Walking the talk? Exploring curriculum implementation in the International Baccalaureate in the Australian context

As one of the world's prominent international educational organisations, the International Baccalaureate (IB) and its curriculum have developed rapidly during the last few decades. Despite the popularity of the IB and its curriculum, little is known about its implementation in IB schools. Curriculum implementation is a complex and vital part of educational programmes. This study is part of large-scale research involving the IB curriculum, and utilises the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) Levels of use (LoU) as the measurement tool to explore curriculum implementation in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IBPYP) in the Australian context. The study outlines the curriculum implementation process and focuses on teacher implementation of the IBPYP curriculum. The findings of this study suggest that most teachers involved in the IBPYP are at a primary of LoU, and challenges of implementation are significant barriers for them. This study highlights the need for supporting teachers in curriculum implementation to walk the talk and sheds light on the complex nature of curriculum implementation and the importance of addressing these barriers.