Maintain and develop relationships with research participants

My personal relationships with the research participants were tentatively established in Stage 1 and strengthened in Stage 2. To maintain and develop relationships with my research participants, three key ideas were either reinforced or became increasingly evident during this second stage of my research project. These notions include:

ƒ The importance of trust

ƒ The reciprocal nature of relationships ƒ Sensitivity to power and inequalities

In the Lao research context, the importance of trust is a crucial element. First, increased levels of trust led to greater access to data. At the MOE I was able to work across departments, and hierarchical boundaries to gain relevant data. I also could utilise a range of government documents and participate in discussions and meetings as a welcomed colleague. I did have access to respondents in their own language which also encouraged trust and access to significant data. In addition, at the local level including PES, DEB, schools and communities in remote areas I was no longer an outsider. In the Lao PDR local people are often suspicious of an outsider and they tend not provide information or collaboration. Second, high levels of trust also led to personal reciprocal relationships and networks. Although I was very aware that personal reciprocal relationships and networks were a key ingredient in Lao culture, I became even more aware of this. Northouse (2007) sums this up well when he suggests power distance is related to the way culture is formed into layers, thus creating levels between people based on power, authority, prestige, status, wealth and material possessions. It was

relevant to my research because I better understood why I could not stop research participants at the local level from seeing me as a powerful MOE official rather than a researcher. According to Hofstede & Hofstede (2005) a relationship of trust should be established with another person before any business can be done. Through a number of visits to my research sites and being a good listener helped me build networks and relationships with local research participants and ultimately increase trust and access to significant data.

In addition to the importance of trust, the reciprocal nature of relationships is also an essential aspect in Lao culture. By showing respect and acknowledging the existing hierarchical structures, maintaining my reciprocal obligations to the MOE and working harmoniously within the MOE, in return I gained support and cooperation for my research. This natural reciprocity again led to access to significant data at the MOE. Similar to the MOE level, at the local level I showed respect for local hierarchies, compassion and concern for them, maintained harmonious relationships with research participants and helped them where possible. For example, as part of the reciprocity process, I made some small donations to schools such as soccer balls and volley balls as well as some small gifts (key chains, T-shirts, neck-ties and so on) to PES and DEB officials and school leader research participants. In return, I received good cooperation and support from the research participants and gained greater access to local data. For example, I was allowed to attend formal meetings at the DEB. At school level, I was welcomed by the school community and I was also given some local agricultural products such as fresh snake beans, young coconuts, sticky rice and peanuts and so on to take back to Vientiane. This reciprocal nature of developing relationships also helped me further strengthen my relationship with the local people.

Along with the importance of trust and the reciprocal nature of relationships sit the notion of sensitivity to power and inequalities. While gaining greater access to data was a fundamental advantage for me, I had to be aware of critical political and sensitive issues in terms of publication and dissemination of my data (Coghlan, 2003; Coghlan & Brannick, 2005; Rowley, 2003). I needed to establish a balance between the research imperatives and the needs of the Lao education and political systems and my position within them.

As Kemmis & Mc Taggart (2000) noted, the aim of research is to find the truth. However, balancing truthfulness with the need to respect the participants and research requirements in the Lao political context was very challenging. Too often I had to draw a fine line between

these expectations while maintaining the essence of practitioner research in contributing to transformation of practice (Smith G & Mockler, 2005). In addition, I had to develop practical new knowledge and solutions to issues of pressing concerns to research participants and their communities (Reason, 2001; Reason & Bradbury, 2006). Thus, from time to time, I had to be careful not appear to be too critical and to protect myself and my participants. By doing so I was able to maintain the authenticity of my data and protect my participants and myself because by the end of this research project I would go back and continue my work with the MOE.

The issues discussed above have methodological implications. One of the assumptions underpinning action research is the requirement to be critical and to be fearless in analysing and reporting the data. However this is not always easily done in the Lao PDR. Action research is not common in the Lao PDR and is not really understood. There are cultural and political impediments to being critical and to reporting data fearlessly. As discussed earlier, Lao culture can be described as hierarchical and power relations are rarely equal. This research project rests on an assumption that facilitating participation and involvement of people at the district and school levels could be seen as a form of pressure. Undertaking research in rural areas is also difficult to achieve in practice where research participants felt that they had lower status than me. In addition, they are often told what to do by senior levels and to follow directives. To help school leaders recognise their role as an educational agent involved in change and improvement brought by action research is a real challenge.

5.2.4.2 Continuing to develop a deeper understanding of the research