203
REFLEXIVITY IN RESEARCH
AND A QUESTION OF CULTURE
MARY PANG
[This paper is a personal account of an exploration into cultural identity and self-awareness resulting from the process of doing research. For her doctoral degree Dr. Pang examined the occupational choices of young Chinese adults in Britain. What was distinctive about this was the fact that while most studies of the Chinese community in Britain have been conducted by non-Chinese researchers, Dr. Pang shared many common characteristics with the subjects of her investigation, including ethnicity, background and age. This presentation focuses on the issues of how the researcher's "insider knowledge" influenced the research; and conversely, how the research in turn impacted on the researcher's self-perception and views about her environment.]
This paper examines my experiences of doing research for a PhD. My doctoral thesis entitled 'Catering to employment needs: the occupations of young Chinese adults in Britain' (Pang, 1993) was an investigation into the occupational choices of young Chinese adults in Britain. The purpose of the research was to locate the position of 16 to 30 year old Chinese in the British labour market, and to determine why these Chinese youth took up the jobs that they did.
Frederick Steier suggested that 'we understand and become aware of our own research activities as telling a story about ourselves' (1991:3) This statement seemed particularly apt in my case, for a complex two-way exchange process occurred in this research whereby I used my "insider" knowledge to form decisions regarding the research design; while the research in turn impacted upon my own self-perception and views about my environment.
There are two main themes which will be discussed in this paper:
One is the methodological considerations which looks at how my close identification with the subject influenced the nature of the project, and
The second deals with the process of self-discovery and exploration of my own identity during this period of study,
203
REFLEXIVITY IN RESEARCH
AND A QUESTION OF CULTURE
MARY PANG
[This paper is a personal account of an exploration into cultural identity and self-awareness resulting from the process of doing research. For her doctoral degree Dr. Pang examined the occupational choices of young Chinese adults in Britain. What was distinctive about this was the fact that while most studies of the Chinese community in Britain have been conducted by non-Chinese researchers, Dr. Pang shared many common characteristics with the subjects of her investigation, including ethnicity, background and age. This presentation focuses on the issues of how the researcher's "insider knowledge" influenced the research; and conversely, how the research in turn impacted on the researcher's self-perception and views about her environment.[
This paper examines my experiences of doing research for a PhD. My doctoral thesis entitled 'Catering to employment needs: the occupations of young Chinese adults in Britam' (Pang, 1993) was an investigation into the occupational choices of young Chinese adults in Britain. The purpose of the research was to locate the position of 16 to 30 year old Chinese in the British labour market, and to determine why these Chinese youth took up the jobs that they did.
Frederick Steier suggested that 'we understand and become aware of our own research activities as telling a story about ourselves' (1991:3) This statement seemed particularly apt in my case, for a complex two- way exchange process occurred in this research whereby I used my "insider" knowledge to form decisions regarding the research design; while the research in turn impacted upon own self-perception and views about my environment.
There are two main themes which will be discussed in this paper:
One is the methodological considerations which looks at how my close identification to the subject influenced the nature of the project, and
The second deals with the process of self-discovery and exploration of my own identity during this period of study,
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