is the Effectiveness on IB Education?

Challenges in Implementing Experiential Learning in IB Education

Teaching and learning can be effective in a number of ways – some of them superficial with short survival half-lives and others reaching quite deeply into students minds with much longer survival s...