Approaches to learning : a comparison of perceptions and practices between International Baccalaureate continuum and partial continuum schools in the English Schools Foundation, Hong Kong

Abstract

The English Schools Foundation in Hong Kong has adopted the International Baccalaureate (IB) in response to a growing demand for programmes of study that equip young people with knowledge and skills to be internationally minded, demonstrating intercultural understanding through global engagement. This comparative education study examines an IB education through the analytical lens of pedagogy. Two English Schools Foundation schools purposefully sampled for this qualitative study subscribe to an IB education in either a continuum or partial continuum mode of study. School A offers a continuum of three consecutive IB programmes: Primary Years, Middle Years, Diploma or Career-related Programmes. School B offers a partial continuum of Primary Years and Diploma Programmes, alongside other non-IB curricula. Underpinning all programmes of study is the pedagogy of approaches to learning, which are deliberate strategies, skills and attitudes that permeate teaching and learning. While the IB aims to provide a continuous and coherent international education, each of its programmes are self-contained and were developed independently with their own distinct curricular signature. Thus students moving through the transition of programmes in either a continuum or partial continuum mode have reported transitional challenges. In light of the reports, the adoption of approaches to learning as a common pedagogy aims to link all IB and non-IB programmes to create a coherence of learning. This comparative study examines teachers and students’ pedagogical perceptions and practices, questioning how and to what extent approaches to learning are implemented, and the impact of pedagogy on coherence of learning. The study concludes that there are similarities in perceptions and practices of approaches to learning between the two schools, however variation of practice is evident within each school. Furthermore, the pedagogy of approaches to learning transcends all programmes of study and supports coherence of learning in both schools. This study suggests that participation in a continuum or partial continuum of IB education is incidental, if pedagogy is effective and coherent in the transition of all programmes.