Today, the campus center has been neatly managed with chairs, large screen TV, and attractive banners with the slogan written “President Inauguration of Barack Obama”. Suddenly, students of the University of Hawaii enthusiastically cheered, and stood and sang the national anthem along with President Barack Obama. Everyone here looks as proud as Hawaii is the birthplace of their 44^th President Barack Obama. As a Cambodian student, I was excited in goosebumps in such a fever.

Barack Obama has a unique background and his political career has been totally shaped by his personal background and charismatic leadership. He is a son of Ann Dunham who was a former student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Hawaii. She was the fellow of East West Center at that time. In that period, Ann met a charismatic Barack Obama Sr. They both married and had Barack Obama Jr. in 1961. Obama Sr. left his family for Harvard and then Kenya. Ann remained her life in UH and married another international student from Indonesia.

Obama had spent his younghood in Indonesia with his mother and he returned to Hawaii when he was 10 to study in a local school under the caretaker of his grandmother. Not only diverse from his family blood, Barack has significantly experienced cross-cultural society ever since. So his ascent to be the 44^th United States President intensified his uniqueness.

Since the election campaign to his presidency, most Americans I met said the same phrase that “America will change its history. She will change from White House to become a Rainbow House”. In the past decades, color and race are sensitive in America. But Barack will be the first American president who can clear the path for other bi- or multi- racial Americans to become President.

In his political rhetoric, Obama has repeated and stressed that he has a dream, in that dream he wants to see the “change” in America. His eloquent speech of change has attracted millions of Americans and the world population particularly the address he made during his Presidency Inauguration. It absolutely made me like in a daydream. That moment, my though crept back to Cambodia. Domestically, Barack sees current American economic downturn could be solved be the unity of all Americans and political parties. Internationally, Barack publicly declared that “to those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history”.

America is a multicultural society that the rule of law has firmly blossomed and deeply rooted. Every President including Barack Obama has repeated this same phrase “to respect and to protect the national constitution of America”. Power mandate and its power transfer have been outstandingly peaceful. It is haunting my heart to recall backs my beloved home that she should be shared this peaceful politics.

• Quantitative and qualitative research constitute different approaches to social investigation and carry with them important epistemological and ontological consideration.

• Theory can be depicted as something that precedes research (as in quantitative research) or as something that emerges out of it (as in qualitative research).

• Epistemological considerations loom large in considerations of research strategy. To a large extent, these revolve around the desirability of employing a natural science model (and in particular positivism) versus interpretivism.

• Ontological considerations, concerning objectivism versus constructionism, also constitute important dimensions of the quantitative/qualitative contrast.

• Value may impinge on the research process at different times.

• Practical considerations in decisions about research methods are also important factors.

• Feminist researchers have tended to prefer a qualitative approach, though there is some evidence of a change of viewpoint in this regard.

Question for review:

Theory and Research

• If you had to conduct some social research now, what would the topic be and what factors would have influenced your choice? How important was addressing theory in your consideration?

• Outline, using examples of your own, the difference between grand and middle-range theory.

• What are the differences between inductive and deductive theory and why is the distinction important?

Epistemological consideration

• What is meant by each of the following terms: positivism; realism; and interpretivism? Why is it important to understand each of them?
• What are the implications of epistemological considerations for research practice?

Ontological considerations

• What are the main differences between epistemological and ontological considerations?
• What is meant by objectivism and constructionism?
• Which theoretical ideas have been particularly instrumental in the growth of interest in qualitative research?

Research strategy: quantitative and qualitative research

• Outline the main differences between quantitative and qualitative research in terms of: the relationship between theory and data; epistemological considerations; and ontological considerations.
• To what extent is quantitative research solely concerned with testing theories and qualitative research with generating theories?

Influences on the conduct of social research

• What are some of the main influences on social research?

Reference: Alan Bryan “social research methods“, second edition, ISBN10: 0199264465

During blogging, my mind wandered far and near especially thought about Cambodian peoples at Cambodia: How many of them who can access to internet? How many of them who can blog? How many of them who can use PC or MAC? And how many of them who know about the latest technology development of computer? More than 80% of Cambodian peoples are farmer. They are living in destitute, suburb, rural and remote areas. Significantly, major of them cannot access to electricity, clean water, and health care center.

In developed countries as well as some developing countries, internet has become their daily gadget and it is the magic buttons that their wishes can be unbelievably fulfilled. They buy, sell, communicate, entertain, and study just by clicking the buttons on the computer. And internet is the world wide web connectors for them to personalize as well as to globalize themselves. They can reach far away from their tiny room through video, audio, map, pictures, and online chat. Many peoples have delved themselves to trust and worship computer as well as internet as their new religion. Many internet surfers can accumulate wealth and strong social network. Many of them can seek their partner and become cute couple eventually, incredibly.

Look back to Cambodia, the trend is on the track. But it is really a creeping trend. However, many Cambodian young children are very innovative and creative. Though they don’t have sufficient tools to get into computer and internet, but there are mushrooming users. Many blogs are built and online communicate is so popular among them.

The future will be shed in light by our young generation who will not only the players of internet, but we further hope for their new inventing of modern technology. Cambodian young generation will absolutely not different from their ancestors who were very creative and urbanized such as several huge temples were astonishingly constructed entirely Cambodian Empire, those are rapidly attracting millions of people worldwide.

The pride and hope of future Cambodia doesn’t fall upon the past, the glory of Angkor Wat, but the competent younger generation, well-trained children. They are the responsible future architect and catalysts!

Sincerely,

Sophan P. Seng

Welcome to my online daily blog. It is my honored and prestigious to introduce myself, my aspirations and my life struggling. Everyone might share same value that “life is about learning, working, and doing good”.

I am ready to be one of your accompanists!

Sophan