Research Projects Empower Students

From tackling French pastries to exploring body image in dance, students at the College delved into some exciting research topics this year.

The investigations were part of the innovative Activating Identities and Futures (AIF) subject.

AIF gives students the opportunity to take ownership of their learning by pursuing a topic of personal interest through self-directed inquiry.

Saint Ignatius’ College was one of a select number of schools to pilot AIF over the past three years. In 2025, the new SACE subject will be fully implemented across the state.

This year, the College also welcomed back Annalisa Barry, the Leader of Learning for Cross Disciplinary Studies, from her secondment to the SACE Board as an educational consultant.

There, she played a pivotal role in the development, piloting, and implementation of AIF and also the Stage 1 subject, Exploring Identities and Futures (EIF).

“I have had the honour this year of taking my own group of students through the AIF course and seeing the intent of this subject come alive,” Mrs Barry said.

“When we open the door to student agency, we witness their tremendous capacity for growth.”

The Class of 2024 impressed with the scope and variety of their research topics, from handling domestic pets in a veterinarian context to developing skills as a ventriloquist.

The cohort earned an impressive 12 merits for AIF – 23 A+’s (16.9%), 27 A’s (19.9%), and 34 A-’s (25%), equating to 61.8% overall in the A grade band.

“As one of the first post-ChatGPT curriculum structures in the South Australian Certificate of Education, the subject prioritises human elements in education,” Annalisa said.

“It emphasises face-to-face discussions, natural evidence of learning, and visible behaviour changes. This focus on human interaction and personal growth reflects the Ignatian virtues of being just and courageous, as students learn to engage with the world ethically and bravely.”

Students Stella Zito and Khoi Dinh were equal winners of the College’s AIF prize in 2024, both receiving perfect scores in their final SACE marks. Below they share their experiences undertaking their projects.

For her research topic, Stella Zito chose to examine the physical and emotional impact pursuing the ideal body shape has on dancers.

She began dancing when she was three and competing at age seven. Her main styles now are musical theatre, lyrical, and hip hop.

“As an elite dancer for the last 12 years, I’ve personally experienced the pressure to conform to this ideal [body shape], which inspired me to explore the topic further,” Stella said.

“I interviewed dance teachers, professional dancers, and my peers to understand their personal struggles with body image in dance.

“I also choreographed a contemporary lyrical dance piece called Body Love, which aimed to address and challenge the stereotypical dancer’s body.”

As well, she said: “I researched the history of the idealised dancer’s body, particularly focusing on [School of American Ballet founder] George Balanchine’s influence and how his idea of the ‘line’ body shape affected generations of dancers.”

While Stella said it was “emotionally challenging to dive deep into body image issues”, she was really proud of her project’s outcome – “especially seeing how well Body Love was received at the CanDance competition, where it placed first”.

Stella now plans to pursue a career in performing arts and teaching. “I want to help future dancers develop not just their dance skills and techniques, but also a healthy relationship with their bodies.

Perfecting choux au craquelin was the delicious topic Khoi Dinh chose to ‘crack’ into for his AIF project.

Choux au craquelin is a dessert comprising a choux pastry bun, which is topped with a thin, biscuit-like piece of dough. The dough heats up in the oven and fold itself around the cream puff, adding a crunchy, decorative layer.

Khoi said being “the unofficial baker” of his extended family is what inspired him to pursue the topic. Choux au craquelin is a signature dish of his.

“However, it was during [big family] events where I did feel immense stress and often ran into failed batches due to inconsistency,” he said.

“Choux au craquelin is a technical and temperamental French pastry, with success heavily reliant on moisture and temperature regulation within ovens.”

Khoi took an analytical and scientific approach to honing his recipe, gleaning knowledge from farmers, pastry chefs, food chemists, bakery owners, and home cooks.

Through undertaking the research, Khoi said he developed the self-confidence to “value my own opinion when I usually seek others’ validation, progress my learning in a meaningful way, and develop time-management methods”.

Khoi is undecided about his future career, still weighing up whether to pursue being a paediatrician, radiologist or something involved with biological research. However, he’ll continue to indulge his passion for baking on the side.