Jta Policies and Procedures 2019 en

Jeff Thompson Research Award
Policies and procedures
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019

Contents
Purpose .................................................................................................................................. 2
Funding .................................................................................................................................. 2
Application ............................................................................................................................ 3
Eligibility................................................................................................................................ 3
Selection and award process .......................................................................................... 3
Support from head of school........................................................................................... 4
Mentoring .............................................................................................................................. 4
Communication and reporting expectations ............................................................ 5
Support from the IB ........................................................................................................... 5
Application guidelines ...................................................................................................... 5
Submission guidelines (final products) ...................................................................... 6
Page 1
Purpose
As early as 1987, Alec Peterson, the IB’s first Director General, highlighted the
importance of addressing the diverse research needs of the IB community. He
foresaw the need to support research into the philosophy and principles
underpinning IB programmes and the ways in which IB programme implementation
impacts the quality of teaching and learning within a school.
During his tenure with the IB as Director for International Education and then as
Academic Director, Professor Jeff Thompson sought to realize Peterson's vision by
establishing an IB Research Unit housed at the University of Bath. By doing so, he
hoped to create close links to the University of Bath's Centre for the study of
Education in an International Context.
Currently IB Research, with staff in all three IB Global Centres, focuses on four core
areas of research: Outcomes, Curriculum, Assessment, and Quality Assurance. In
addition to increased research activity within the organization, the IB is dedicated to
encouraging and supporting school-based research in order to better inform the IB
community.
This award seeks to honour Professor Thompson's efforts to establish the research
profile of the organization by providing IB practitioners, graduate students and early
career university professionals with awards to conduct research related to IB
programmes.
Funding
Individual awards will be granted up to USD $20,000 each. Up to three grants will be
awarded each year. Award funds may only be used by the researcher for expenses
directly related to conducting the study, as outlined in the proposal. Examples of
acceptable budget items include:
• Data collection
• Fees for analytical or survey software (if the applicant does not have access
through a university subscription)
• Printing fees
• Limited travel expenses required to conduct the field work (if applicable)
• Fees for translation or transcription services, or other minor specialized
support services
• Materials and supplies
• Stipends (allowable on rare occasions for IB practitioners with appropriate
justification; not to exceed $5,000)
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• Equipment required to conduct the research (up to $500, excluding hardware
such as laptops, cameras, video equipment, etc.).
• Mentor honorarium (note, for IB World School applicants only)
Award funds cannot be used towards university tuition. Additionally, awards may not
fund indirect costs (such as university overhead).
Application
The application form and deadline are posted on the Jeff Thompson Research Award
web page. Applications will be accepted in English only. All applicants must use the
appropriate application form to submit applications electronically to
research@ibo.org.
Applicants may submit other supporting documents with their application if they
choose. Questions about the application can be directed to research@ibo.org.
Eligibility
IB practitioners (administrators, coordinators, teachers and heads of school
employed at an IB World School), graduate students and early-career university
professionals1 are eligible to apply for the award. Only applications from individuals
will be accepted (not applications from corporations or institutions). Applicants
should note that proposed studies must be in the ideation and/or planning stage,
prior to beginning fieldwork, in order to be considered for funding. Applications that
do not meet the eligibility requirements will not be considered.
While preference will be given to practitioner research, we will consider each project
based on the merits of the proposal, value to the IB community, soundness of the
research methods and capacity of the applicant(s) to carry out the research
effectively. Research studies should be directly related to IB programme(s), students,
teachers and/or IB World Schools.
Selection and award process

Applications should be submitted to the IB Research inbox (research@ibo.org). All
applications will be reviewed by the Jeff Thompson Award Committee once a year.
The Jeff Thompson Research Award is a competitive grant. Only up to three

applications per year will be selected for partial or full funding. Preference will be
1We define ‘early-career professionals’ as individuals who have completed their doctoral
dissertation or master’s thesis within the past five years and are currently employed at a
university.
Page 3
given to research which is relevant and important to the IB such as, but not limited
to, the following areas:
1. Improvement of IB programmes
2. Impact of programme implementation on school improvement, including
professional development for delivery of IB programmes
3. Impact of IB programme study on academic success
4. Impact of IB programme study on acquisition of international-mindedness
and attributes of the learner profile
The rating criteria for the application itself will include, but are not limited to, the
following.
1. Feasibility of the research

2. Clear and realistic specification of outcomes and deliverables
3. Use of appropriate research methods
4. Access to and capacity to process data and analyze results
5. Ability to disseminate findings to a variety of audiences
6. Attention to ethical considerations
7. Clear support from the head(s) of school (when applicable)
Applicants may be contacted by e-mail if the committee members require additional

information. All applicants will be informed of the selection results via e-mail after
the committee has made its decision. At the time of award, recipients will be asked
for payment details. Upon receipt of the signed copy of the final agreement between
the IB and the recipient, payment will be made to the recipient.
Support from head of school

In cases when research will be conducted within IB World School(s), applicants must
include evidence of support from the head(s) of school. This is to validate and
authorize the conduct of research within the school and will indicate to the IB that
the application and research rationale have been understood and accepted by the
school itself. Evidence of support should be demonstrated through the signed
checklist provided in the application form.
Mentoring (IB World School practitioners)

Applicants from IB World Schools (who are not graduate students) are strongly
encouraged to identify a mentor prior to submitting an application. Ideally this
mentor will be a university faculty member from a relevant field and will have
experience with conducting research. The mentor is expected to: provide guidance
and advice on the proposal and on research methods and instruments, review draft
reports, and ensure that the research meets quality standards. Preference will be
Page 4
given to applications with mentoring agreements in place at the time of application
(see application form). An honorarium may be provided to the mentor in specific
cases (see Jeff Thompson Award honorarium policy).
Communication and reporting expectations

An implementation plan, including draft instruments that will be used in the
research, should be submitted within 6 months of the start of the award. Brief
periodic progress reports should also be provided to the IB by email
(research@ibo.org) during the course of the project. Lastly, all recipients are
expected to provide an abstract and a detailed report of the results of their research
at the end of the project. The award will be considered completed when all
application documents have been approved by the Jeff Thompson Award
Committee. This may require revisions for quality assurance purposes.
The IB research website will house an up-to-date list of Jeff Thompson Award
abstracts and reports. Award recipients are encouraged to publish the outcomes of
their work elsewhere (for example, in the Journal of Research in International
Education), but are expected to inform the IB of such publications and to include
reference to them in the IB's International Education Research Database (IERD).
Award recipients are also encouraged to present the findings of their research at a
relevant educational conference.
Support from the IB

Successful applicants can expect the following support from the IB:
• Access to IB research materials, including IB research reports

• Access and assistance with uploading information to the IERD
• Advice on publication
• Communication of results throughout the IB Organization and IB World
Schools
Application guidelines
Each applicant is required to submit his/her Curriculum Vitae (CV) along with the
application form. An application form must be completed in full and submitted
before the deadline. Applications must be submitted in English. While there are no
restrictions on project duration, projects should be conducted as expeditiously as
possible.
All applicants must submit the application in electronic form to research@ibo.org.

Applicants will receive confirmation of receipt of the application by email.
Page 5
Submission guidelines (final products)
Please submit the following documents to complete the award:
1. A project implementation plan should be submitted within six months of the

start of the award.
2. An abstract of no more than 150-200 words, submitted as a Word document.
3. A report of 20-25 pages, submitted as a Word document. All reports must be
edited and copy-edited before submission.
4. A detailed record of how the funds were spent. Grant winners must notify
the IB if (on a study’s completion) expenses are lower than the awarded
amount.
Applicants should submit the above documents electronically to research@ibo.org.

The project will be considered finalized after the Jeff Thompson Award Committee
has reviewed, provided feedback on and approved all final products. Final abstracts
and reports will be published on the IB public website.
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Jeff Thompson Research Award

Policies and procedures

© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019

Selection and award process .......................................................................................... 3

Support from head of school........................................................................................... 4

Communication and reporting expectations ............................................................ 5

Support from the IB ........................................................................................................... 5

Application guidelines ...................................................................................................... 5

Submission guidelines (final products) ...................................................................... 6

Selection and award process

The Jeff Thompson Research Award is a competitive grant. Only up to three

1. Feasibility of the research

Applicants may be contacted by e-mail if the committee members require additional

Support from head of school

Mentoring (IB World School practitioners)

Communication and reporting expectations

Support from the IB

• Access to IB research materials, including IB research reports

All applicants must submit the application in electronic form to research@ibo.org.

1. A project implementation plan should be submitted within six months of the

Applicants should submit the above documents electronically to research@ibo.org.

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