A Comparison of Levels of International Understanding among Students of the International Baccalaureate Diploma and Advanced Placement Programs in the USA

This study examines whether participation in the International Baccalaureate diploma program enhances one of the goals of the program, the development of international understanding. Junior and senior International Baccalaureate students and Advanced Placement students of similar background in the United States were studied using a survey instrument, and by asking them to write their personal definition of `international understanding'. Analysis of student definitions revealed a significant difference between the mean number of categories of international understanding utilized by the two groups of students.