Friday, 5th September 2008 - School Day (W7)

A previously designated meeting was today performed, being that involving myself and my supervisor. Following to showing the work that I had completed throughout the summer interval, my supervisor provided advice on how to proceed with this project. The main points that we discussed are organized below:

What are the cultural differences which -

• Affect the Approaches to Learning of an IB Diploma student in Japan, vs an IB Diploma student in Portugal.
• What are the approaches to learning adopted by a Japanese vs a Portuguese student during the IB Diploma?

Analytical study:

How do the ATL, which can be influenced by cultural aspects, effect the results in the IB Diploma of a Japanese student vs a Portuguese student?

Focus -

ATL

• Organization
• Committment
• Note taking
• Parental pressure

Cultural Aspects

• Parental Influence
• Society expectations
• Effects of success/ failure

How are these factors reflected in the IB results from both countries?

From my perception, this meeting was extremely usefull, due to the fact that it provided a clear orientation and basis for my study, which was a cause of preoccupation. Although not being entirely sure on the theme choice for the product yet, I believe that these points will be of relevance for any particular study involving academic performance and education. Also, in this meeting I came to the conclusion of which area of interaction I am going to focus on, which will be a future reference for developing ideas from the subject.