Behind the Scenes of Completing a CTPCLC Research Project
Carin Chua Jia Rong and Ting Mei Ting, 9 June 2024
Under the supervision and guidance of Dr Kevin S.Y.Tan, Carin and Mei Ting has completed their research project on “Familiar Strangers – Understanding the Singaporean Presence in Johor Bahru”. We invited the duo to share their experience and what they have enjoyed most in doing a practicum with CTPCLC.
Mei Ting
Tell us about your research project.
"Dr. Kevin Tan initiated this project and invited Carin and myself to be his research assistants. It is an interesting topic and we thought this would be a valuable research opportunity as it enables us to work on a project that is not just limited to the Singapore context.
My family visits Johor Bahru quite often and my mother used to be a Malaysian as well. So I thought that this research would somehow enable me to appreciate Johor Bahru more, like a self-discovery journey."
Carin
How do you conduct the study?
"So, a lot of the groundwork was already done by Dr Kevin. And with his guidance, we got to do a lot of research and propose new ideas to co-author this paper with him. We even went to Johor Bahru together to do a bit of fieldwork, so that was really enjoyable.
We ran our own interviews with different Singaporeans to gather unique views and perspectives. The part that I really enjoyed was sitting down to map the different stories of all the interviewees, and trying to distil the themes."
What makes people want to cross the borders?
"One of the most prominent reason, I believe, is cost of living, or what we described as ‘Expenses’ as one of the themes in our research. The exchange rate of Singapore dollar to Malaysia ringgit is stable and favourable. For Singaporeans, they can enjoy many affordable goods and services in Malaysia take advantage of the strength of the Singapore dollar.
Since Johor is just a bridge away, it provides an alternative space for leisure, investment, and education. Cultural similarities also blur the border between Singapore and Malaysia. Some Singaporeans we’ve spoken to even consider Malaysia as their second home."
Can you share your personal experience gained from the research?
In the past, my visits to Johor would be very task-focused. Say, if my goal of visiting Johor was to get myself a new pair of spectacles, then my visit to Johor would likely be just about that. But now, being part of the research project allowed me to take things slower and appreciate the people, the environment, the spaces, and immerse myself in the beauty of Johor that I would have otherwise taken for granted.
In social research, we call this Ethnographic Awareness and I guess this has also supplemented my Psychology Major where I study the human mind and behaviour.
Mei Ting
Can you share your personal experience gained from the research?
"I am hopeful that this paper would be published in 2024 because it marks the centenary of the Johor-Singapore Causeway. I think this piece of ethnographic research covering the personal stories of Singaporeans can be a pretty cool record that documents what the Johor-Singapore dynamic was like, especially in the future when our connections are intensified."
What do you enjoyed most in doing a practicum with CTPCLC?
"It’s quite a cool experience to do a whole project from start to finish. I get to experience the entire process of applying to the ethics board, liaising with the community partners to find out their research needs, drafting survey and interview guides, conducting those interviews, and doing the writing. It’s quite fulfilling.
In CTPCLC, we get to equipped ourselves with foundation and theory courses on how to design a qualitative research. Most importantly, you also have the guidance of your learning supervisor who not only gives you advice but is also looking out for you and your learning experience, so you never feel like you’re on your own."
Carin
Care to share a tip with potential CTPCLC students?
"An important tip to obtain a Minor Degree with CTPCLC is to plan your selection of courses carefully. Since the practicum takes place over 2 semesters, I would recommend you to start with the core courses in your Year 2, then do the practicum in Year 3, like I did.
I would strongly encourage anyone who shares an interest in community development to take on this Minor Degree."
Mei Ting