SILC Gives Students an Opportunity to Conduct Research in the Central Asian regions

April 8, 2015

In order to graduate from the university, senior AUCA students are required to conduct a research on a topic of their choice. Most of them choose to study a particular social issue in their homeland. They go back home and carry out their research in Central Asian regions, namely Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and rural areas in Kyrgyzstan. This winter, the Student Intellectual Life Committee offered Tajik senior students of the Psychology Department the opportunity to visit their homeland and collect data for their senior thesis.

Moik Alisher and Shifo Mamadatoeva have been travelling to Khorog to conduct their research in psychology.

Moik Alisher, senior student of Psychology Department

“The place I visited - Khorog town in Tajikistan - is my hometown. I was born there. The aim of my trip was to collect data for my senior thesis project on “Psychological Harassment in High Schools of Khorog, Tajikistan”. Harassment is actively studied at the moment. For me, this topic is relevant to all educational institutions around the world. In my research, however, I only focus on harassment in high schools. I did research in three different high schools in Khorog and look for any signs of harassment. So, basically, in those three schools, I set up different focus groups bringing together teachers and students. Through the focus group discussions, I wanted to investigate the issues high school students face regarding teacher-student relationships. I also looked for teachers’ perspectives on this topic. I tried to identify the types, causes and effects of psychological harassment and cultural differences in my attempt to define the term “harassment”.

The first reasons why I decided to write my thesis on this topic is linked to my intellectual curiosity. It was very interested in comparing my research results with the studies of other foreign countries. Another reason is because Khorog is still an isolated town and few specialists in Psychology have worked there. I considered conducting my research back home as a duty, as an opportunity to apply my theoretical knowledge, and as a bit of a support for students to speak out and be heard. 

In my early years at the university, I remember reading about the SILC program in many corners of AUCA and on Internet. But at the time, I did not consider this program very seriously knowing that there were already plenty of students planning to apply for financial support. But regularly, my professors from the Psychology Department and AUCA students would remind me of the SILC program. I received a lot of positive comments about this program from the students who had already achieved numerous academic projects around the world. So, gradually, I started to feel more confident to apply for SILC’s financial support.

Besides the great satisfaction of conducting my research in the place I wanted, I also understood that outside theoretical knowledge, experience is even more fascinating. While working on my thesis project, I became aware of my weaknesses and what I had to do to improve my skills. It was like a revelation for me.

After my bachelor degree at AUCA, I am planning to apply for a Master’s program in psychology. But before, I would like to gain more practical experience working in different spheres of psychology.

Thank you, SILC! It is great that you exist!”

Shifo Mamadatoeva, senior student of Psychology Department at AUCA

“My name is Mamadatoeva Shifo. I am a proud student of the Psychology Department at AUCA. First of all, I want to express my gratitude to the Student Intellectual Life Committee (SILC) for giving me the opportunity to help me carrying out field research for my senior thesis. I had heard about this program from my friends at AUCA, who had also received financial support to travel to different countries.

In December 2014, I applied to the SILC program to finance my trip to Khorog, in Tajikistan. I needed to interview children and adults, who witnessed the military conflict in Khorog in June 2012. The goal of my research is to investigate possible stress among children and adult survivors of the conflict.

There, I could meet with my respondents and conduct the necessary interviews and surveys. This trip was very productive and informative. During my stay, I have conducted 10 in-depth interviews and collected 100 surveys. I believe that my research will open a path for further studies of psychological problems among people of the region as a lot of research is still needed on that issue. Besides, I find my research topic very interesting, because it concerns the psychological wellbeing of people who live in my hometown.

I would like to recommend SILC program to all the active and enthusiastic students of AUCA who are planning to conduct a research, attend international conferences, workshops, or participate in cultural exchange programs. They can easily receive financial support from the SILC program. The application process is not difficult. I would also like to advice my fellow classmates to visit the AUCA webpage and find the information about SILC program.

Dear SILC program thank you for making dreams come true! “

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