Reflective Project

The reflective project is one of the four compulsory components of the IB Career-related Programme (CP).  From their career-related study, students identify an issue of interest then explore a focused ethical dilemma. Students undertake research and analysis on the chosen ethical dilemma. This research must include consultation with the local and/or global community.

Students can choose to present their reflective project in one of two ways:

1. A written essay (maximum 3,000 words). 
2. A written essay (1,500–2,000 words) accompanied by an additional format (film, oral presentation, interview, play or display). 

In the reflective project, students should:

• state what their linked career-related study is.

 

• Identify an issue directly linked to their career-related study. An issue is a topic that is worthy of consideration in a particular context. Students need to explain the issue and clearly and explicitly link it to their career-related study. However, they must also remain aware that the issue itself is not the main focus of the reflective project.

 

• Decide on an ethical dilemma that arises from the issue. An ethical dilemma is a choice between two (or more) conflicting moral perspectives where neither provides a perfect solution.  The issue to be explored should be:
  • Controversial
  • have two or more perspectives on it based on the moral principles of the individuals or groups involved
  • open to different answers according to the respective moral principles of those involved.

 

• Students need to identify and describe accurately the question to be answered that explicitly references the ethical dilemma that has been identified.

 

• Students must provide evidence of research that supports different viewpoints on the ethical dilemma. They should also critically examine the research itself. There are five main stages in the research process:
  • Defining the research’s purpose and objectives and the research question.
  • Conducting a literature review.
  • Designing appropriate data collection methods and analysing the data.
  • Reflecting on the research methodology adopted.
  • Presenting the research findings.

 

• Identifying the key community(ies) involved in the dilemma.  Students may be able to take the example from first-hand experience of the issue they are investigating. Alternatively, students may have found the example during their research. A community can also be a workplace community, or a community of those involved in the same line of work, even if these individuals are dispersed globally.

 

• The local/global example should be linked to the community in question, that is to say, the group of people with common interests such as where they live, religion or ethnicity. 

 

• Develop a personal and relevant evaluation of the ethical dilemma. This involves evaluating the different viewpoints on the ethical dilemma and then articulating their own point of view based on reasoned argument.

 

• The reflective project is an academic piece of work and should be presented as such. This ensures academic honesty and allows the readers to check the evidence themselves.
  • A reference acknowledges the source of the information that the student has used.
  • A citation is a shorthand method of referencing, which is then linked to the bibliography.
  • A bibliography is an alphabetical list (by author) of every source cited in the project.
  • Students must use a consistent style of referencing throughout the reflective project.
  • Appendices, footnotes and endnotes are not necessary but if students choose to use them they should do so appropriately and not circumvent the word limit.

Students are supported by their supervisor. They meet formally with their supervisor three times: before, during and at the end of the project.

The RPPF form is a mandatory part of the reflective project. It helps the students to reflect on their planning and progress, including:

• their initial ideas
• any concerns to discuss with their supervisor
• the outcome of those discussions
• interim thoughts about the reflective project’s planning, progress and content
• any changes that need to be made as a result of the interim thoughts
• finishing the project and their conclusions.

Here is a scoring rubric for the reflective project.