Learning Journal #19: Source Document Analysis

While researching for more articles about common health issues in Tonga, I came across a journal article which conducted an international survey by UNICEF, called the Healthy Behaviour and Lifestyle of Pacific Youth study.  This survey was given to students ranging from ages 11-17 residing in Tonga, Vanuatu, and Pohnpei.  About 43% of all primary and secondary schools in Tonga participated in this survey which was a total of 2808 students.  I thought that amount was a great turn out.  I wondered why the other half did not want to participate, and also wondered if they were government or private schools.  This survey was very interesting as it asked questions about a variety of health behaviors such as substance use, dietary habits, physical activity, peers, communication with family, and injury violence.  This survey measured prevalence and frequency of smoking, kava use, drunkenness, and use of other illegal drugs.  I really liked how this survey was tailored to be more appropriate to fit into Tonga as it asked questions about kava.  This survey was also offered in the Tongan language.

Although the survey was completed in 2000 (from October to November), I think the results found from this survey can correlate to statistics today.  The results included:
            -Increase smoking among boys starting from age 15
            -Drunkenness was reported more often by boys at age 15
            -Drunkenness was reported less often by girls in general
            -Kava consumption on a weekly basis or more often was reported more among boys and increased most between ages 16 and 17
            -Regular use of illegal substances increased among boys
            -Association with weaker relationships with family members and lower happiness with life
            -Tonga had highest proportion of 15 year olds who smoked on a daily basis compared with the other two countries participating in the survey

I thought this was so interesting because I think it’s safe to conclude that there is a high risk of smoking and drinking alcohol among teenagers in Tonga.  I can start my field study by looking to see if the health class at Liahona offers counseling or information about smoking and alcohol use.  With also talking to my mentor, he suggested that I could conduct international surveys there in Tonga (at the high school if possible), and compare the results from the results found in this study.  I think that would be great and so useful for the teachers and health officials in Tonga.  Interestingly, while visiting Tonga, I did notice how many young people smoked and was kind of shocked to see how many.  I think smoking and alcohol use increased over time in Tonga as more and more people left overseas and adopted those health behaviors, and also as people come to visit Tonga and do such things.  I think it will be very interesting to see what interventions or programs are available to teenagers in Tonga to address those two public health issues.     

Title: Comparison of tobacco, alcohol and illegal drug usage among school students in three Pacific Island societies.

Authors: Smith BJ; Phongsavan P; Bauman AE; Havea D; Chey T

Source: http://web.ebscohost.com.erl.lib.byu.edu/ehost/detail?sid=1bbcd8d7-dfea-441a-9025-7298d3f7b236%40sessionmgr104&vid=1&hid=113&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=cmedm&AN=17055190

Learning Journal #18 : Methods Practice

I decided for the methods practice assignment to practice participatory observation of nonverbal communication.  So I decided to observe my Sunday school class because there are a lot of Polynesians (mostly Tongans) in the class and I will be working with Tongans in Tonga.  I thought this would be helpful for me.  Participatory observation includes a place, activity and people.

Place:

This Sunday school class is a Tongan class, which means most of the lesson is taught in Tongan.  The classroom is pretty small, but has just enough space to fit everyone who comes.  There is a chalkboard on the front wall of the room, table and folded chairs.  The room is upstairs, and so it is kind of a walk from the chapel and cultural hall.  The room is located near the bathrooms and the library, and so although it is a walk from sacrament, it is in good distance to those two rooms.  There is only one door in and out.  Everyone had their chairs are faced towards the chalkboard, and so their backs are against the door.  That's nice because people aren't embarrassed to walk in late, as everyone faced the teacher.   

People:

 This Sunday, about 12 people showed up in class, which also included visitors in the ward.  We had the same amount of males and females.  Everyone was either half or full Tongan and could understand the language for the most part.  People came from Hawaii, Texas, California, and Utah.  Our teacher grew up in Vava'u, Tonga and so she knew the language very well.  So there was still diversity within our classroom. 

Activity:

The class always started with a hymn and opening prayer and then continued onto the lesson. The teacher taught in both English and Tongan.  She used the chalkboard to write main points, kept eye contact with the students, and also used hand gestures while explaining things.  Some people participated, while others did not.  I noticed that those who did participate seemed confident as they sat straight up and had eye contact with the teacher.  They also had the scriptures open and were following along with the lesson.  They were engaged in the discussion, and even in other people's comments.  Some who did participate used gestures and hand movements to communicate.  They also used probes such as the nodding probe to show they understood what was taught.  There were a few who did not participate verbally in the lesson.  They still kept eye contact with the teacher, and once in a while would grab their phone and do something on it, and then return back to the lesson.  They either sat back in their chair kind of slouched, or bent over.  When other people were talking they didn't look at them or give any eye contact, but rather they just looked down.  Also when the teacher would ask questions, they would be the first ones to look down or look away. 

Through participatory observation, we can see what kind of person they are.  We can see which ones are the more outgoing, talkative kind, and which ones are the more shy and reserved ones.  This will be very useful in the field as communication is a huge key in my project and the way I will be communicating to them will affect my outcome.     

   

Learning Journal #17: Inquiry Conference Day 2

On the second day I attended the keynote speaker's lecture, Dr. Brown and I learned so much from his lecture.  He talked about perception and lenses that we have on.  We all have different lenses on, and we can't really take it off.  Lenses are more than just attitude.  They are our desires, fears, thoughts and what makes us, us.  My lenses are my background, my culture, my religion. 

Dr. Brown talked about how we all have this fear about going out into the world, which I think is so true.  We fear what's out there, and what we don't know.  Instead of fearing what's out there we should embrace what's out there.  The world is so amazing, and it's up to us to utilize what's there.  This reminded me of the scripture in D&C, "where much is given, much is required."  What we get out of the world, is up to us.  It's up to us to take good risks and explore the world around us!  Going on a field study will give us a new perspective and broaden our lenses.

I loved how Dr. Brown encouraged us to go out and explore the world.  Importantly, he said, don't go out and try to change the world, but go out and change ourselves, change ME because I allowed myself to be there and to be able to change.  Exposing ourselves out to the world will help us open up, help us see things through other people's lenses.    Exploring the world isn't about looking at things they don't have.  It's not about going to Tonga and looking at the things they lack.  It's something bigger than that, it is about looking for things that we don't have.  It is better to focus on the things and people around us and not entirely on ourselves because those are the times that we grow (personal growth) the most.  I love that thought and am even more excited to go out and explore Tonga with a new purpose and hope to gain a new perspective! 

Learning Journal #16: Inquiry Conference -

Today I attended the inquiry conference and I was really impressed by what was shared in the presentations.  I thought this was a great chance for us (soon to be actual field study students) to be more familiar with "field studies."

The first presenter was Daniel Hansen and he talked about westernized medicine vs. traditional healing in Tonga.  I thought his presentation was so interesting because I've never thought anything more about traditional healers in my culture, because it was a normal practice even in my community back home.  He shared two experiences at the very beginning where the traditional healer would step on the injured ankle to massage it, to make it better and also she made a drink of herbs and plants for him to drink because he had a sore throat.  I thought it was funny because I've seen and experienced both experiences.  My brothers played football and basketball in high school and so whenever they got hurt from practice or a game, my grandma would "fotofota" or massage and step on their ankle, shoulder, foot, arm, and whatever body part was injured, to make it better.  And always, it worked, and they were able to play sports again.  The herbal drink, also known as "vai pala" is also common.  When I had cold sores, sore throat, or any other kind of sickness, my grandma and mom would make this and literally force me to drink it.  I hated the taste, but it did work!  I've never thought anything more of it, and so I was really glad to attend this lecture and see things from his point of view.  In his presentation he volunteered at the local hospital and mentioned something about education and outreach programs.  I think that is something I could do in Tonga in my free time, is to visit the local hospital, Viola Hospital, and see if they offer any outreach or educational programs for the community. 

I also attended Annie Christensen's presentation about physical education in Tonga which was perfect for me personally because I will be studying health education, but on the main island, and also at the church school.  I learned what kinds of questions I shouldn't ask and know I have to be careful of asking "what do you think..." kind of questions because most of them do have this perception that the American way of thinking is the right way of thinking.  I can totally see that coming.  I hope to do participatory observation at the school by helping the teacher teach health.  I think one of the challenges I will have to face is being able to communicate to the students on a level in which they can understand.  I'm not sure how I would explain "a calorie" or other health terms to them.  I guess the  best way is to practice with my family and non-health majors.  I learned that most of the material used to teach at the high school were from America, and so they had to learn health and nutrition according to American standards (nutrition..etc), which I thought was interesting, because we all have different perceptions of what "healthy" means and I don't think there is one right standard or answer.  This made me wonder if I should look into New Zealand health education, since the population there is so diverse and they may have similar food groups and nutrition values to Tonga.  I was really glad one of the questions she answered was that high school students enjoyed physical activity aspect of health, rather than the nutrition aspect.  That made sense because the nutrition aspect were according to American standards, and aren't applicable to the students.  I wonder if having material that were more applicable to the students there would make them want to learn and make a difference in test scores and such.

I learned a lot from the presentations today and more excited to hear about more people's experiences abroad.  This has motivated me to continue to do research for my project and also has made me even more excited to go!    

Learning Journal #15: Methods Practice Interview

Earlier in the week we talked about interviewing and ways we could ask questions.  We talked about the different types of interviews we could conduct which include structured, semi-structured, and unstructured.  We will know which ones to use depending on the context and situation.  I think I will be using all types in Tonga.  I will be using structured interviews with faculty members as I plan to use a national and international survey.  Tonga as a whole already has data from that international survey, but that was in 2010.  I'm curious to see the results from Liahona high school only from today (2012) and compare those results with the results found in 2010.  I will also be using semi-structured interviews with health teachers or workers at the health center on school campus, asking them open ended questions as well as straight questions.  I think I will be using semi-structured and unstructured interviews when talking with students and the younger generation because I think that will make them more open to answer my questions and comfortable as well.

We were assigned to conduct a practice interview, applying the things we learned.  I decided to do an unstructured interview with one of my coworkers because he is a public health major as well and will be graduating in April.  My topic was health education.  In class we also talked about different probes.  I didn't realize the importance of probing until we talked about it.  This made me more conscious of the probes I use and I realized that I say "yeah" a lot, nod my head, and also give the silent probe.  This made me think of probes that will be better to use in Tonga.  I don't think the silent probe will be too good to use because I think that probe could bring about some confusion.  My parents used silence when they were angry and mad, and so I don't want to bring up any idea of that sort.    

I asked him open ended questions such as, "what does health mean to you?  Give me an example of someone who is healthy?  Do you think health education is important?  Why or why not?"  I liked this type of interview because it seemed like a discussion more than an interview because we were talking back and forth.  I realized after the interview that I didn't get through all the questions that I wrote down.  But instead, from the notes I had written down, I had gotten answers for other questions.  I asked two questions and we were able to expand on those two questions and carry the interview through those questions.  We talked about health education and one thing he brought up was, what approaches do health educators use when teaching their material.  Some teachers use different approaches to teach their students and I thought that was something very interesting to look into at Liahona high school.  I think unstructured interviews bring about open discussions and the person I will be interviewing will be able to say their ideas and thoughts freely.  I think one of the problems with unstructured interviews, is being able to stay on track, especially because Tongans love to tell stories and explain a lot of things.  That will be one of the challenges for me while doing interviews. 

learning journal #14 (mid-semester) Ophelia syndrome

First of all, I can't believe how fast time is flying, and it is already the mid-semester!  I feel like I have learned a lot during the first half of the semester as we discussed the importance of communication, observations, and different note-taking methods.  Some of the things that I'm just worried with is writing up the IRB Proposal and making sure it is complete and ready.  It's crazy to think we will be leaving in three months (May 8)!  I've been to Tonga twice and both times I wanted to stay there longer than planned because time goes by so fast!  We will be there for 90 days (3 months) and I know our time there will go by fast.  

I enjoyed the reading assigned today entitled, "Ophelia Syndrome."  I think depending on what kind of situation we are in, we could see ourselves being as both a Polonius or an Ophelia.  I think I could be more like Polonius when I am on familiar ground such as at home or among family and close friends.  When I am babysitting my little cousins or nephews I am definitely more of a Polonius because I've had more experiences than them obviously because they are younger.  However, I am definitely more of an Ophelia when it comes to school and sometimes church because I'm with a bunch of other people and I don't want to be wrong in a sense, and just out of fear of what others will think of me.  Between the two characters, I feel like I'm more of an "Ophelia" because I put so much value on other people's opinion, which could be good and bad.  If I have a comment or an idea, I would most likely get it passed by a friend or classmate before making it known to everyone else.  I think being an Ophelia has its positives and negatives.  One of the things mentioned in the reading was "Dare to know and trust yourself."  I feel I am getting to know myself more and more especially as I am preparing my field study project.  I am learning more about my interests.  I realized how much I value education as a whole, and more so health education.  As I am in Tonga and working independently, I will have to learn to trust myself more to be able to make decisions that will help conduct my project.  Learning more about myself and being able to trust myself more will give me that confidence to make that balance between Ophelia and Polonius.   

I think this reading was on point because it helped me step back and realize where I stand on the scale.  It will be important for me to find a balance here so I could have that balance in the field, especially because I will be working independently and will have to make important decisions.  Our time there in Tonga is limited, and so finding that balance between Ophelia and Polonius is so important as it will affect how we will go about doing our research and also our results and answers.   

(Feb. 13) Learning Journal 13: Language

Today in class we talked about communication and language.  If only we were fluent in the language used in the country, then communication would be so much easier.  Right?  Wrong.  I didn't realize how much miscommunication could happen even when using the same language.  I really liked the point Ashley stressed in class that even though people speak the same language, that the words used may have different meanings to them.  That is so true.  I'm sure we've all had experiences when we've had miscommunication from the words we use.  Just the other night I was with a friend and we like to throw in Tongan phrases and words when speaking.  I was laughing at her for doing something and she said "'oua hoha'a."  Hoha'a has many different meanings like annoying, overboard, irritating and also worried.  I lightly pushed her shoulder because I thought she was saying don't be annoying.  But she meant, don't worry.    

I'm really glad we discussed this topic because I realized many things within the Tongan language that will be useful in my field study.  For one thing, one word can have many different meanings.  One night I was talking with my dad in Tongan and I used the word "faka'amu" which means to be hopeful, wishful.  He corrected me that instead of saying "faka'amu" I should have said another word because it is a better fit in the context.  Language is so important to look at when communicating because although words have the same meaning, one word could be better to use in a specific context than the other.   

I didn't realize until class how much language influences how we think and what we put value on.  Hearing the other examples in class made me think of the Tongan word for cousin.  (I mentioned this in my last post!)  The Tongan word for cousin is "tokoua, tuofefine, tuongaane" which means brother or sister.  Because they use this word to describe a cousin, it's obvious that the community (and also the culture as a whole) values families and relationships.  I think understanding language used could help us understand the context more.  I know there are certain words to be used in the presence of the King, or at a funeral, or at another specific event, which is important to pay attention to.  

This made me realize how important my communication would be with faculty and students at Liahona high school.  Although Liahona high school has a rule that everyone must speak English only on campus, there will still be language barriers.  I think one of the possible challenges while out there is being able to use words that they are familiar with or words in which we have the same understanding.  They are heavily influenced by New Zealand and Britain, and so for one, their spelling is different from America.  For example they spell the word center as centre.  I think language is very important to consider while in the field because it could help build rapport with the people there.  It's very interesting to know how much language and communication has a big effect on the project we are doing, and this class discussion helped me to realized ways I communicate to others around me, and be aware of the words I use as well.  

Learning journal #11: Family dynamics

Today in class we discussed family dynamics in Tonga and different roles members may have within a family.  We had to draw out our family on a piece of paper.  I included my immediate family of course, but also felt I the need to include my extended family.  While growing up, four cousins came and stay with us at home.  Some of them were distant relatives like fourth cousins to me.  I've learned to love them like my brothers and they were kind of like my older brothers.  My grandparents lived with us at home too.  My aunties also lived in the house during my early years, before they got married and moved out.  My other grandparents lived five minutes away from us and so they always came over too.  My house was always full of family members, which I learned to love.  I also included my cousins from my mom and my dad's side because I am pretty close to all of them.  

Family is very important in the Tongan culture.  Family is a big deal in the Tongan culture as it includes, literally everyone.  There is no Tongan word for the word "cousin."  Instead, we use the word "tokoua, tuonga'ane, tu'ofefine" which means brother or sister.  In the Tongan culture, your cousin is your brother or sister, and that is what I learned at home.  

I think it's interesting how much emphasis is put on "family and family roles" in the Tongan culture.  Understanding family roles in Tonga is important for us to understand because that is part of learning about the culture and will help us in our host families.  Understanding what individual roles they have in their family will help us understand what our role is as a visitor.  While I was visiting Tonga this past summer, I stayed with my aunt's husband's family (see, family can include everyone!), and they had a daughter that was around my age.  She would help her mom with the cooking and cleaning around the house.  I felt that was her role in her family, was to help her mom.  I then learned my role while staying there, was to help her, help her mom.  I think that is another reason why observing nonverbal communication is important because it will help us understand things that won't be said while we're there.      

learning journal #10: I am the storyteller

Today in class we talked about participant observation and the benefits with that.  I definitely believe that by doing participant observation, and observing body language and movement, will change our awareness.  With writing observations and taking notes, we are in some way telling a story of the people we are studying and living with.  It's important to take actual notes because it's easy to forget the little details that happened in a specific context.  I will be in Tonga for three months, and in that time I could observe reoccurring events and pick up on patterns if any.  When I write something down the first month, I can look back on it during the third month and possibly make connections.  I really liked the idea mentioned in class that I would have to learn "Tonga's English" in order to communicate with them in English.  Last summer when I was there I've noticed that their English slang is similar to New Zealand slang.  That makes sense because many have family in New Zealand, and people who need medical attention are most likely sent to New Zealand to receive it.  New Zealand and Tonga have a pretty close connection.  Knowing this has helped me to communicate better to them, and I am able to understand them better.  I think this is one of those things that can't be taught in classrooms, but can be taught in the field.  I could take notes on communication and how teenagers communicate to each other.  It's always better to take a lot of notes so you could refer back to it later on.  I liked the idea that we are the storyteller and this will be my story.  This motivates me to try to be more aware of things and people in Tonga, and to take good field notes that I could use when I return.  I've been to Tonga twice before and each time I've learned something new about my culture.  I hope to gain new insights about my culture and be able to do my field study.  I also hope to establish relationships with health workers and teachers there.  These are some of my hopes and expectations for this field study.  Thus, I would need to make good observations and write down important notes so I could use it to write my story, and then be able to share my story with everyone else.

learning journal #9: body language

Today in class we talked about the different forms of nonverbal communication which include silence, gaze, facial expressions, head movement, fidgeting, body movement, gestures, appearance, posture, and contact.  When observing people, it is easy to observe the obvious, like what they are saying and how they are saying it.  But I think when you observe nonverbal communication, it's on a deeper level and you get more out of the observation.  I decided to observe my siblings at home and noticed a few things.  I noticed how they use their facial expressions and gestures to emphasize their words and feelings.  I imagined how it would be if I had a remote control and pressed mute when they talked, and whether or not I would get the same message just by looking at their body language.  I tried, and for the most part, was pretty accurate.  I think recognizing body language is important because I think actions do speak louder than words for the most part.  Nonverbal communication is important to recognize when communicating with people, especially in countries such as Tonga where English isn't the main language.  Nonverbal communication can help us to communicate better with Tongans there.  Sometimes when my grandparents say something in Tongan and I'm not familiar with the word, they would use their hands to describe it or point to it.  I think when we go to Tonga, it will take time getting people to open up to us (like community members, school teachers, students, and even the host family) and be comfortable talk to us.  So I'm pretty sure because of that, they won't talk as much and we will have to observe their body language and use that as a communication tool.

Learning Journal #8: 2/1 expectations

Today in class we read a blog entry from a peace corp volunteer that went to Tonga.  This led to the discussion that just because we will be going to Tonga and will see that they do things different, doesn't mean that their way of doing things is wrong.  And that doesn't mean our way of doing things is right.  In Tongan class, faiako taught about the word and meaning behind "palangi" which means foreigner (or white person).  Tongans (especially Tongans in Tonga)kind of praise palangi's and think that their way of doing things is considered the right way.  I think this is something we will have be careful of, is finding a way to help them without imposing that our way (or the American way) is better.  Again, I don't ever want to come off as someone who is coming there to change their way of teaching health education.  I'm there to assess, and look at what they're teaching and how they're teaching it.  Sometimes I think it is good to keep our judgements or opinions to ourselves, to an extent, because we don't know the whole picture of why they do things the way they do. 

In a class activity, we had to write down our expectations for our field study.  One of my expectations is to establish a network of people including teachers, health workers, community members, and so forth.  One of long term goals is to be able to return back to Tonga and help or work in the Ministry of Health or with health education.  Establishing relationships with people there will help me. 
I think the field study is another opportunity for us to get more perspective on the world and what's out there.  I think that's the fun part of a field study, to learn new cultures and experience different ways of living.  Being Tongan, I hope to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of my culture.  I don't think there's ever an ending point when learning about a culture whether it is your own culture or not.  I know enough of my culture but I feel I don't really know a lot of things.  This will be a great experience for me.