CAJCS Extended Essay Guide: FIRST REFLECTION

INTERVIEW SESSION (20–30 minutes) 

During this interview session supervisors might ask: 

• Why is your research question worthy of study?
• Were you successful in gathering the information/evidence you wanted?
• Do you need more information to answer your question? How will you go about finding it?
• Are there any questions emerging from your research that you didn’t anticipate?
• Has your approach to answering the research question changed in any way so far?
• Have you faced in problems in the EE process so far? How do you intend to tackle or resolve these challenges?
• What are your initial thoughts about the answer to your research question?

First session

• I have decided to research the topic of... because I am interested in/care about...

• Because of my experiences with X, I want to find out why...

• X made me wonder why Y happens.

• Now that I have done X... (present perfect tense), I will do Y... (future tense)

• In order to learn more about ...I will have to ...

SOURCE: PHILPOT EDUCATION 

Construct a sentence by selecting words from each column within each section. For example:

For me, the most meaningful element was . .

source: 

LIBRARY AND LEARNING SERVICES STUDY GUIDE | REFLECTIVE WRITING

www.2.eit.ac.nz/library/OnlineGuides/Reflective Writing.pdf

Questions about my choice of research topic

1. What am I interested in researching and why?

2. What are my motivations for undertaking research in this area?

3. Is my chosen topic appropriate for the subject I have chosen to complete it in?

4. How might I go about undertaking this research?

5. Are my chosen research methods appropriate for the subject I have chosen to complete it in?

6. Are there any ethical issues I need to consider before pursuing this area of research?

Questions about my research so far

7. What have I learned about my subject area so far?

8. What questions are emerging from my research so far?

9. What possible question(s) might I research?

10. What is the next step in my research?

Questions to think about during the IB Investigation Days

11. Will my research question allow me to think critically about the topic I am researching? If it suggests a descriptive response, how might I need to change it to allow for more critical thinking?

12. Given the initial reading I have undertaken on the subject, is my research question appropriate for the subject I am submitting my EE in?

• Preparation for the first reflection session
• First formal reflection session
• Examples of marked reflections with grades

• First Reflection Examples from EUR 2021 (PLEASE LOGIN WITH YOUR CATHEDRAL EMAIL ID)