The IBDP students presented their Extended Essays to their peers, teachers and parents during this year's CoffEE.
By: Charlotte and Divya
Year 13 Students
On the 23rd of January 2020, the Year 13 IBDP cohort sat in anticipation, waiting to finally complete the final section of their Extended Essay journey. The project expanded through a third of our IB course, the research phase beginning at the start of January of 2019 where students combed through their topic of choices to produce a research question. The months that followed were rigorous sessions of critical thinking, data collection, creative writing and problem-solving.
After that journey, a sense of exhilarated relief awaited us. The presentations were segmented into two sessions, one for the morning birds and then the afternoons. The parents of our fellow students were invited to join this celebration to mark the end of the remarkable journey of sweat, tears, hard work but also sheer satisfaction.
During the day, we listened attentively to our fellow students’ presentations, and a wide range of subjects was discussed from trophy hunting to the creation of a model plane, to Jungian psychology, to tactics of marketing behind Starbucks. We all had the opportunity to speak for 10 minutes, sharing a brief overview of our topic, our data collection, challenges we faced and what we would advise the Year 12s to do when it becomes their turn. Our supervisors who had been alongside us, guiding us through the essay, sat there proudly watching our accomplishments - it was truly gratifying seeing how proud they were.
Although it was difficult, whilst there were tears and moments of panic, the end result was truly worth it. We all wrote a 4000-word essay on a topic we were passionate about, with fantastic results. The IB requires hard work, determination and most importantly, effective time management, and we were all successful in our endeavours and finally, a core part of our IB progress had come to an end. Without trying to sound hyperbolic, it truly is a bittersweet moment; the happiness and relief of our success but is mixed with the feeling that our time at Dover Court is nearly over. However, the coffEE morning (with the name credit going solely to our very own Mr Jones) acts as a reminder of the talent that lies within the Year 13 cohort.
Class of 2020 Extended Essays
Patrick - History
Topic: Fall of Singapore
Research Question: To what extent was the invasion and occupation of Singapore by the Japanese during the Second World War a result of a failure of the Singapore Strategy?
Katrina - English
Topic: Feminine perspectives of popular, male-central tales in the book "The world's wife"
Research Question: To what extent is Duffy's work a feminist text?
Machtild - English
Topic: Gender Roles portrayed in the book, The Color Purple.
Research Question: How does Alice Walker portray female sexuality in The Color Purple?
Grace - English
Topic: Poetry
Research Question: "How does Maya Angelou portray her beliefs in civil rights in 'Shaker Why Don't You Sing'"
Jack - Theatre studies
Topic: Exploring the mind of Christopher Boone
Research Question: How does the play of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” use performance, staging and technical elements to show how Christopher Boone sees the world?
Teagan - Psychology
Topic: The theory of self-concept and how it is influenced
Research Question: How is the self-esteem of teenage boys influenced by the structure of their families and parenting styles present?
Ethan - Psychology
Topic: Carl Jung's Theory of the Collective Unconscious
Research Question: "To what extent does the conscious ego reject the shadow?"
Sameeksha - Business Management
Topic: Neuromarketing in the fast-food industry
Research Question: To what extent has neuromarketing strategies increased McDonald's competitive advantage over major fast-food brands in the United States of America
Siddarth - Business Management
Topic: Loyalty of Starbucks
Research Question: To what degree can the success of Starbucks be credited to the rewards program in terms of the total annual sales?
Isabella - English
Topic: Rap Music and Its evolution through time
Research Question: To what extent has Eminen’s lyrics evolved and how has this been affected by the changing context of the genre?
Ishaani - Environmental Systems & Societies
Topic: Land Reclamation
Research Question: “To what extent does the link between land reclamation and sustainability affect the ecological footprint of Singapore?”
Divya - Physics
Topic: Aeronautics
Research Question: "How does wing curvature of an aeroplane effect the lift it is able to generate?"
Charlotte - Environmental Systems & Societies
Topic: Trophy hunting
Research Question: To what extent is trophy hunting beneficial for terms of conservation
Vernice - Geography
Topic: Investigating the impact of the building of the Jewel in Changi airport
Research Question: To what extent is the Jewel development a tourist development.
Emma - Geography
Topic: Gender and population studies in Asia
Research Question: Has an increased prominence of women in higher level positions led to the decline in fertility rate in Singapore compared to other countries in South East Asia?
