Tracking IB graduates’ tertiary achievement

The IB Diploma is offered by over 2300 schools internationally, including 284 in the Asia-Pacific and 63 in Australia.

A 2007 ACER report by Coates, MacMahon Ball and Rosicka found Australian and New Zealand universities had quite informal means of understanding IB graduates’ admission into and progression through university study. The report recommended that greater information be collected on the destinations and outcomes of IB graduates.

The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) has now engaged ACER to investigate the tertiary enrolment, achievement, progression and post-tertiary patterns and pathways of IB Diploma graduates.

The Project Director, ACER Senior Research Fellow Dr Daniel Edwards, said the project offers universities, schools and the IBO a new and unique insight into a key post-school pathway.

‘This project builds on the findings from previous research and will culminate in a new data collection providing policy-relevant findings that can be used to improve the understanding of the IB in Australia,’ said Dr Edwards.

The study is focussing on:

tertiary enrolment to specific Australian universities, including the field of study;
correlation of IB scores with academic performance at university;
continuation/progression rate;
graduation rate;
post-tertiary pathways; and
student characteristics.

The research will compare IB students with national averages and with students at selected institutions who have entered university via other pathways. A longitudinal analysis will review data universities collect on progression and student success. A snapshot analysis is looking at the application/enrolment stage and the graduation stage, and will be based on 2007 and 2011 data.

Two Australian universities are participating in the first phase of the study, due for completion in early-mid 2012.

‘The participating universities and the ACER research team working on this project are looking forward to examining the results of this project,’ said Dr Edwards. ‘We hope that this work will help to further our understanding of pathways into, through and out of university from this unique entry method.’

What is the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma?

Developed in 1968, the IB Diploma is a two-year programme aimed at students aged 16 to 19. Students study six subjects, selected from at least the first five of the following six groups: studies in language and literature; language acquisition (second language); individuals and societies; experimental sciences; mathematics and computer science; and the arts. All subjects are studied over two years and involve a range of assessment strategies, including final examinations.

In addition to study in the six subject areas, students must complete a 100 hour course on the theory of knowledge requiring written and oral presentations, an extended essay of 4 000 words on a topic of the student’s choice, and 150 hours of creative, physical and community service activities.

Further reading:
Coates, H., MacMahon Ball, M. & Rosicka, C. (2007). Perceptions of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme among Australian and New Zealand universities. Available online at <research.acer.edu.au/higher_education/1/>