Richard Lineham—St. George's School in Switzerland (Switzerland)
The International Baccalaureate (IB) aims to develop students who contribute to a more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. The aim of this study is to examine if the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is effective at delivering the IB mission statement? Literature is reviewed 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. A case study is carried out in an international school that delivers the IBDP. A mixed methods study with an exploratory sequential design approach is used. A small number of IBDP students are interviewed, and the findings of these interviews are triangulated using a questionnaire completed by most diploma programme students, in the case study school. The results of the student interviews and questionnaires are used to ascertain how the IBDP has influenced student attitudes. The study concludes that the values of the students are moving towards those expressed in the International Baccalaureate mission statement. The significance of different elements of the school curriculum and the school environment on the development of values within the student population is highlighted as an area of further research.
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