My Study Experience at the Hiroshima University　　　　　Elenita Natalio Que

I was admitted under the Phoenix Program  of IDEC in January 2018 and after going through the admission process, I started as a doctoral student in April 2018.  Being in my prime age, I was like  mom or aunt to most of my labmates under Kusakabe sensei lab. I was even asked many times, why, given my experiences as a teacher, researcher, and teacher trainer since 2005, do I still want to get a Ph.D. and toil through the rigors of completing the degree. My answer is this. Because I want to be a part of the cause of preparing Filipino pre-service and in-service teachers for the schools of the future. I believe it can be done through the institution of innovative, yet culturally and socially relevant programs that would have an impact on the education of Filipino schoolchildren within the context of a continuously changing learning environment. And this I can only fully realize if I have a doctoral degree.

Initially, my dissertation was titled “Evolving ICT Integration Framework for Science Teaching in Philippine Remote and Rural Villages”. It was my aim to examine the reforms in ICT integration practices instituted by Science teachers  teaching in remote villages in the Philippines. Based on the results of the analysis, I expected to draw a pedagogical framework deemed to help sustain the reforms they made to their teaching strategies to appropriate technology in their instruction to support meaningful student learning. It was an attempt to emerge a new concept of ICT integration, that is aligned to the country’s cultural, geographical and political setting. But my research went to a slight detour when COVID-19 came. Let me share with you my story.

Refinement of research proposal and field work

My research proposal underwent a rigorous process. The constant and scholarly supervision of Kusakabe sensei, my supervisor, and helpful comments from my labmates refined and helped my study find a focus. Presentation of the progress of my research as scheduled during lab seminar on Wednesdays, greatly contributed in pointing my research direction. And with those inputs, excitedly I prepared for my data gathering activities.

Getting permission from the national and regional offices of the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) was a challenge. I had to wait for almost three months for the school officials’ approval. But the wait was all worth it because it enabled me to get substantial data for my research.

My research sites were the schools located in remote, rural areas or in what my study called geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA). The first research site I went to was in schools located in the northern part of the Philippines. I am honored to have been joined by my supervisor, Kusakabe sensei in many instances of my data gathering, where he saw first hand the experiences of the teachers teaching in GIDA.  And it contributed greatly to the relevant and sound advice that I got from him.

With Kusakabe sensei in one of the school visits for my research in December 2018. The school officials and teachers warmly accommodated us.

In my succeeding data gathering activities, I visited other areas which were likewise characterized by difficult geographical terrains and transportation access. Perhaps, I could say that my data gathering activities were the most enriching part of my dissertation journey. Going to the research sites was risky, yet exciting. Finding a ride to get to the schools took a lot of careful planning. The sites of the schools in all three regions I chose were not easily accessible and I must always keep in mind the schedules of transportation for me to be able to go back to the city where I had rented a room. At the end of each day, though tired and exhausted, I made sure that all the data collected were encoded and reflected on. I was able to visit all the school sites from November 2018 to February 2020 for member checking and additional research activities.  Then COVID-19 came. I was not able to come back to Japan in March 2020 due to travel restrictions. All my research activities were stalled and I had to communicate with my supervisor online. It was indeed challenging and mentally stressful. Especially when I was advised to expand my research to make it relevant to the Philippine education system at the time of the pandemic.

With the guidance of my supervisor and having seen the significance of my research to address school disruptions in emergency situations like COVID-19, I recast my problem statement and research questions. I also re-connected with the teachers and principals of my research sites and scheduled appointments with them for an interview. Everything had to be done online because of health risks and strict protocols imposed by the heads of the local government units where the schools are located. I was fortunate that all of the study schools were still willing to accommodate my requests. We were met though by challenges associated with their geographical location and the new teaching-learning environment that COVID-19 created for these schools. Poor internet connectivity, heavy workload, unavailability of the teachers most of the time because they had to attend webinars to equip them for the new teaching-learning set-up. But I did feel profoundly grateful to them because they accommodated my requests despite the difficulties.

Analyzing the Data and Writing the Manuscript for the Candidacy Exam

With no permission granted yet to enter Japan, I toiled with the analysis of the data. My supervisor constantly kept in touch through the Zoom platform to guide me in writing my manuscript and preparing for my candidacy exam scheduled on 2nd August 2021.

This part of my student experience I would say was where your brain cells would receive a lot of beating. With all the data gathered, the next challenge would be to analyze them and find answers to the research questions. It was indeed very stressful. I also had to seek advice from the Science and research faculty in my university for the mixed method approach I utilized in my study. Again, I was fortunate to them for the generous support they had given me. At most, their encouraging words sustained me.

I would like to admit that the anxiety COVID-19 had brought added up to the mental and emotional stress in this part of my dissertation journey. But with the steady guidance of my supervisor, I was able to come up with the manuscript in time for the candidacy exam which was done online via Zoom.

The candidacy exam was both mentally and emotionally draining. The questions and comments by the panel members made me realize that I still had a long way to go before I could get my degree. I passed the exam but I had to do major revisions to make it worthy to be considered a doctoral dissertation. I reconnected with the teachers in the study schools again to get more data, deepened my analysis, rewrote the entire manuscript to make all components cohere and improve story-ness. Simultaneously, I worked on my trip back to Japan because I realized that for me to be able to complete my doctoral program was to be physically present in Japan for better grasp of the situation leading to completion.

So finally, I was allowed to enter Japan on October 18, 2021, with the IDEC support office’s help. I stayed in Chiba, Sakura for my quarantine for two weeks and reached Hiroshima University in the first week of November 2021.

 As a self-funded student, life was more challenging when I arrived. With no source of income while in Japan, I had to source out money for my tuition fee and daily expenses. I applied for financial aid from Hiroshima University and fortunately, I was granted the subsidy. I was able to get support from the Higashi-Hiroshima city government as well which met my day-to-day life requirements. 

With my being able to address my financial needs, and me physically meeting my sensei and research labmates, I was able to concentrate more on my writing and preparation for the two major examinations – the preliminary and final examinations.

Preliminary and Final Examination

Writing for the preliminary examination was the most tedious in my experience. A lot of rethinking and revising was done on my manuscript. Consultation with my sensei became more regular. I could not remember anymore how many times I had revisited and revised my paper, or woke up in the middle of the night if ideas came by. I usually slept with my computer on and a pen and piece of paper near my pillow so I could encode/write any thoughts that would come to my mind, at any time. I had to be smart in using up my intellectual resources and experience as a faculty in my university to do the advice of my sensei and live up to his expectations.

My preliminary examination was held on the 29th November 2021. It was a rigorous and grueling moment. The comments and suggestions were scholarly and brilliant. I told myself how I could have missed that in my manuscript. Thankfully, I passed the examination. But again, I had to do a lot of revising to incorporate all the comments of the panel. My dissertation at this time assumed its final title “Recontextualizing Teacher ICT Capability in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas at the Time of COVID-19”.

I prepared for the final examination. I started the revision of the manuscript. I consulted with the panel members individually to guide me more in my writing of the dissertation. It was helpful because I was able to get a better grasp of what I needed to incorporate into my paper. This I did while amidst mourning with the passing of a loved one in my country. I had to endure the loneliness, the alone-ness in grief, because going home turned out to be not the best thing to do at that time. It was supposed to be the happiest season in my country because it was Christmas time. So to numb the pain, I focused on reading relevant literature and writing. I kept in mind that I needed to do good this time to finally get my degree and go back home immediately. It was a tough task. But I had to be strong and move forward to succeed.

My final examination was scheduled on 31st January. The presentation rehearsal I had last 26th January in front of my labmates helped boost my confidence. Their comments and final advice from sensei made me improve on my presentation. As with the previous examinations, the final examination was tough. There were yet to be corrected in my final paper. But I was confident that I would be able to do it before the deadline set by the IDEC office for submission of the required documents. A final consultation with my sensei further improved my paper and upon his advice I submitted the manuscript to the panel members for their acceptance of my revisions.  

My presentation during preliminary examination

The Grand Day!

There was no message I received on 25th February that could best the message Kusakabe sensei sent me on that day. Congratulating me and calling me Dr. Que gave me an overwhelming joy that covered my whole being. I am very grateful to Kusakabe sensei for all the academic and emotional support he generously provided me, especially at the time that I was in deep mourning. I would have not been able to move forward if not for his constant care. I am so proud he accepted me as his doctoral student. He will always be a significant part of my academic and personal life. Forever, I will cherish in my heart what he said in an email informing me that I will practice before my final examination. “Leny san please prepare for tomorrow. Let’s try our best till last moment!!” Students under his supervision are blessed. They would never regret to be under his care.