IB Career-related Programme

Reflective Essay Research Question Guidance

Appropriate research questions identify a real ethical issue + propose a genuine ethical dilemma.

Dilemma = “di” (two) + “lemma” (premise) --> two options --> yes/no question

└→The research question is phrased as a yes or no question with respect to a real ethical issue.

(Will be treated as more complex than what a one-word answer might suggest.)

Reflective project about an ethical dilemma        --–|–-- NOT just a descriptive project about an ethical issue

                     ↓                                                        |                                          ↓

YES: Research question begins with “Should ”       |      NO: Research question begins with “To what extent”

*Good strategy is to focus the research question on the position of the professional posed with a dilemma of whether a particular action or intervention is the right or proper action to take.

Example topic of physician-assisted suicide from May 2021 Reflective Project subject report:

“One of the effective strategies was to focus on the dilemma faced by doctors: should they respect their Hippocratic Oath (and keep the patient alive as long as possible) or should they break it and think differently about their practice (including the possibility of ending a patient’s life)? By focusing on that tension, it gives a precise direction to the project.”

Example titles from May 2021 Reflective Project subject report:

(weak) Title 1: What Are the Causes of Police Brutality?

(strong) Title 2: Should City Authorities Cut City Police Funding And Redistribute Saved Funds To Organizations Fighting Police Brutality?

SUBJECT REPORTS

Reflective Project Report May 2021

Reflective Projet Report May 2020

Reflective Project Report May 2019