Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)
This study investigated the impact and influence of middle years curriculums on student outcomes in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) comparing students from 22 schools across China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and Japan. The researchers compared DP outcomes achieved by students who completed their middle years studies in the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), a state or national curriculum, or another international programme. Researchers examined total DP scores and results in the core requirements and also compared the thoughts and perspectives of IB students and teachers regarding the extent to which completing the MYP or other middle years curriculums contributes to student outcomes in the DP. MYP students performed significantly better than non-MYP students in both overall diploma points and in courses in language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies and mathematics. While MYP students performed significantly better in theory of knowledge (TOK), differences between the two cohorts were not statistically significant for the extended essay. Overall, MYP students reported using higher-order thinking skills, such as critical thinking and analytical skills, more frequently than non-MYP students and also displayed strong writing and English language skills. The MYP cohort, however, appeared to have less content knowledge in mathematics and the sciences as well as less experience with high stakes assessments.
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