Penny for my thoughts

Academia Can Be Toxic

The other day my brother brought up an interesting issue about how toxic academia has become. I mean he didn't use the word toxic, but that's more of a word I would use. Anyway, I didn't respond to him at the time because (a) I know getting into a debate with my brother is never a good idea because he has a faster mouth/brain than I do, and (b) I agree with that point up to a certain extent.

Anyway, to give justice to my brother, let's lay out his points. He talked about how our local public universities are now obsessed with rankings, and in turn with publications. Doing research is no longer fueled by the need for development and improvement, rather than just to say "We're the 50th best university in the world!!!" He pointed out that they'd been discussing this issue in Singapore as well, and that it's really a serious issue because the government (and I guess other bodies) are spending too much money and resources on it, which a university's standard shouldn't wholly be based on their publications. Also, he pointed out that universities should be teaching skills for students to use when they graduate. In other words, universities should prepare students for the working world (but this is an issue for a different post).

As someone who has worked in a tertiary level education institution and is currently pursuing her PhD, I honestly feel so attacked right now. Haha. But really though, I know and can see this happening. Being in an RU, even when your job scope literally says NOTHING about research, every time you see a "higher up", they'd say something like "You can do research" or basically something else along the lines of making your students your guinea pigs. I have seen a number of people doing that, and it's like walking on tighrope. You have to balance out the needs of your study with the needs of the students. Is your intention really for the students to actually gain something and enjoy learning the course? Or do you just intend to get that "Associate Professor" title? I know most people don't really care because they just want results. They just want to say "Hey yeah we published another 10 Q1 journals this week so we're ahead of our game" instead of "Are these kids really gaining something from this?" which should actually be the first question addressed here, and none of the research questions listed in your journal article.

An educator who I know used her research to enrich her students' learning is Dr Wan Zuhainis. I've gone to two of her talks and seen how much she has improved the teaching and learning of her course for the students. They do the same things that they would do in a regular classroom, but in a much more engaging and involved way that even I want to be in her class even though I don't know anything about microbiology. She has done so much with her students, and I'm sure initially everyone probably thought she was crazy. She contacted universities in Malaysia and abroad so that her students can "meet" with students taking the same course elsewhere, told them to work together by making online group calls, and I swear it's so amazing. These students of course love having the opportunity to do a group discussion with people who actually might have learnt something a bit differently or have a whole different perspective altogether. She not only taught her students to use the regular web 2.0 tools, but she also guided them in using augmented reality for their poster presentations. I mean that's what I call someone who does research with so much passion and really immerses herself into educating her students.

I know not all educators have the same drive, and honestly some just want to make do with what they have. However, it is important to note that we use the term "educator" and not "researcher" as our main portfolio. Whatever research done needs to have an implication, if not on our students, on the society at large. My brother asked an interesting question about the contribution of PhD holders to the country. It's definitely a question that can receive the scripted answer of the research bringing to the betterment of the country. I do think that some of the research done has questionable impacts on the development of country or the society, but quite a number of people are doing their best in improving the system and the people little by little.

I guess that brings us to the question, why am I doing my PhD? What's my intention? When I was still working, I honestly pitched the idea of my study because I wanted to try something that would engage learners in the classroom. English isn't really a well-liked subject here (and in most public universities, but I guess that's another post altogether), and I was so inspired by Dr Wan. I was told that (a) it's really great I'm trying to think of something for my students, but (b) "Everyone's doing educational technology right now". I had to agree, because research is all about "finding a gap in literature" so my idea wasn't really filling any gaps, and it was in fact overlapping with others. I abandoned that idea and moved on to a topic that I love, but I feel like I need to learn more about. On paper, I easily justified the importance of my research as being able to provide teachers with an understanding of appropriate practices as well as providing some evidence to confirm or deny that teachers are in fact teaching a certain style. But I still have to think about what's the bigger benefit of it all; will someone be reading my research and saying "Ohhh wow that's really helpful."

Although, it's also important to discuss how you define "helpful". Does helpful mean you have to gain a new skill? Or does helpful also mean that you get a better understanding of an existing situation? The truth is, it's easier to see physical evidence of a scientific study being helpful, as you can say that you invented or innovated or improved something that people can literally see with their own eyes. Unfortunately, it's not as easy to see the impact of research in social science fields.

I'd like to end this post with a question that maybe you can answer in the comments section below or tweet me or whatever;

What would you do research in, if you could do any topic (within your field of study or work)?

Also, do inform me in the comments below if you want me to write about (a) the teaching and learning of English in universities or about (b) whether universities prepare students for the working world.