Communicating Research: My Fieldwork, My Data, and the Related Challenges

On the 9th of November 2009 at 11 to 11.30 am (Room G.29), I shared my experiences and challenges of collecting data in Malaysia to an audience of about 15 HDR students during EROS seminar. The title of my presentation was: Professional counsellors' understanding and practice of multicultural counselling in Malaysia: A preliminary analysis. I talked about several aspects of my research and shared some significant experiences and challenges while collecting data in Malaysia. The topis that I covered were:

• A glimpse of my PhD project
• The data collection stage
• The challenges of collecting data in Malaysia
• Some preliminary findings
• Some useful strategies and tips for survival during data collection esp. in Malaysia
• Some implications for research

Some of the challenges that I encountered during my study away period were divided into two categories: personal challenges and research-related challenges. As a person, I emotionally suffered during my time in Malaysia because of split-family and different research context: I was in KL and my husband was in Kuching. So, we had to split our kids: Nabil with his dad in Kuching, Sarawak, and Nawfal, the younger one, was with me in KL the whole time during our fieldwork. We were being separated for more than three months! This was the most painful experience for me as a mother because I had never being separated with Nabil before. It was tough and yet I had to stay focus and persevered for the sake of my PhD research. Up untill today, I didn't know where I got the courage to survive during those months. Maybe, I was so busy with my research work and hence I didn't have much time to ponder or think about him... Maybe... The main thing that mattered, I survived!

If these challenges were hard enough for me, imagine myself with another bunch of research-related challenges. My life was a total misery during those hectic yet lonely months! Some of the key challenges that I encountered during my data collection stage were:

• inaccurate and not up-to-date contact details obtained from LKM
• poor response rate - ignorance or negligence? no time to complete survey? Or, simply perceived research as higghly irrelevant to improve practice?
• limited time/time constraint (3 months to complete pilot, actual survey, and interviews)
• limited budget/funds - only AUD2000/= to cover all costs incurred.
• research timing clashed with too many major festivals (oublic holidays) in malaysia
• lost in action! I got lost when trying to reach one of  my interviewee's office in KL...sigh.

So, my experiences and challenges taught me a few lessons that I can never forget:
As a person, I should treasure every moment that I spend with my family because when unexpected separation comes, at least I have many sweet memories to hold on to. As a researcher, I should make be well-prepared before, during, and after the data collection stage.

• Before collecting data: well-thought, well-designed, sound research proposal? A good timeline?
• During: get things carefully organised (make your to do lists, set your priorities, make contacts, and get things/plan into action asap!). If necessary, try to throw more than two birds using one stone!
• After: get your raw data organised - entry, check, and clean - asap and evaluate each progress.

Overall, I learnt that every challenge that I encountered also brought some sweet moments along its way. So, these sweet moments become my sweet memories that will help me become more motivated, more energised, and more focussed to complete my study. So, No Pains No Gains!