Research: it's a matter of critical thinking and a process

After 1.5 years study in a Western academic setting at the University of Melbourne, my understanding about the importance of research has increased significantly. research is an important part of advancement of a country. I can see how much university here provide funding for research, in many fields both basic research or applied research. This is what lack in Indonesia, as it is reported in an article from Kompas newspaper.

However research itself is not a simple matter. The issues are not only availability of funding, but most importantly is also the existence of 'research culture'. It is useless that if funding is available but the 'research culture' itself is not exist. The basic issue underpinning research culture is the willingness to asking questions of everything, being critical of a claim even though ones who make those claims are very prominent people in their field.

The key to do that is developing critical thinking. 'Critical thinking, critical thinking'!!!! That words are probably the most often I ehard at the beginning of my study. Even when I still in Jakarta, my EAP teacher, Angela always emphasis on this aspect. I read the same thing in the books for English as Second Language learners about academic environment in Australia that I borrowed from IALF. At the beginning of Introductory Academic Program (IAP), the teacher, Paul Gruba always emphasis this words. I became so familiar with this words, even though in my dream. Even School of Graduate Studies, the School that responsible for graduate students at the University of Melbourne conducts special course of critical thinking. Not only one, there are three courses, the first is a free seminar about Introduction to critical thinking, the second one is the Workshop to develop critical thinking, and the last one is a shortcourse for Critical Thinking in which attendees have to register and pay $30 to attend the sessions. Amazingly, these courses always full-booked.

What I want to show from those examples is that critical thinking is considered as an important part of successful studies at the university,e specially at graduate level so that the university provides high supports for developing critical thinking among students. We cannot just believe in what others have said about something, nomatter convincing the way those people says about something. The most important is 'to be critically analysed' how those people come up into those arguments or conclusion, adn how they provide evidences to support their arguments.

This is often creates difficulties for many students. I often heard that students say, 'I know this and that why shoudl I provide references for this and that.' I was among those people who said this actually. But later I realised that it is not a matter we know it and we know that, but from where this thing come from, and how this conclusion achieved. people can claims X because they have interest on it, because they like it, or just any kinds of bias of human beings. That is why we need to know where is the knowledge comes from so that we can track teh sources and subsequently we can decide whether we believe in those things or not.

In the context of Indonesia, of course critical thinking in particular is a difficult matter. Many of us (may be most) grow up during our childhoold time with the doctrine that we have to follow the elderly, the respected people, in this case is parents or grandparents, teacher, etc. Those people are in the position of tell us what we have to do, what should we do what we shouldn't.
Very rarely that people let children grow up without saying, 'you have to this, you have to that.' Then the attitude to follow the respected ones continue until we grow up to the high school level. teachers are like a god who shoudl be followed, without little chances for students to criticise or to create positions against them. Students who do that would probably being stigmatised as 'naughty students', rather than as a 'creative students'. Then we grow up as an adult, still critical thinking is not accepted yet in our surrounding environment. We remember about Opspek for new university stduents. The seniors treated themselves as the Big brother who always right, can asks anythings they like to the juniors,a nd should be followed. Then when this junior move to the second year at university, they will do the same to their juniors. So the 'circle of obedience' is continued. As an adult we then have to follow what the authorities said, to consider that what the authorities said are a 'truth' rather than being critical that what they said are political words. We rarely challenged when prominent people around us says something, because we often think that they are in the position of authority to say those things. So than we often see how someone distinguish their attitudes towards prominent ones and towards lay people around them. It happens because 'gumunan' is still attached into characteristic of many of us. meanwhile Javanese proverb always remind us, "Aja Gumunan, Aja Kagetan' which is basically ask us to questioning every informations we receive.

How this cultural and social environment affect the 'research culture' in Indonesia? The impacts are massive. It creates inequeality because someone who are thought to be rpominet will be respected while someone who is considered just as a lay people 'ornag biasa' will be treated differently. So, don't be surprise that if we dress up nicely as if we are very improtant persons, others may become more respect us. This is thing that can eb n obstacle for developing democracy in Indonesia, because people judgement basically on tehir appearance rather than the contents. I don't meant it is not happened in other countries, but what I want to say is that in Indoensia, this thing is much more often happened.

The impacts for this lack of critical thinking towards research culture is tendention to follow what the authorities said rather than offering alternative that would may against the position of the authority. I am wondering if any students at typical Indoensian university would dare to have contra argument with their professors. I got one friend when I was undergraduate who spoke up and express his ideas even though he challenged the lecturer argument. But as consequences this people is being 'persona non grata' by other students. That is the sad thing about education in Indonesia. You can't be critical if you want to get friends. I hope it would be changed.

Why I concern about this lack of critical thingking in our culture is because this cultural things eventually affect the development of research in Indoensia, and subsequently affect the advancement of Indonesia. We would not move forward as fast as CHina or India if we do not develop a 'research culture'. We may will have better funding for research in teh future, but as long as the attitude towards critical thingking is not changed, research will be justification of certain policy (example from the policy fields) rather than an effort to develop a body of knowledge that will enhance better policy in the future.

I want actually write about research as a process based on my experience but may be next time.