Indigenous research methods DOCX

Title	Indigenous research methods
Author	Clarisse Dela Cruz
Pages	3
File Size	18.3 KB
File Type	DOCX
Total Downloads	899
Total Views	964

Summary

Description

Indigenous research methods Many Filipino psychologists have advocated the development of indigenous research methods thought to be more compatible with the cultural characteristics of Filipinos. In 1975 Santiago proposed the frst indigenous method called pakapakapa (groping) (Santiago, 1982). Torres (1982) described the method as "a suppositionless approach to social scientifc investigations... characterized by groping, searching, and probing into an unsystematized mass of social and cultural data to be able to obtain order, meaning, and directions for research" (p. 171). In this method, data were to be explored without the "chains of overriding theoretical frameworks" borrowed from observations outside the focus of investigation, with the goal of generating a broad database free from the biases and frameworks of Western concepts and methods. Subsequently, many indigenous research methods have been explicated. Many of them are associated with the research model of Santiago and Enriquez (1982), which is comprised of two "scales": Iskala ng Mananaliksik (researcher/method scale) and Iskala ng Pagtutunguhan ng Mananaliksik at Kalahok (researcher-participant relationship scale). The researcher/method scale represents a continuum varying from unobtrusive observational methods at one end, to more obtrusive, researcher-participative methods at the other. For example, pagmamasid (general scanning or looking around) and pakikiramdam (sensing, feeling what is happening) are relatively unobtrusive and can be used initially to determine the feasibility of further study, or in combination with other methods (Gonzales, 1982). In the middle of the continuum are somewhat more obtrusive methods like pagtatanung- tanong (unstructured, informal, interactive questioning; Gonzales, 1982; Pe-Pua, 1989, 1993-94). Methods at the bottom of the scale involve increasing levels of researcher participation and obtrusiveness. For example, whereas in padalaw-dalaw, occasional visits are made to respondent homes, in pakikisangkot a deeper involvement in barrio activities is undertaken. The researcher-participant relationship scale is based on the Filipino view of the equality of this relationship and the fact that it passes through diferent levels. For example, the "top" of the scale describes a superfcial level of relationship involving civility and good manners (pakikitungo). Increasingly deeper levels of relationship are illustrated by pakikibagay (adjusting to others), pakikipagpalagayangloob (mutual trust and security), and pakikiisa (the deepest level; love, understanding, and acceptance of the others' aims as one's own). Other indigenous research methods have been presented, including paalialigid (casing; Enriquez, 1994b), pakikipagkuwentuhan (story-telling; De Vera, 1982; Orteza, 1997), pakikisama (frequent interaction with the research participants; Nery, 1982; Pe-Pua, 1993- 94), pakikipanuluyan (residing in the research setting; Nicdao-Henson, 1982; San Juan & Soriaga, 1985), nakikiugaling pagmamasid (adopting the ways of a group one is observing; Bennagen, 1985; Pe-Pua, 1993-94); ginabayang talakayan (guided discussion; Enriquez, 1994b; Pe-Pua, Aguiling-Dalisay, & Sto. Domingo, 1993), the collective indigenous method (community dialogue and small group interviews; Enriquez, 1994b), personal encounter research (subjective experiencing of the phenomenon by the researcher; Enriquez, 1994b, p. 60), and pagninilay/paglilimi (introspection/refection; Obusan, 1994), among others (e.g., see Elman & Pioquinto, 1997; Obusan, 1994). Most of these methods involve (1) unstructured (though guided) conversations and discussions, often in a small group context, in lieu of more structured interviews; or (2)...