Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies (GSICS), Kobe University
From January 2024 to February 2024, I conducted an internship at the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, under the guidance of Dr. Chea Phal, Center Director of the Center for Educational Research and Innovation. Through this internship, I was able to deepen my knowledge of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education and internationalization of education under the theme of gender issues in higher education in Cambodia. During the internship, I participated in a research project on gender issues in STEM education in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and wrote an article on the impact of internationalization on the gender gap in higher education.
Regarding the first task, I got the opportunity to deepen my understanding of gender issues in STEM education in Cambodia and learn about the difficulties and importance of producing projects tailored to local conditions. In this project, I was involved in the creation of a questionnaire for female STEM-educated workers, which was jointly conducted by a Japanese leader and a Cambodian researcher. In the process, we developed the questionnaire based on previous research combined with input and suggestions from local researchers to fit the local situation. This process made me realize that it is not enough to look at previous studies when conducting research simply; it is important to go into the field. I also learned how international organizations such as the ADB and national organizations such as the CDRI share roles and promote projects.
Regarding the second point, I learned about the current situation of gender disparity and internationalization in higher education in Cambodia. I also learned difficulty producing articles for the Institute’s publication. In this activity, based on the STEM education project, I personally selected the theme for CDRI’s publication, Cambodia Development Review. Based on information gathered from previous studies and policy literature, as well as publications that CDRI has been working on, I decided on the theme through repeated discussions with the Cambodian interns. In the process, they taught us about women’s views on marriage and family in Cambodia, and I was able to deepen our understanding of the causes of gender disparity in Cambodia.
In addition to the above activities, I had many opportunities to communicate with CDRI advisors outside of Cambodia, which allowed me to build a network and learn how CDRI collaborates with researchers around the world to promote projects.
Through this internship, I deepened my understanding of gender issues in higher education, focusing on Cambodia’s unique background. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Chea Phal and all CDRI staff who accepted me for this internship and to Professor Keiichi Ogawa for his support and efforts in implementing the internship.
Authored by Noa Yokogawa (Master’s student)
