Developing Academic Persistence in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme: Educational Strategies, Associated Personality Traits and Outcomes

Authors

  • Andrei Corneliu Holman Alexandru I. Cuza University of Iasi, Romania
  • Ana Maria Hojbotă Alexandru I. Cuza University of Iasi, Romania
  • Emilia Alexandra Pascal Alexandru I. Cuza University of Iasi, Romania
  • Cristina Maria Bostan Alexandru I. Cuza University of Iasi, Romania
  • Ticu Constantin Alexandru I. Cuza University of Iasi, Romania

https://doi.org/10.17583/ijep.2019.3913

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the relationships between certain educational strategies and students' personality traits, on the one hand, and students' academic performance, on the other, respectively between the latter and two types of outcomes (i.e. students' academic performance and intentions to drop out of high school). These relationships were examined in two educational settings: in the Diploma Programme (DP), a two-year college-preparatory curriculum offered by the International Baccalaureate (IB), an international private educational system, and the traditional Romanian schools. A sample of IB students in 3 Eastern and Central European countries, and a comparison sample of non-IB students in Romania participated in the research. Results reveal several educational strategies and personality traits among those suggested by previous investigations that significantly sustain IB DP students’ academic persistence. Also, IB students’ academic performance and dropout intentions are influenced by these traits and educational strategies, and these effects are fully or partially mediated by academic persistence. A different pattern of associations emerged in the non-IB sample, with independent work style as the most important determinant of academic persistence, suggesting that relative to the traditional Romanian schools, the IB programme promotes a climate that better supports students in completing their education.

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Author Biography

Andrei Corneliu Holman, Alexandru I. Cuza University of Iasi, Romania

Associate Professor PhD, Psychology Department

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Published

2019-10-24

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Holman, A. C., Hojbotă, A. M., Pascal, E. A., Bostan, C. M., & Constantin, T. (2019). Developing Academic Persistence in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme: Educational Strategies, Associated Personality Traits and Outcomes. International Journal of Educational Psychology, 8(3), 270–297. https://doi.org/10.17583/ijep.2019.3913

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