Tuesday, 23rd September 2008 - School Day (W10)

Meeting with Head of Biology teacher:

Today I had a meeting with Mr. "BL", due to the previously mentioned plan to choose the final format fo the product. Whilst discussing this, we also came to the conclusion that looking at more than two countries (possibly Japan, Portugal, Singapore and the United Kingdom), over a -year period of time, would increase the level of interest, as well as the qualiyty of the content of the project. Within the meeting, Mr. BL also suggested employing the "students t-test" as a means of statistical evidence for analytical purposes.

On the other hand, the format of the product was also concluded to be more efficient as the format of a regular lab report, thus incorporating:

• Study Aim
• Introduction (featuring ATL characteristics of each country)
• Hypothesis (what are the results that you think will be obtained?)
• Variables
• Method of obtaining results
• Results (tables, graphs, etc.)
• Analysis
• Conclusion
• Evaluation

Meeting with Supervisor:

Following to the meeting with Mr. BL, I spoke to my supervisor, concerning the advice provided in the previous meeting. Amid looking at the suggestions, we recognized that possibly the choice of countries could incorporate:

• Japan
• Portugal
• Brazil
• Undefined African country

This range of countries would provide more effective conclusions, since they display more distinct characteristics than the previous range.

Friday, 12th September 2008 - School Day (W8)

Today, a second meeting with my supervisor was executed, thus developing the idea to be introduced into the project. Apart from the already mentioned factors to be looked at, we also discussed the physical format of my investigation, due to the fact that various formats can be applied to this situation, and hence the most suitable one is the one to implement. Therefore, my supervisor suggested questioning the heads of the science department on which format they would consider optimal for this particular situation. I am planning to do this as soon as possible, however naturally also depending on the availability of the heads of science.

Meanwhile, I am not of the opinion that my work is being carried out as dilligently as I had wished, due to the fact that I am significantly behind schedule. I, therefore, must commence a better organization of my subject work, so as to have more time for working on the personal project.

I will provide more information on my project development on the following work session.

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.

Wednesday, 27th August 2008 - Holidays, Summer (W8)

The following information was retrieved from the brainstorm file recently completed, demonstrating the reasons for the choice of experiment, and what changes will be made to it:

Choice of experiment:

Following to a conclusion both looking at the relevance percentage and the personal interest arising in myself, I have finally decided to focus on the already briefly planned experiment:

Sociological aspects: (difference between results, due to lifestyle, obtained in Japan and Portugal).

What changes do you believe are relevant to extend the reliability and validity of the method?

- I am also of the opinion that, in order to obtain relevant results for reliable conclusions, some slight alterations must be made to the defined method. Essentially, I believe that a questionnaire should be sent to the two schools tested, asking about the daily life of each student. This questionnaire would ask what the students normally do after school, such as sports, study sessions, tutoring, etc. This would, thus, provide solid evidence towards the fact that the lifestyles of the Japanese and the Portuguese are obviously different.
- I believe that, although decreasing the sample range of the experiment, and therefore diminishing its reliability, the experiment should focus on only two schools (one being St. Dominic’s International School, and the other and a hitherto unidentified Japanese international school). In this fashion, I would establish a more professional and close relationship with the Japanese school.

What was your choice of experiment based on?

I opted to conduct this experiment, due to the fact that the main results in which it is based on are an equal factor for the students of both schools. Nonetheless also incorporating the utilization of a questionnaire, the most important data has already been defined. The questionnaire will also help me to comprehend whether the Japanese students, in fact, study and work on school related activities more than the Portuguese students, and whether this is reflected on their IB results.

Tuesday, 26th August 2008 - Holidays, Summer (W8)

My work throughout the summer interval was not, in fact, compatible ot my work plan. Nevertheless, today, being in the Algarve with my family for the vacation, I managed to complete some pendant Personal Project planning work. As a matter of fact, I was able to complete the organized brainstorms (answering the previously designated points) for each of the main ideas:

• Sociological aspects
• Importance of location
• Curriculum differences
• Teaching systems' impact

Tuesday, 30th July 2008 - Holidays, Summer (W5)

However not aiming to the stage of completing the brainstorm for each factor, today I defined the aspects that should be taken into consideration for the final choice. These aspects included:

• Time management importance
• Potential usefulness of results
• Relevance of school samples

By looking at each of these aspects for final study choice, I will make sure whether the study is realistic in terms of results and time.

Sunday, 27th July 2008 - Holidays, Summer (W4)

Due to the fact that several personal issues had to be attended to this week, I was not able to complete the work set. Thus, week 5 of the production plan must incorporate the previously incompleted work.

Today, verifying the assigned dates and tasks within the plan, I realized that I had not incorporated one holiday week, concluding that this was a mere accident. For this reason, the work sessions may now contain a more spaced schedule, as I have an extra, undesignated week.

Whilst looking at my production plan, I also came to the conclusion that I should integrate an AOI brainstorm within my investigation. I am of this opinion, since this would provide relevance to the chosen product as well as helping to choose it.