Azlinda Azman

Problematising international placements as a site of intercultural learning

This paper theorises some of the learning outcomes of a three-year project concerning student learning in international social work placements in Malaysia. The problematic issue of promoting cultural and intercultural competence through such placements is examined, where overlapping hegemonies are discussed in terms of isomorphism of social work models, that of the nation state, together with those relating to professional values and knowledge, and the tyrannies of received ideas. A critical discussion of cultural competence as the rationale for international placements is discussed in terms of the development of the graduating social worker as a self-reflexive practitioner. The development of sustainable international partnerships able to support student placement and the issue of non-symmetrical reciprocation, typical of wide socio-economic differentials across global regions, is additionally discussed.

Liminality and learning: international placements as a rite of passage

This article reports findings from a collaborative study of UK student learning in Malaysia. We analyze the concept of liminality as a means of understanding the transitional process between states and statuses that social work students experience in practice learning. Here, in specific reference to immersion in new cultural contexts represented by international placements, the development and learning of students are explored in relation to the overlapping domains of familiar and unfamiliar ‘cultures’ and disciplinary practice. These findings carry implications in terms of the increasing popularity of international placements and the potential imposition of hegemonies of values and knowledge.

FINANCIAL SECURITY PROTECTIONS IN MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE AND PHILIPPINES: A PERSPECTIVE OF TWO GENERATIONS

The study investigated the formal and informal old age protections in the major cities of Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines. The role of family support as important source of old-age protection in Asian countries was also investigated. Data were collected using a survey-interview method. A total of 250 young population and 250 of the elderly population in Kuala Lumpur were interviewed. Similar number of young and elderly population was interviewed in Manila. In Singapore, data was collected from 206 and 161 young and elderly population respectively. A Venn diagram was constructed to analyse the overlapping of availability of the various old age protections for the two generations and their relative sizes among the three cities were compared. Given the many agreement on the inadequacy of the formal old-age benefits, many reverted to informal protections such as insurance, savings and family support. With the exception of Manila, reliance on the family support as perceived by the younger generations has lost its importance.

Caregiver coping with the mentally ill: a qualitative study

Abstract Background: Mental illness is a disease that affects millions of people every year. It not only causes stress to the mentally ill patients, but also for the family members who provide them the care. The family caregivers, therefore need some form of coping strategies in dealing with their mentally ill family members. Aims: This qualitative study aims at identifying and analysing the coping strategies adopted by the family caregivers in dealing with their mentally ill family members. Method: A total of 15 family caregivers from the state of Kedah, Malaysia participated in the face-to-face semi structured interview. Results: The study findings identified an array of coping strategies used by the family caregivers, including religious coping, emotional coping, acceptance, becoming engaged in leisure activities, and the use of traditional healing to help them cope with their mentally ill members. Suggestions and conclusions: Study suggests that the family caregivers should engage themselves in social support groups to learn about and obtain the positive coping strategies used by other caregivers who have similar experiences in caring for the mentally ill. Study also suggests that they should get appropriate training from the mental health professionals in order to enhance the caregivers’ coping skills.

ESTABLISHING THE WELL-BEING OF THE RURAL-URBAN ELDERLY POPULATION: A CASE STUDY OF INDONESIA

This study determines and compares the influence of various demographic factors in achieving well-being of the elderly population in the rural and urban areas in Indonesia. Age, marital status, social class, perceived health and economic condition are some of the main contributing factors in measuring well-being. In addition, social aspects such as living and familial arrangement were also investigated to establish elderly population well being. Data were collected using a survey-interview method. A total of 157 elderly in the urban areas and 145 elderly in the rural areas were surveyed. A causal model of well-being was employed to analyse the data obtained. The model of well-being was then tested using path analysis to test the causal relationships among the variables. Although the study indicated that there was no significant difference of well-being between the rural and urban elderly, the social support variables generally help improve the well-being of the elderly population.

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN POVERTY: A CASE STUDY OF MALAYSIA

Poverty in Malaysia has decreased significantly from a relative high of more than 50% before independence in 1957 to less than 10% today. The incidence of hardcore or the absolute poor is less than 1%, according to official statistics in 2007. And, it is Malaysias aim to achieve zero absolute poverty by 2015. However, the rate of poverty reduction based on recent data appears to have slowed down beginning the mid 1990s. The slowdown in poverty reduction raises serious concern as this affects the well-being of this disadvantaged group of population. Generally, the poor in Malaysia are the aged households, female and live in the rural areas. Several studies conducted in 2007–2008 identified several issues relating to poverty in the country. This paper will analyse some of the issues and suggest practical solutions that will benefit the poor population.

Typologies of student experiences and constructed meanings of learning in international placements

This article discusses findings from a three-year British Council-funded project into social work student placements in Malaysia. Processes of student learning in unfamiliar cultural contexts were examined in relation to three cohorts of students. Here typologies of experience influencing learning, elicited from student-recorded data, are discussed. Analysis suggests that students undergo a process of liminality, adjustment or resistance to the contexts of community, culture and placements encountered in international settings. Emergent themes are identified as naive acceptance, critical revelation, critical observation, epiphany, critical reactionary, professional rejection and antagonistic response. Implications for international placements are discussed based on the data.

The global three: A Malaysian lens on the challenges and opportunities facing restorative justice planning and implementation

From the rise of restorative justice to evidence-based approaches to reducing recidivism, the intellectual landscape of criminal justice has seen considerable change in recent decades. The result is that an increasing number of countries have tackled the task of shifting preexisting political institutions to confirm with these new understandings. This is, of course, no easy feat. A great number of challenges confront willing policymakers, a reality that often puts philosophy at loggerheads with practicality. Moreover, the political process of change is subject to the influence of cultural and institutional norms. In this paper, we look at one particular case study - that of Malaysias juvenile justice system - to understand the challenges faced in changing criminal justice policy. We identify three primary categories of challenges and elucidate their shape and impact through the Malaysian example. We also briefly analyze potential opportunities to mitigate and overcome these challenges. Furthermore, we also conclude with several implications for future research that we deem are important to be taken place. In sum, we argue that criminal justice reform must be undertaken with an eye toward important societal and institutional norms, each requiring thoughtful analysis of complex local cases.

Perspectives of Juvenile Offenders Undergoing Victim-Offender Mediation with their Own Family Members: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT The authors suggest that victim-offender mediation could be applied within the family contexts based on two arguments: (a) family members of offenders are also victims of the latter’s crime and (b) repairing family relationships is pivotal in juvenile rehabilitation. Therefore, the objective of this research was to assess the perspectives of 11 juvenile offenders undergoing victim-offender mediation with their family members. A thematic analysis suggests that the juvenile offenders were satisfied with the process and outcome of the mediation especially in regard to the honesty and behavior shown by their family members. The mediation sessions and feedback from the juvenile offenders are discussed. The broad satisfaction reported by the offenders, with both the program and family participation, suggests that the application of the victim-offender mediation model into the family context may provide a promising alternative avenue for the rehabilitation of offenders.

Literature survey on applications of electroencephalography (EEG)

By using instrument known as electroencephalograph, electroencephalogram (EEG) of the human brain can be obtained. EEG is a record of postsynaptic potentials, generated by neurons. Usually, EEG is used to study the activities inside the human brain. This study gives significant assistant in medical field, especially in diagnosing and planning treatment for the brain related diseases. With the advancement of technology, the usage of EEG is now not only limited within the medical field. EEG has been used for brain-machine-interface (BCT) and neuromarketing. Therefore, the aim of this literature survey is to see the current trend of the applications of EEG. This survey is done by observing the research articles published in two well-known databases, which are IEEExplore and ScienceDirect. From this literature survey, it is found that the researches on EEG are still growing, with the area of applications is expanding.By using instrument known as electroencephalograph, electroencephalogram (EEG) of the human brain can be obtained. EEG is a record of postsynaptic potentials, generated by neurons. Usually, EEG is used to study the activities inside the human brain. This study gives significant assistant in medical field, especially in diagnosing and planning treatment for the brain related diseases. With the advancement of technology, the usage of EEG is now not only limited within the medical field. EEG has been used for brain-machine-interface (BCT) and neuromarketing. Therefore, the aim of this literature survey is to see the current trend of the applications of EEG. This survey is done by observing the research articles published in two well-known databases, which are IEEExplore and ScienceDirect. From this literature survey, it is found that the researches on EEG are still growing, with the area of applications is expanding.