‘Focus on the researcher too’

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PERSONAL GROWTH IMPORTANT: Adi speaks about the importance of developing oneself as a researcher.

KUCHING: There is a need to look beyond research findings to develop as a researcher.

Sarawak Islamic Council Educational Services Bureau director Datu Dr Adi Badiozaman Tuah said: “It is important to work beyond the findings that include focusing on the input, process and product. People do research for two main reasons: personal and professional.”

“Although research findings and outcome are important, achieving self-development through research is also important,” he said in his opening address at the inaugural Borneo Research Education Conference (BREC) 2013 yesterday.

Adi highlighted the seven steps of a researcher’s academic journey.

“The academic journey starts by identifying the research area or problem, followed by literature review. The next steps are to specify the purpose and determine the questions, then data collection. After that, it is important to analyse before reporting the findings,” he said.

The two-day event themed ‘Developing as a researcher through the culture of sharing’ attracted 42 research students from 18 universities. It was jointly organised by Swinburne Sarawak, UiTM Sarawak and Unimas.

Conference chairman Dr Ismail Ait Saadi said: “Unlike the focus of traditional research conference, which is on the outcome, the focus of research education conference is on the researcher.”

“BREC is an attempt to create this awareness about the necessity to restore the balance between the two elements of research outcome and researcher development, as well as highlight the researcher.

“An important aspect of research education is inclusiveness. Just like everyone has the right to education, every person who has an interest in research should be given the chance and support to develop and grow as a researcher,” he opined.

BREC 2013 is the first of its kind of conference that draws attention to the experience of research students within postgraduate research degree programmes, focusing on how to make that experience better and helping the development of research skills as well as researcher identity.

Also present at the conference were Swinburne Sarawak pro vice-chancellor and chief executive Professor Anthony Cahalan and X-Fab Sarawak chief executive officer Mike Young.