Page 29 - E-BOOK PULSE@FASS ISU NO.02/2023

FACULTY OPINION PIECE
FACULTY OPINION PIECE
The Social Sciences
is a Gateway to a More Resilient Future

By Dr. Siti Nur Edlyn Nadia Zuraiju
Department of Social Administration and Justice

Linking social science research to day-to-day challenges becomes particularly
crucial in the face of recent crises like the Covid pandemic or the massive floods in
different parts of Malaysia last year. To be relevant and meaningful, research must
address such issues and contribute directly to the improvement of various aspects
of society. This ensures that the benefits of research are not confined to academic
settings but extend to the broader community, making a tangible and positive
impact on individuals and society as a whole. Developing social skills and
understanding the social characteristics and challenges have helped me learn
more about the different cultures and society that we live in today.

Take the Covid-19 pandemic, for instance. Every sector am a part of uses local adaptive social safety net model
including schools, universities and all other industries to respond dynamically to contingency calamities,
had to be operated virtually. Consequently, online tailoring support based on the unique needs of the
teaching and learning had to replace the physical community. Social safety nets are vital and acts as a
classes. Both students and lecturers are directly backup in the event of another global level crisis. For
impacted by the sudden and constant usage of online instance, in 2021 the massive flooding in the state of
classes but while initially difficult, over time, many of us Selangor alone had caused serious properties
are now equipped with intermediate technical skills in destruction. The outcome of my work has indicated that
utilizing the online platforms and educational tools. With the social safety net model would better assist
such practices, students continuously learned how to be communities survive after calamities.
educated online and further excel in their studies.
Another similar example is the food security issues which
Two years into the pandemic and we continue to work is now part of the national agenda and I am currently
and interact online. In my own personal research, I am looking into this area to work on developing a resilient
interested in the opinions and perspectives of educators food security and land-use framework. Malaysia needs to
and experts on effective strategies in conducting online leverage its land use to sustain future food chains. At the
practical training. Data from this would later help same time, the government needs to also play their role
develop an online practical training module to be used in promoting self-crops or intelligent farming among
by undergraduates for both public and private Malaysians to sustain food security.
universities.
In conclusion, the integration of social science research
Hence Social science research and methodology, when with the day-to-day challenges posed by recent crises
addressing real-life challenges, involves rigorous data like COVID-19 and floods in Malaysia underscores the
collection through systematic interactions and discipline's pivotal role in understanding, mitigating, and
observation of the intricacies of human behaviour in the responding to complex societal issues. By studying the
face of crisis. Researchers must exhibit heightened day- human aspects of these challenges, social science
to-day social skills, including empathy and effective research provides actionable insights for policy-makers,
communication, to build trust, and extract meaningful aiding in the development of adaptive strategies and
insights. This intersection of methodological precision fostering community resilience in the aftermath of such
and knowledge of society is crucial for producing impactful events. This connection between research and
relevant, impactful research that addresses real-world challenges exemplifies the vital role of social
contemporary challenges. sciences in addressing and navigating the complexities
of contemporary crises.
Researchers must exhibit heightened day-to-day social
skills, including empathy and effective communication,
to navigate diverse contexts, build trust, and extract
meaningful insights. Another interesting research that I

29 | Pulse@FASS