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AS psychology undergraduates, Florence Then Ru Xian and her fellow Psychology students at IMU are systematically trained to conduct high-quality research. Now, three years into their journey, they are still fine-tuning their research skills and deepening their knowledge, with the hope of contributing meaningful insights to the field of psychology.

In September last year (2024), the cohort began drafting their final year research project. Unlike previous group assignments, this project had to be completed individually, driven by their own passion and skill. 

Florence is truly grateful that they were given the freedom to choose their own research topics, as it allowed her to pursue an area that she has always been passionate about: health psychology.

Early in the process, Florence came across a research gap that deeply moved her: fathers of children diagnosed with leukaemia. She can only imagine how traumatic it must be for parents to receive such a diagnosis and to witness their child undergoing painful treatments. 

Yet, she noticed that most existing research focused on mothers’ experiences, with the common assumption that they are the primary caregivers. 

While this is understandable given traditional gender roles, we are increasingly seeing fathers taking on more active roles in childcare. 

This observation inspired Florence to explore how fathers experience and cope with this immense challenge. That led to the development of her research titled “The Lived Experiences of Malaysian Fathers of Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).”

The cohort then went through their proposal defense presentation with two lecturers serving as assessors. Unfortunately, Florence did not achieve a strong grade at that time, but she received valuable and constructive feedback from them. 

They pointed out that she needed to adopt a more research-oriented approach in her presentation, rather than a casual one. This made her realise that she had been too emotionally driven in her delivery and not sufficiently research-focused when responding to their questions. 

Their feedback stayed with her and continued to guide her throughout the subsequent stages of her research process.

Recruiting participants was not easy. Fathers, understandably busy juggling work and family, may have found it inconvenient to spare an hour for an interview. Florence is incredibly thankful to those who agreed to share their experiences. 

Their insights were rich and moving, allowing her to analyse how they navigated their journeys and what kinds of support they felt were lacking. From these conversations, she was able to distil comprehensive themes that she hoped would help the audience better understand how fathers are affected, how they cope, and how we, as a community, can better support them.

Then came the research symposium day, a platform for each of the students to present and share their findings with others.

We were told that three students would be awarded the Best Presenter Prize, which served as a motivation to refine our presentation skills. 

But more than the prize, what truly drove Florence was the responsibility to deliver the fathers’ stories clearly and meaningfully. 

She rehearsed her presentation countless times at home, ensuring it was easy to follow, addressed any possible gaps in the study, and most importantly, gave justice to the voices of the fathers she interviewed.

She was humbled and grateful to have been awarded one of the Best Presenter Prizes. It felt like a meaningful validation of both her research and her communication efforts, even though she knows there’s still a long way to go before she is able to produce a publication-worthy paper.

Reflecting on these past few months: from proposing her research idea, defending it, collecting data, and finally presenting the findings, it has been an incredibly enriching and memorable journey for Florence.

At IMU, the 3-year Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Psychology equips students with a solid foundation in understanding human behaviour and mental processes, preparing them for diverse career opportunities and postgraduate pathways in psychology and related fields. 

This programme blends academic excellence with practical application, fostering critical thinking, research skills, and hands-on experiences.

The curriculum covers a wide range of psychology disciplines, emphasizing experiential learning through internships and real-world applications of psychological theories. This approach ensures students are well-prepared to make meaningful contributions in their chosen careers. 

With a strong focus on creativity, collaboration, and research, the programme creates an engaging and inclusive learning environment that empowers students to excel and make a positive impact both professionally and personally.

Through an exclusive collaboration with the University of Dundee, IMU psychology graduates are awarded a second degree, giving them a valuable global edge. 

Students also have the flexibility to transfer to esteemed partner universities such as the University of Newcastle, Australia, or the University of Strathclyde, UK after completing their initial year(s) of study at IMU — expanding their international perspectives and career opportunities.

The next commencement for this programme is in February. 

If you are inspired on a psychology career, make an online application today.

For more information, please refer to www.imu.edu.my or email: start@imu.edu.my or call IMU at 03 - 2731 7272.