Independent Enquiry Study (IES)

As an integral part of the curriculum of Liberal Studies, the IES contributes to the curriculum aims by:

(a) providing an opportunity for students to learn to become self-directed learners responsible for their own learning;

(b) enhancing students‘ ability to connect, integrate and apply knowledge, perspectives and skills developed through the three Areas of Study;

(c) helping students develop higher-order thinking skills and communication skills through investigative exploration of issues; and

(d) broadening students‘ horizons and catering for their interests and inclinations.

2.8.1 Objectives of IES

The learning experiences in the IES will help students to:

(a) set goals, plan, implement the plans and solve problems;

(b) reflect on and evaluate their learning progress;

(c) collect data, evidence and information through means appropriate to their enquiry;

(d) analyse and evaluate information in order to construct knowledge, propose solutions to real issues, and make decisions;

(e) appreciate the complexities and cross-disciplinary nature of real issues, and identify the various perspectives applicable to the understanding of these issues;

(f) communicate, articulate and present their thoughts and ideas effectively through appropriate means and media; and

(g) become motivated and responsible learners.

2.8.2 Nature of IES

Self-directed learning experience

IES is a self-directed learning experience in which the student takes up the major responsibility for learning. In IES, students are ―independent‖ and ―self-directed‖ in the

answers, and evaluating the enquiry process, and they are responsible for their plans and decisions.

Learning facilitated by teachers

Teachers have an important facilitating role in helping students to become independent learners. As a facilitator, the teacher should vary the mode and level of support at different stages of the IES. The teacher is a resource person to help students develop connections across subject disciplines. When they help students to conduct the IES, teachers should respect the students‘ choices and judgments, and give them freedom to think imaginatively about their projects.

Group learning in IES

In IES, students do not necessarily have to work in isolation. Collaboration and sharing among peers should be encouraged and promoted. While each student is responsible for his / her own IES, sharing and exchanges among them can help them to benefit from each other‘s insights, experiences, achievements and mistakes. In fact, it is desirable to incorporate group learning in different phases of the learning process of IES.

Examples of how group learning activities contribute to the IES process

● Discussion in groups can help students to formulate ideas and deepen their understanding of a common theme or problem. The IES of individual students can be founded upon different issues raised in such discussion.

● Students may share the workload of collecting information and resources common to each other‘s IES. Students working on related titles can conduct field work or visits in groups to gather information.

● Individual students may also draw up their own learning plans from the experience of a community service conducted in a group.

● Students can give a presentation on the plan, the progress and the product of their IES to their group members and receive comments and feedback from each other.

However, it is essential that the IES includes elements of individual investigation, thus providing students with opportunities for self-directed learning and assessment of individual student work.

An integral part of the Liberal Studies curriculum

IES is an integral part of student learning in Liberal Studies. The learning in the six modules of the three Areas of Study provides the foundation and contexts from which students can formulate their own IES topic. In conducting the IES, students are expected to draw on their learning in the Areas of Study, and apply relevant knowledge, perspectives and skills to investigate a contemporary issue that is not covered directly in the six modules. Through the self-directed learning process, students will learn to make connections among different modules in the Liberal Studies curriculum, as well as among different subjects and learning opportunities they experience as senior secondary students. They will also have an opportunity to apply understanding and perspectives to authentic issues and problems and extend their learning to a new situation.

2.8.3 The Titles for Students’ IES

Connecting to the Areas of Study and extending to new issues

As indicated above, the title a student chooses for IES should be related to his / her learning in the Areas of Study and yet should extend to a new problem, issue or context not directly covered in the six modules. In short, the title chosen should bear linkages to one or more of the Areas of Study and extend to new themes or issues, so that IES can provide students with an opportunity to connect, to apply and to extend their learning in Liberal Studies.

Possible IES titles showing linkages to Areas of Study in Liberal Studies The coverage of an IES title, in relation to the Areas of Study, can range from a focused study on a topic emphasised in one Area only (e.g. ―The impact of exposure to violent messages in the media on style of interpersonal communication‖), to a relatively holistic review of a topic with cross-area insights (e.g. ―Sports participation in Hong Kong and its impact on personal and public health‖).

Themes of Enquiry

A list of suitable Themes of Enquiry is suggested for the purpose of connecting, applying and extending concepts learnt from the six modules. The list of these themes is not intended to confine student choice. It is provided simply as a set of examples, and as a basis for student grouping, to exploit the advantages of group learning mentioned in earlier paragraphs.

The Themes suggested are as follows:

● Media

● Education

● Religion

● Sports

● Art

● Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

These Themes of Enquiry are proposed taking into account the following criteria:

● Their potential for inviting multiple perspectives and for broadening knowledge

● Their potential for connecting the three Areas of Study

● Their potential for generating interesting and manageable titles of IES Multi-perspective nature of Themes

Though some of the suggested Themes share a similar name with an elective subject in the three-year senior secondary curriculum, it should be noted that their nature and orientation are very different. The Themes are to be understood in relation to the context of the three Areas of Study, and they are concerned with issues of contemporary significance. They should be explored from a range of perspectives across subject disciplines, and should not be studied in the way that academics or professionals in these specific fields would do this.

The difference between an IES in Liberal Studies and study in other subjects A technical analysis of the forms and style of the music of Bach, though related to Art as one of the Themes, would not be accepted as an IES title, unless the study could in some way relate Bach‘s music to contemporary issues of significance to the human

world or the environment.

The Themes of Enquiry are elaborated in Appendix 1 on p.145. For each Theme there is an introduction and a list of enquiry questions on related contemporary issues in the context of the different Areas of Study. Please note that these enquiry questions outline the scope and direction for possible investigation, and should not be taken literally as recommended titles for IES. Students may use the suggested enquiry questions as a start, and work out step-by-step the title for their IES, its methodology, scope of research and the mode of enquiry under teacher supervision and guidance.

Why should some Themes be suggested?

One of the reasons why these Themes are proposed is that they may facilitate collaboration among students and peer learning in the conduct of individual studies.

Teachers might encounter difficulties if they have to handle a group of students whose IES titles do not share any common themes.

However, grouping by Themes should not be seen as the only or most desirable way to organise students for the learning and teaching activities related to IES. Teachers are advised to vary their strategies according to the different characteristics of their students and the different IES stages.

The themes suggested will also provide the focus for the development of resources and teacher professional development. Adequate and focused support measures for IES are important as a large number of teachers will be involved in supervising students‘ IES, and the experiences of these teachers in such work varies considerably.

Titles outside the suggested Themes

These Themes of Enquiry are ―non-mandatory‖ in the sense that students‘ titles of IES should not be confined to the suggested Themes. Schools may offer other themes to help

Themes, or unrelated to any of them are all allowed, provided that they can connect to the Areas of Study and extend to contemporary issues not directly discussed in the six modules.

Drawing on support from other organisations in the community

Many organisations in Hong Kong launch study award schemes and inter-school project learning competitions to promote students‘ awareness and understanding of certain ideas, many of which can become a meaningful theme for IES. Some of these organisations also have experience in providing training programmes and resource materials for teachers to provide life-skill learning and project learning activities which are in line with the Liberal Studies curriculum. Also, the possibility of help from other organisations, such as NGOs, can be explored.

2.8.4 Specifications for the IES

The IES has to be investigative and involve the following three stages:

(a) Stage I

 Selection of study area / theme

 Collection of background information

 Confirmation of the question for enquiry

 Design of work plan and schedule

(b) Stage II

 Collection of data / other kinds of information

 Organisation of data / other kinds of information

(c) Stage III

 Analysis of data / information

 Evaluation of different points of view

 Presentation of IES results, amendments according to feedback

 Writing up of study report, adoption of suitable ways to show the results of the study

In IES, students‘ performance is evaluated in all stages of the process including the presentation of the final report or product. Students are allowed to use different formats or

modes to present the results of their studies, and these will be supplemented with records of their learning process and reflections on it. The assessment of IES will be explained in detail in Chapter 5.

2.8.5 Lesson time for IES

It is suggested that 82 hours of lesson time should be allotted to the support of students in the conduct of their IES. Teachers are advised to spend the time flexibly on:

● helping students to develop a general understanding of the themes of enquiry in the context of the three Areas of Study;

● helping students to decide on the topic, scope and focus;

● coaching students in the skills needed for conducting the IES;

● supervising student progress;

● organising activities in support of IES, e.g. visits, field trips, talks, etc.; and

● promoting exchanges and collaborative learning among students, and getting them to share their problems and progress, and present their findings and products.

Students are expected to use their own time, in addition to the designated lesson time, to conduct their IES.