Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Another kindy said that all their parents said no. So far I have had almost 30 parents saying they do not want their child to take part in my research. Yet another blow to my surprisingly-full-of-obstacles research. I have not even mentioned the number of kindys I failed to convince to allow me to give out the consent forms. Sigh... as usual, I partake in blog-therapy to vent, so forgive yet another long post =P (I wrote this in to Today but not sure if they will print this)
When one sees the word “research”, the image that will appear in most people’s minds is that of individuals in bleach-white lab coats and test tubes, working tirelessly to perhaps find a cure for cancer. Whilst that may not be an inaccurate portrait, it certainly isn’t the full picture.
“Research” is defined as a diligent and systematic inquiry or investigation into a subject in order to discover or revise facts/theories. Besides sterile laboratories, research can also occur in everyday environments such as the home or school. It not only involves the microscopic view of bacteria and viruses, but can also be about perceptive views of human behaviour.
Governments all over the world pump billions of dollars into various research causes such as cloning and space travel. However, not all researches are equal and some researches are given more support than others. A lack of support does not always mean that that research has less value, but more so, it reflects a lack of understanding of its value.
I am a Singaporean studying overseas, who has chosen to come home to do her honors research project. I chose to do my research here in Singapore as I wanted to contribute to my home country’s current knowledge pool. I chose to do so despite knowing it meant a lot more work on my part and reduced support as my supervisors are overseas. However, nothing prepared me for the harsh realities I am currently facing – the lack of support from my own countrymen, the people whom I was hoping to help through this research.
As a student speech pathologist, my research sets out to examine what is the normal English pronunciation for typically developing children who are bilingual in English and Mandarin. Many parents are anxious over whether their child is developing normally and while motor milestones are well researched, the same cannot be said for language and speech development in Singapore’s context. The results of my research may not be particularly useful to typically developing children but I am hoping that it would help speech therapists in Singapore determine whether or not a child requires intervention. These results may also help alert teachers and parents as to whether a formal assessment of a child’s speech and language should be sought hence enabling children to be helped as early as possible.
I approached various kindergartens to look for my 4 year old research participants and received a variety of responses. A few principals were enthusiastic and helpful, some cautious (especially because I hail as an individual from a lesser known university) and others refused me outright. Amongst the latter group, most said no as they were busy with other research projects backed by the government, which they had no choice but to accept and one refused on the principle that they do not allow outsiders into their kindergarten. There were also some who were deterred at the amount of extra work (they had to help me select the children who fit the criteria for my research as I had no access to such information). Besides approval from the principals, I also needed to get parental consent. Unfortunately, I have had to strike off 2 kindergartens because none of the parents there were willing to allow their children to take part in my research.
At this point, it is not surprising if you were to think that my demands are probably unreasonable. But is it really too much of me ask a child to name 50 pictures, depicting common words like umbrella and monkey? I am perplexed to the point of frustration at why I am receiving such a poor response. What is the difference between the principals who thanked me for allowing them to help out in my research and those that simply refused to know more about my project? Why do some parents consent and some do not? Perhaps some took on a “what’s in it for me?” approach and decided that since neither their child nor they will benefit, there is no point in consenting. Considering the busyness of life, if something is not compulsory, one need not waste time and energy on it, especially since the children are already bombarded with a plethora of activities.
Things may be very different if I had some form of authority backing me and authenticating the value of my research. However, I do not believe the lack of such backing diminishes the necessity of my research in any way. I also believe that there are other projects researching on pertinent issues that seek to help Singaporeans in various aspects but whose progress have been impeded due to a lack of support. To these researchers, I would like to tell you that you are not alone and urge you to continue to strive for a cause you truly believe in. To the rest of the public, I implore you to give researchers like myself a chance to share our dreams with you and who knows, you may one day be a beneficiary of that dream come true.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
pardon me but this never fails to cheer me up no matter how rough a day i had!
Thanks to all the blogs i referred to (countless) for html code help :) (esp. cyn' and sixseven)
Adobe Photoshop Elements for supernatural abilities
