1st Discussion and Reflection
Preparation for the first discussion
As preparation for their first reflection session, students should do the following.
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Think about subjects and areas of particular personal interest and do some initial background reading into a subject and topic of their choice.
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Using this as a starting point, explore a variety of possible research topics.
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Read the subject-specific guidance for the subject they are interested in, paying particular attention to the nature of the subject and the treatment of the topic.
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Undertake further background reading and begin to gather information around their area of interest. This exploration should give rise to a variety of topics and questions that students can consider for further research. At this stage it is important that students consider the availability of reliable and valid sources for the topic under consideration. All of this should be recorded in their Researcher’s reflection space.
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Begin developing a research proposal which might include a MindMap® of ideas, an annotated article or preliminary bibliography. Additionally, students must already be thinking in terms of the following questions.
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Is my topic appropriate for the subject I am considering?
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Why am I interested in this area and why is it important?
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What possible questions have emerged from my initial reading?
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Are there any ethical issues that I need to consider?
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What possible methods or approaches might be used for research in this area and why?
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Completing the first formal discussion
This initial reflection session should be a dialogue between the student and the supervisor based on the student’s initial explorations.
It is recommended that the student sends their supervisor an outline of their research proposal ahead of the meeting in order to give the supervisor the opportunity to review their work.
This will ensure that the reflection session is focused and productive.
Topics of discussion that should arise during this session include:
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A Review of the requirements and assessment criteria for the subject
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A Review of ethical and legal implications, if applicable
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A Dialogue about possible approaches and any potential problems that might arise
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A Discussion of strategies for developing the student’s ideas for the essay and expanding the research so that the essay starts to take form
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Probing and challenging questions that will help the student focus their thinking; this should lead to the development of the student’s working research question
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An outline of the next steps that the student should undertake in order to refine their question; this should take the form of a research and writing timeline.
Following this first formal discussion, the student is required to complete the first section of the Reflections on planning and progress form.
This is on ManageBac, and should not be more than 150 words.
Once completed it is dated and signed off by the supervisor.
Possible guiding questions for the first discussion :
1. What resources have you found regarding your research topic?
2. I know you are interested in (...), tell me more about it. What makes it important to you?
3. Why is topic important to the world?
4. I hear you say that this is something significant because… how can we break down further?
5. Now we have these specific possibilities in place, let us see what you feel interest you the most.
6. Excellent, we have this as a good starting point, dont you think? Let see what we can unpick to reflect, to research, to study, to find, etc...
7. How are you going to collect information/ data? 8. What difficulties do you anticipate in your investigation?
9. Tell me a bit about what you want to do
10. Where has your research led you?
11. What are your initial readings? Have you found 1 interesting source? Tell me about it?
12. Have you thought about any primary data you want to collect How? Method?
13. Do you have any preconceived ideas of your outcome?
14. Any problems at the moment?
15. Any skills you think you need to develop?
16. What are your next steps?
17. How would you define the boundaries of your research topic?
18. What kind of sources do you have?
19. How useful are these sources?
20. Which sources are more reliable?
21. What keywords are you using searching?
22. What are your RQs? Which ones do you think are more successful?
23. What kind of researcher are you?
24. Guessing, what do think your result will be?
25. How are you going to manage your time?
26. What are you anxious about? What are you excited about?
Additional Questions and Resources for your first reflection
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Is there sufficient focus to my research question?
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What have I learned about my subject area so far?
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What questions are emerging? Are these similar or different to my initial questions?
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Given the initial reading I have undertaken on the subject, is my research question appropriate for the subject I am submitting my EE in?
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Is my research question manageable within the word limit of the EE?
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Will my research question allow me to think critically about the topic I am researching? If it suggests a descriptive response, how might I need to change it to allow for more critical thinking?
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Are there any challenges that I need to overcome in order to achieve my desired outcomes?
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From my research so far, what gaps in my knowledge have I identified? How might I resolve these gaps?
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What research strategies or resources have worked best for me so far?
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Do I have a clear understanding of the methodology required to answer my research question?
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How did completing the annotated bibliography help me gain perspective on my topic?
https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/extendedessay/apps/dpapp/video-detail.html?doc=d_0_eeyyy_gui_1602_1_e&video-url=https://player.vimeo.com/video/169235156
Examples of Evidence on your RRS
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Mind map
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Annotated section of the Extended essay guide
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Annotated bibliography
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Annotated photograph, newspaper article, and so on
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Notes
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Annotated article(s)
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Brainstorm of questions
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Mind map® of potential challenges and possible strategies
2nd Discussion and Reflection
Preparation for the second discussion
Between the first and second reflection session, students can engage in informal conversations with other people, such as subject teachers, the extended essay coordinator, the librarian or their supervisor.
They must also ensure that they are progressing with their research plan.
In preparation for the interim reflection session, students should have:
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Attempted to refine a focused and appropriate research question
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Significantly deepened their research and recorded pertinent evidence, information or data in theResearcher’s reflection space
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Reviewed and consolidated the methodologies they are using
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Formulated arguments based on the evidence that they have collected
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Added to the working bibliography for their research.
Completing the second formal discussion
This session is a continuation of the dialogue between supervisor and student in which the student must demonstrate the progress they have made in their research.
They must also be able to discuss any challenges they have encountered, offer their own potential solutions and seek advice as necessary.
During this session the supervisor might discuss:
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A Completed piece of sustained writing from the student in order to ensure that they understand the academic writing requirements, including referencing formats
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Ehether an appropriate range of sources has been accessed and how the student is critically evaluating the origin of those sources
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What the student now has to do in order to produce the full draft of their essay, and ways and means of breaking down the task into manageable steps.
By the end of the interim reflection session both student and supervisor should feel satisfied that there is:
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A Clear and refined research question
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A Viable argument on which to base the essay
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A Sufficient range of appropriate sources
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A Clear vision for the final steps in the writing process.
Between the interim session and the completion of the extended essay, students should continue to see their supervisor as appropriate to their needs, although the third and final reflection session should not take place until after the extended essay has been completed and uploaded for submission.
Following this second discussion, the student is required to complete the second section of the Reflections on planning and progress form.
This is on ManageBac, and should not be more than 150 words.
Once completed it is dated and signed off by the supervisor.
Possible guiding questions for your second discussion:
1. Are you still interested in your topic?
2. Is your topic too narrow? Not narrow enough?
3. Is your research question still effective?
4. How has your research question changed?
5. Do you think you have collected sufficient data?
6. Have you modified the methodology used to collect the data? What is the rationale of doing that?
7. Does it cover something which is too advanced that you need to spend pages to explain the prerequisites? Is there a high chance that you will exceed the word limit of 4000?
8. Do you have enough data/research at this point?
9. Are you on track? If not, why not? Be honest! If yes, how do you know?
10. Discussion on what you have seen from the student. Graph, sources data. Raise any potential problems you may seen.
11. What I hear is this?
12. How can you solve this problem?
13. I didn’t notice that you did not have…. I am glad you noticed this and I agree with your solution.
14. Is there any gaps?
15. Are you worried about the biased in your work?
16. There is always the risk with … (this is to describe generally issues and give the chance to students to reflect on possibilities)
17. If you were the teacher, what would you be skeptical (concerned, advising to, reflecting)?
18. I would like to focus on what you said about …. why have you highlighted that as an issue/point/? What about …?
19. Is there anything new emerging from the new data/reading/reflection etc?
20. When you go away what sort of things you are going to think/reflect/write about?
21. Are you happy with… ? Do you think it addresses your research question?
22. I know we are halfway in the process, What can you learn from this (Or what have you learn this?
23. Summarise back or give student the questions ahead of the meeting. (differentiation)
24. What are you arguing?
25. Are you making any assumptions?
26. Which writers, researchers disagree with your point and which ones agree?
27. If you were the EE supervisor what would you tell yourself?
28. If you were doing the initial research again what would you do differently?
29. How have you as a learner changed?
30. What have you learnt about yourself?
31. What is missing from your work currently?
32. When you project forward to completing the final product, tell me what it will look like.
Additional Questions and Resources for your 2nd Reflection
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To what extent does the data/information I have relate to my proposed research question?
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If I do not have sufficient data/information, how will I go about resolving this? Can it be resolved?
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Given the data/information I have collected, do I need to reformulate my research question?
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Has the data/information collected taken me in an unexpected direction?
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Are there still questions/issues that I am unclear how to resolve?
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Do I have a reasoned argument that can be sustained throughout the essay?
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Am I able to make coherent links between different points made and the evidence presented?
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To what extent have I answered my research question?
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What reasons may have affected my ability to answer my research question?
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If I have been selective in the evidence presented in my essay, can I justify my choices?
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Is there a clear summative conclusion, and does this reflect the discussion that has taken place?
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To what extent do I think I have fulfilled the expectations of the extended essay as a task?
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Has my research resulted in me changing my perspective or views on the topic in question?
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What strategies have I employed that have worked particularly well at this stage of the process?
https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/extendedessay/apps/dpapp/video-detail.html?doc=d_0_eeyyy_gui_1602_1_e&video-url=https://player.vimeo.com/video/169235156
Evidence for your RRS
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Introduction of the essay
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Annotated sections from books, journals, articles, and so on
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Reworked research question
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Examples of data/information collected from research
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An outline of the main argument
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Timeline
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Working bibliography
3rd Discussion and Reflection (viva voce)
Preparation for the final discussion (viva voce)
Supervisors must have already read the final version of the essay, sent to them by the candidate, before this session takes place.
Students should bring the following to this session:
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Extracts from their RRS that illustrate how they have grown as learners through the process of reflection
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A Willingness to share their personal experience and to discuss the skills and development of conceptual understandings that they have acquired through the completion of the extended essay.
Final formal discussion (viva voce)
The viva voce is a short interview between the student and the supervisor, and is the mandatory conclusion to the extended essay process.
Students who do not attend the viva voce will be disadvantaged under criterion E (engagement) as the Reflections on planning and progress form will be incomplete.
The viva voce is conducted once the student has uploaded the final version of their extended essay to the IB for assessment. At this point in the process no further changes can be made to the essay.
The viva voce is a celebration of the completion of the essay and a reflection on what the student has learned from the process.
The viva voce is:
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An opportunity to ask the student a variety of open-ended questions to elicit holistic evidence of the student’s learning experience.
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An opportunity for the supervisor to confirm the authenticity of the student’s ideas and sources
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An opportunity to reflect on successes and difficulties encountered in the research process
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An aid to the supervisor’s comments on the Reflections on planning and progress form.
The viva voce should last 20–30 minutes. This is included in the recommended amount of time a supervisor should spend with the student.
Following the viva voce, the student is required to complete the final section of the Reflections on planning and progress form .
This is on ManageBac, and should not be more than 200 words. Once completed it is dated and signed off by the supervisor, who must then add their own supervisors report.
A blank or unsubmitted RPPF will score a 0 for criterion E (worth 18% of the EE grade).
Possible guiding questions for your third discussion (viva voce):
1. What is / are your findings in this EE?
2. If I were to tell you that the EE was actually 8000 words and you have another 5 months to work on it, how would you expand it?
3. When you think back over this whole project and process, what are you most proud of?
4. Is/Are there any limitations in your research? If yes, would you please talk about it/them and how can you solve it/them in the future?
5. What skills have you learnt from this EE?
6. If you were able to do your EE again, would you change the research method? Why or why not?
7. Summarise in 2 mins your EE. Imagine you are at a dinner party and the person next to you has asked you about it.
8. How have you developed personally and academically through the process?
9. What advice would give a student at the start of the process?
10. Difficulties- how have you overcome them?
11. Based on your findings in this EE, is / are there any research question(s) for you to investigate in the future?
12. How would your finding(s) apply in the real world situation?
13. In which areas do you find the process satisfying? 14. How have you made an original contribution to knowledge on this subject
15. How valuable is your EE research to society, and in what way?
16. This source here, how did you come across this and how useful was it
17. What skills have you acquired on the way?
18. What difficulties have you overcome?
19. How did your wording of your research question impact on your research and essay writing?
20. What conclusion did you draw?
21. How can you be sure that you are right?
22. Would you please elaborate your ideas in this part?
23. If you could go back in time, what would you do differently?
24. What advice would you give to future EE students?
Last Steps! Viva Voce and Final Written Reflection
Schedule Your Viva Voce Conference
Reach out to your supervisor to schedule your final (Viva Voce) conference.
This conference should take place before the end of the day on January 27, 2021.
As a courtesy to your supervisor, be sure to share a copy of your final essay with them so they have time to read it before you meet.
Note that changes are not to be made to the essay at this point.
Write your final RPPF entry in Managebac
Please enter your final written reflection in Managebac by midnight on Friday, January 29.
Word Limit for RPPF Reflections
Remember, you are limited to a 500-word count for the TOTAL of all three reflection sessions. Take care not to go over the word limit.
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From IB: In critically reviewing your engagement in the research process, it might help to think in terms of three levels of reflection: descriptive, analytical and evaluative reflection. The table linked here gives examples of guiding questions to help with this. They are not exhaustive.
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From IB: Criterion E (reflection and engagement) and Sample RPPFs
Detailed information about Criterion E, plus scored RPPF examples.