From theory to practice

By the MARC class 2018

The first practical placement for the MARC students for 2018 is coming to a close, and the experience of putting theory into practice has been an eye-opener. The MARC students were placed with a variety of organisations ranging from large research organisations, to academic projects to smaller research NGOs and the practical experience gained has been invaluable.

During the placement period we had three report-back sessions which enabled us to share our experiences of the placement and in so doing provided us with additional insight of environments outside our own placements. During these report-back sessions, what stood out is the increased confidence in our own abilities that each of us had acquired. We have developed from wide-eyed novice student researchers to self-confident researchers who were able to ‘hold-their-own’ in the work environment.

Certain themes recurred irrespective of the type of placement. Personal growth came through strongly, as did the realisation that time-management is an important skill in the research environment. Many of us honed our literature review, article and report-writing skills. Other practical research-related skills such as facilitating focus groups, interviewing respondents, working in a team, independent decision making and negotiating relationships with clients, team members and work colleagues were also mentioned. Placements provided valuable opportunities to network and some of us even had the opportunity to practise presentation skills.

Being flexible in a new environment was brought to the fore during the placement. Some of us were thrown in the deep end and had to independently come up with solutions to research problems. Most gratifying was the positive reception that our ideas and hard work had on the organisations we were placed in and being exposed to a practical research environment, was appreciated by all MARC students.

Here are some of the comments from the MARC class…

Abigail  “I have grown professionally and personally.”

Celiswe “I am more open to criticism and have learned not to take it personally but see it as an opportunity for me to grow professionally, personally and take all the guidance and critics given to me”

Chris “My problem-solving skills have been put to the test on several occasions and I’m glad to say I have been able to rise up to the challenges up until now.”

Gali  “It was a professional environment that allowed me to thrive, in learning and sharing knowledge.“

Thandi “You are forced to take a stand and state your ideas critically.”

Thumi C “I have improved on reviewing literature and compiling an interview schedule, as well as listening for cues to ask prompting questions”.

Thumi K “I am also learning how to do thematic analysis, which is in line with my development plan.

Zama “Critical thinking skills in terms of my own research topic; being open minded; analytical skills; presentation skills”

Zindi: “I personally think the skills I have learned during the last month are not something any class attendance could have given me and am thus thankful for the opportunity to have a placement period for ten weeks at an organisation.”

Sundra “I am now capable of working independently on projects and confident in using online resources to get work done.”

Mokgadi “Everything that I have done at the placement has added value to my personal growth”

Tracy: “I appreciated the guidance, exposure and support that was given to me”

As a final note, Sundra surpassed us all with the arrival of the youngest MARC student (EVER). Ndanatswa was born on the 19^th May after having taken part in the first 10 weeks of the MARC programme vicariously. We are all convinced that she will grow up to be a researcher like her mother and her eleven aunties in the MARC class!