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Geography EE on Medical Tourism


Befuddled

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I'm doing my Extended Essay in Geography, possibly on medical tourism in Bangkok. With a focus on Bumrungrad Hospital (major one for this topic)

My question is possibly:

"What changes has Bangkok's Bumrungrad hospital made since its establishment to accommodate (medical tourists/ foreign patients) ?"

Firstly, is it fit for geography or would it end up being a Business Management EE as it is about developments and changes?

Do you think the question shouldn't be a 'what' question?  

Is a hypothesis required for a geography EE?

Is my question too focused - as I have found few resources online? (maybe I didn't research deeply yet :P )

Please respond ASAP!!

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(Before I start, I just want to say that I don't take Geography, so please take my advice with a grain of salt. @_@)

 

I have a feeling that your essay question is too focused on a single place (a single hospital, in this case). Here's what IB has to say about choosing topics:

"Candidates and supervisors should be reminded that having a clear spatial element in their
essay (going beyond mere location on a map) is absolutely essential.
"
(source)

I fear that if you don't take a spatial, regional approach to your essay, you might come up with a Business Management EE instead, as you said. Here is a link to some titles of Geography EEs that got an A, to help show what I mean when I say that you might be missing the 'spatial' approach: http://blogs.osc-ib.com/2010/03/ib-teacher-blogs/dp_geography/originality-in-geography-extended-essays/

 

Your EE can have a testable hypothesis, or it may not. Here's what IB says:

"In geography, many successful essays develop the research question through the formulation of a hypothesis or hypotheses. If students do this, it is important to ensure that hypotheses are well constructed, testable, have a basis in geographical theory and involve appropriate investigative channels...It is equally acceptable for the research question to examine a geographical issue, conflict or problem, which may be formulated as a proposition or statement for discussion. The research question must be clearly stated in the abstract and in the introduction. It must be framed in a way that discourages a descriptive or narrative approach, and that encourages argument and discussion." (source)

I've heard people recommend to do a Geography EE with a testable hypothesis, so that they can go out and collect primary research, which IB really likes. I do think that IB prefers EEs with lots of primary research, compared to EEs that only use secondary sources to form a discussion (this applies for other EE subjects like Biology as well).

 

You can always look at past Geography EEs online to see what IB expects - they'll help you to get an idea of how suitable your current EE topic is. And of course, you can always ask for help from your EE mentor/supervisor person, as they've (hopefully!) got lots of experience with EEs. Best of luck!

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3 hours ago, Thundercracker said:

(Before I start, I just want to say that I don't take Geography, so please take my advice with a grain of salt. @_@)

 

I have a feeling that your essay question is too focused on a single place (a single hospital, in this case). Here's what IB has to say about choosing topics:

"Candidates and supervisors should be reminded that having a clear spatial element in their
essay (going beyond mere location on a map) is absolutely essential.
"
(source)

I fear that if you don't take a spatial, regional approach to your essay, you might come up with a Business Management EE instead, as you said. Here is a link to some titles of Geography EEs that got an A, to help show what I mean when I say that you might be missing the 'spatial' approach: http://blogs.osc-ib.com/2010/03/ib-teacher-blogs/dp_geography/originality-in-geography-extended-essays/

 

Your EE can have a testable hypothesis, or it may not. Here's what IB says:

"In geography, many successful essays develop the research question through the formulation of a hypothesis or hypotheses. If students do this, it is important to ensure that hypotheses are well constructed, testable, have a basis in geographical theory and involve appropriate investigative channels...It is equally acceptable for the research question to examine a geographical issue, conflict or problem, which may be formulated as a proposition or statement for discussion. The research question must be clearly stated in the abstract and in the introduction. It must be framed in a way that discourages a descriptive or narrative approach, and that encourages argument and discussion." (source)

I've heard people recommend to do a Geography EE with a testable hypothesis, so that they can go out and collect primary research, which IB really likes. I do think that IB prefers EEs with lots of primary research, compared to EEs that only use secondary sources to form a discussion (this applies for other EE subjects like Biology as well).

 

You can always look at past Geography EEs online to see what IB expects - they'll help you to get an idea of how suitable your current EE topic is. And of course, you can always ask for help from your EE mentor/supervisor person, as they've (hopefully!) got lots of experience with EEs. Best of luck!

Thanks!! I realised the same thing too: I could barely get any information :(

However, confusingly, my EE supervisor/coordinator both say I should focus on the hospital. And my geo teacher also said don't do any primary research...?

I have no idea why they'd say that....

But I think I may be changing my EE to be about how the Thai rice production was affected by drought and its effects on farmers

What do you think? Do I need to focus it (like central Thailand?) or is it fine?

I have yet to discuss this with my supervisor

P.S. good luck on your studies and EE (what is it about?)  May 2018! :?

Edited by Befuddled
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