Worldwide students are ‘opting out’ of mainstream schooling to pursue the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program (DP), which has been described as the ‘Cadillac of college-prep programs’. To date, research has only focused on the experiences of DP alumni in Western higher education contexts. This study investigated how DP alumni reflect on their education as preparation for elite universities in Hong Kong. An online survey (n=734) found that DP alumni self-perceived higher capacities than non-DP alumni in communication, creativity, critical thinking, cultural sensitivity, global-mindedness, leadership, and time management. In interviews (n=42), DP alumni perceived the DP as a privileged education for university preparation. However, they also perceived mismatches between the DP and their university experiences in the Hong Kong context. Copyright © 2021 AERA.

This comparative analysis aims to capture the complex roles and positionings of the International Baccalaureate (IB) in conjunction with local education systems in Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea. Our analysis focused on how the IB’s institutional legitimacy is presented in the three societies. We conducted a documentary analysis of texts on the introduction and implementation of IB programmes into local school systems. Our findings suggest that there are commonalities and variations in how the IB is interpreted by key local agents and is positioned into local education systems. Specifically, across the three societies, the IB has expanded continuously. At the same time, its institutionalisation process varies by each society’s socio-historical context and needs: substantive legitimacy as the international curriculum of choice in Hong Kong, a quiet supplement to elite education in Singapore, and instrumental curriculum borrowing for fixing the education system in Korea. We also find that the institutionalisation of the IB is limited at a symbolic level and controlled by the Singaporean government, while the IB is saliently promoted by local education authorities in the context of education reform in Korea. The institutionalisation process of the IB in Hong Kong is primarily swayed by market principles under the existing school choice system. Copyright © 2021 Educational Review.

Across East and Southeast Asia, the International Baccalaureate (IB) is expanding and diversifying. More students from affluent families are 'opting out' of mainstream schooling to take the IB's Diploma Programme (DP), which is marketed as a distinctive skill-based education that prepares students for university. This research investigated how DP alumni reflect on their educational experiences in developing cognitive and non-cognitive skills and as preparation for elite universities in Hong Kong. An online undergraduate survey (n = 734) found that DP alumni self-perceived higher capacities than non-DP alumni in communication, creativity, critical thinking, cultural sensitivity, global-mindedness, leadership, and time management. In interviews (n = 42), DP alumni perceived the DP as a privileged educational experience that 'worked' in developing cognitive and non-cognitive skills. The DP alumni were overall positive about their DP experiences in developing skills for university preparation. However, there were complexities as the DP alumni also perceived that students from mainstream schools were often better prepared for pedagogy and assessments in the context of higher education in Hong Kong. Copyright © 2020 Society for Research into Higher Education.

This research investigated educational pathways into a Global Middle Class characterised by professional or managerial careers, cosmopolitan sensibilities, and global mobility. The focus was upper middle-class International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) alumni at universities in Hong Kong. 42 in-depth interviews were conducted with IBDP alumni at two “world-class” Hong Kong universities. Findings illuminated how students were well-positioned for careers associated with the Global Middle Class. Despite growing up in expatriate and local families across a diversity of countries, most IBDP alumni discussed self-perceptions of cosmopolitan sensibilities, a close-knit social clique based around a globalised identity, participation in globally-oriented extracurricular activities, and global economic futures. Nevertheless, there were paradoxes of cosmopolitan sensibilities as the IBDP alumni perceived a lack of belonging to the universities and a disconnection with the local society. Copyright © 2019 CESHK Spring Conference.