Newswise — Bethesda, MD— Dedication to making the world a better place through education is the foundation upon which the International Baccalaureate (IB) was founded 45 years ago. As a result, the organization is committed to developing students who will make a meaningful contribution to the world. In the IB’s educational program for students aged 16-19, the Diploma Programme (DP), individual students undertake a required CAS project, one of the core components of the DP learning experience. In order to examine the extent to which participation in CAS helps DP students develop civic-mindedness, the IB commissioned RMC Research to measure the impact of CAS on how students identify as a citizen of his/her community and the globe, how they express their civic responsibility, and how individual students perceive their own civic and charitable activities.
In a two-phased study, the researchers interviewed 19 CAS coordinators and 112 students from the IB World School community, in order to develop a survey that would investigate more deeply the impact of CAS on students, their service activities and their motivation to serve. In Phase 2, a total of 1,295 current students and 214 IB alumni were surveyed, from Canada, the US, and a number of South American countries.
Findings about CAS in the study’s exploratory phase included the following:• No single area dominates services activities among DP students. Students undertake volunteerism in a wide array of activities from tutoring children to working in soup kitchens to visiting the elderly to mounting donation drives in support of those in need.• Despite a lack of clarity about what ‘civic-mindedness’ means, most students believed they should engage in service activities to help their communities. Students and CAS coordinators alike believed that CAS helps students to develop skills beyond academia and to grow fully—beyond their personal comfort zones.• The vast majority of students reported that they were motivated by altruistic or humanitarian reasons rather than pragmatic reasons, such as improving their chances to get into a specific university. • Students felt most effectual when they served in local settings, where they believe they could make a greater difference than at the national or global level.
Students and IB coordinators shared the sense that through service, students became more caring, open-minded and reflective, and developed more self-confidence and maturity. Students reported that they gained a better understanding of their place in the world and a feeling that they could make a difference.
Dr. Siva Kumari, recently appointed as the IB Director General said, “Although there are reports of decreased volunteerism in the United States and elsewhere, IB students continue to volunteer their time to causes and organizations they feel add value to their communities and to the world at large. Their dedication to contributing to the communities in which they live is a remarkable sign of how deeply they are vested in learning, in their future and in the world around them.”
Data derived from the second phase of the study suggests a number of factors that influenced why students engage in community service. Teens in the DP most often indicated that their interest in a certain issue influenced their social activism, followed by their desire to utilize a personal strength or talent. Students most often undertook CAS projects related to education and fundraising. Current students expressed a ‘moderate’ ethic of service and sense of social responsibility while IB alumni expressed a greater ethic of service, and reported that they anticipate continued engagement in service activities in the future.
High quality service-learning project design was recognized as a strong influencer of positive outcomes. Among the features important to service learning are making it meaningful for students, linking it to curriculum, enabling students to have a voice and a choice in their activities, providing opportunity for reflection, and ensuring respect for diversity and valuing the opinions of others.
To see the full study, and the study summary, go to www.ibo.org/research/policy/programmevalidation/diploma/
About the International BaccalaureateFounded in 1968, the International Baccalaureate (IB) is a not-for profit foundation, which offers four high-quality and challenging educational programmes for a worldwide community of schools. For 45 years, IB programmes have gained a reputation for rigour and high academic standards, for preparing students for life in a globalized 21st century, and for developing citizens who will create a better, more peaceful world. Currently, more than 1 million IB students attend nearly 3,700 schools in 146 countries. Globally, more than 134,000 students attend classes at 2,442 IB World Schools that offer the Diploma Programme. More than half of those Diploma Programmes are in schools in the Americas: 1,274.
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