Program Timeline
Thank you to everyone who applied for the 2025-26 cohort of action researchers. Applications closed November 1. IBSC will contact all individuals who submitted an application with a status update by Friday, December 6, 2024.
Starting in March 2025, researchers actively engage in the program.
- March 2025: Researchers review the IBSC Action Research website and submit a short biography and photo to the program coordinator to post on the site.
- April – June 2025: Researchers meet their team advisors and participate in guided online discussions with fellow researchers. Researchers familiarize themselves with the various technologies used for these interactions. Discussions focus on selected readings on the action research process and the research topic. Researchers must complete short, online activities based on these readings, which guide the development of their final research proposal. The recommended text for the program is Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher (6th Ed) by Geoffrey E. Mills.
- June 2025: Attend the IBSC Annual Conference, Belmont Hill School, Belmont, Massachusetts, United States.
- Researchers attend a two-day orientation and training program. Training starts at 9:00 AM on Friday, June 20, and concludes at 2:00 PM on Sunday, June 22.
- Researchers attend the 2025 IBSC Annual Conference June 22-25
- July/August 2025 – May 2026: Supported online through the stages of the project by a team advisor and fellow researchers, researchers undertake an action research project in their school. They actively participate in regular online discussions during the project period and meet the deadlines for completing the stages of research and presentation of findings. Researchers must submit a detailed research plan by mid-August 2025, so please factor this deadline into any holiday plans after the IBSC Annual Conference.
- April 2026: Researchers produce a short video detailing highlights of their action research project for the IBSC website.
- May 2026: Researchers submit their action research findings as a 3,000- to 5,000-word report. The researcher must ensure the report is formally edited and correctly referenced, using APA 7 guidelines. IBSC reserves the right to further edit the final report to publish on its website. We encourage participants to publish or present their projects elsewhere with appropriate acknowledgment of IBSC as the sponsoring organization.
- June 2026: Attend the IBSC Annual Conference, St. Stithians Boys’ College, Sandton, South Africa.
- Researchers meet with their team advisor and fellow researchers on June 28, the day before the 2026 IBSC Annual Conference starts, to practice and finalize their presentations.
- Researchers attend the 2026 IBSC Annual Conference at St. Stithians Boys’ College, Sandton, South Africa June 29 – July 2, to present their research findings in workshop sessions.