Learning Beyond the Classroom: A Reflection on Research, Collaboration, and Academic Growth

Learning Beyond the Classroom: A Reflection on Research, Collaboration, and Academic Growth

By Nofi Maria K. and Munaya Nikma R.

The publication of our article in a Scopus Q2 journal became one of the most meaningful experiences in our journey as PhD students at the Faculty of Education, Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia. Looking back, this achievement was not merely about seeing our names published in an international journal. More importantly, it became part of a meaningful learning journey that allowed us to see more clearly how academic work is shaped through collaboration, responsibility, persistence, and continuous reflection. This journey began when our academic advisor, Dr. Destina Wahyu Winarti, invited us to participate as research assistants in a research project under RKI (Riset Kolaborasi Indonesia) scheme with UNNES (Universitas Negeri Semarang) and USK (Universitas Syiah Kuala). At the beginning, we imagined our role mainly as assisting with several technical aspects of the project. However, throughout the process, we were given opportunities to become involved in various stages of the research activities, including preparation meetings, collaborative discussions, workshop implementation, data management, as well as manuscript and project outcome development. Through these experiences, we realized that research is an interconnected process requiring communication, coordination, and sustained commitment over time.

As PhD students who were still learning to navigate academic writing and publication, these experiences became important spaces for learning. Many things that initially felt unfamiliar gradually became easier to understand because we were actively involved in the process rather than only learning about it theoretically. Being involved directly in these activities helped us realize that manuscript writing cannot be separated from the broader research journey itself. The discussions, collaborative activities, exchanges of ideas, and revisions throughout the project eventually became important foundations in shaping the manuscript and preparing it for publication. Through the activities, we learned to explore potential ideas and research design opportunities to write and publish within our research project topic, as reflected in the article we eventually published.

Our published article discusses the development of research related to socio-scientific issues in education, specifically within the science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. We identified several major themes related to socio-scientific issues, including sustainability, climate change, and social justice. Our findings then highlight the needs of interdisciplinary practices in education to promote socio-scientific context in the teaching and learning process, such as through STEM Education. Furthermore, we found that teacher training for socio-scientific contexts has become prevalent in recent years. These insights have informed one of the aims of our research project, which is to hold workshops for teachers to enhance their understanding of socio-scientific issues and integrate these concepts into classroom learning activities. By aligning our research outcomes with the goals of the RKI project, we hope that our work will extend beyond theoretical discourse and written publication to create meaningful impacts on teachers and students as key stakeholders in education.

Throughout the writing process, we gradually learned how collaborative academic writing is built through different roles and responsibilities. Under the guidance of our lecturer as the first author, we contributed to various stages of manuscript development, including conceptual discussions, exploring research gaps and building research novelty, deciding on the appropriate methodology, developing the literature review, data collection, analysis, and interpretation, drafting, editing, and revision processes. Although our roles differed, this collaboration taught us that meaningful academic work is always built collectively. Every contribution, regardless of its form, becomes an important part of interconnected contributions that support one another.

One of the most meaningful aspects of this journey was the trust and guidance given by Dr. Destina Wahyu Winarti throughout the entire process. For us, being trusted to participate directly in a collaborative international publication process became a valuable learning opportunity. Beyond research and writing techniques, we also gained valuable insights from observing how academic collaboration is managed, how ideas are negotiated through discussion, and how scholarly work requires both intellectual openness and consistency. Looking back, many of the things we understand today about academic writing were not learned instantly, but developed gradually through continuous practice, feedback, and shared learning experiences throughout the project. Through revising arguments and improving clarity, we realized that academic writing is not only about presenting knowledge, but also about communicating ideas responsibly and coherently.

The revision stage also became an important part of this learning experience. Feedback from the review process helped us recognize aspects of the manuscript that still required clarification and improvement. Through this process, we realized that even small revisions can strengthen the coherence and quality of academic writing. We realize that the review process also taught us to be accountable for the arguments we presented, particularly to address reviewers’ feedback carefully and comprehensively. More importantly, the experience reminded us that feedback should not always be viewed as criticism to be avoided, but as part of the academic conversation that helps sharpen arguments, improve clarity, and strengthen the overall quality of scholarly work. Beyond the review process itself, effective communication between authors and journal editors also plays an important role in achieving successful publication. As authors, we sometimes need to actively monitor the ongoing review and submission process to ensure timely correspondence.

More than the publication outcome itself, this journey gradually changed the way we view research and academic work as graduate students. Research no longer felt distant or intimidating, but instead became something that can be learned progressively through involvement, collaboration, and sustained practice. Some meaningful lessons emerged through ordinary moments throughout the process, including meetings, collaborative revisions, and responding to feedback. Finally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to our supervisor, Dr. Destina Wahyu Winarti, and collaborators who guided us throughout this journey. Their trust and mentorship became valuable parts of our academic learning journey. This experience also reminded us that there is still much for us to continue learning throughout our academic journey. As science and research continue to evolve, we as students and researchers (regardless of the expertise area we worked on) should cultivate curiosity, maintain a lifelong learner mindset, and develop a consistent habit of reading to broaden our knowledge and perspectives. We hope this reflection can serve not only as a record of our experience, but also as a reminder that every academic journey develops gradually through persistence, collaboration, and continuous learning.

by Bambang Sumintono

From Dissertation to Chapter: On Empathy, Burnout, and Meaningful Academic Supervision

From Dissertation to Chapter: On Empathy, Burnout, and Meaningful Academic Supervision

By:  Syifa Mufiedatussalam

I never expected that writing an academic book chapter would teach me something so personal. But looking back now, I think that is exactly what happened.

The chapter is titled “The Well-Being of Early Childhood Teachers in Indonesia: Promoting Empathy to Mitigate Burnout,” published in Springer’s Handbook of Teacher’s Voice in Global South. It began, like most academic work, with questions: how are early childhood teachers in Indonesia actually doing, and does empathy play a role in protecting them from burnout? These questions shaped the structure of the writing, the first calling for a clear picture of teachers’ realities, the second asking us to look at how empathy, burnout, and well-being relate to one another. Both required careful thinking. But the process of getting there required something else entirely.

It required someone like Assoc. Prof. Charyna Ayu Rizkyanti.

Working with her has been, and continues to be, one of the great privileges of my doctoral journey. She brought clarity when I was tangled in my own thinking, and steadiness when the process felt overwhelming. She consistently offered a genuine care for me. She asked how I was. She creates space for being heard. She can be a mom, supervisor, and also a friend. She is a mom who sense when my tiredness before I said so. She offered warmth without me having to ask for it. But she can be a strict supervisor, who pay attention to the details. She pushed me to be more precise, to think more critically. When she became a friend, she can be a safe place where I could say anything. And I know that these are not something every doctoral student gets to experience. I do not take it for granted.

What strikes me now is how much this mirrors what the chapter is arguing. The study found that burnout among early childhood teachers is real and significant. The emotional exhaustion, the feeling of becoming distant from the work, and the loss of personal accomplishment can quietly accumulate over time. Surprisingly, it also found that empathy acts as a buffer. When people feel genuinely understood, they are seen as whole human beings. Then, something protective happens. Their well-being holds.

I lived this while writing about it. The PhD is a long journey, and it is not always easy. There are stretches where the reading feels endless, where the writing refuses to come. I went through all of that. But I did not experience burnout. And this all because I am accompanied by Mom Charyna, who made practice empathy every day in life.

Alhamdulillah. I mean that with my whole heart.

The chapter also challenged us methodologically. The mediation model we constructed supported that empathy does not merely coexist with well-being. Empathy actively carries some of the weight that burnout would otherwise place on a teacher’s shoulders. Arriving at that argument cleanly took many conversations and many revisions that finally end up with publication.

For the early childhood teachers this chapter is about, I hope this work revealed the real conditions. I hope it reaches people who have the power to make their conditions better. And for other PhD students who may be reading this: the quality of the relationship you have with your supervisor matters. It shapes not just the research, but you. If you are fortunate enough to have someone who sees you as a person first, hold onto that. It is rarer than it should be.

Assoc. Prof. Charyna Ayu Rizkyanti — thank you for being all of it. The supervisor, the mother figure, the friend. Thank you for the late nights and the honest feedback and the space to be myself. This chapter has your fingerprints all over it, in the best possible way.

by Bambang Sumintono

More Than Just 'Gibah Sedep': Our Learning Journey to Publishing a Paper in Ecopsychology Journal

More Than Just 'Gibah Sedep': Our Learning Journey to Publishing a Paper in Ecopsychology Journal

By: Muhamad Maulana, Alya Chairunnisa, & Lakhaula Sahrotul Aulia

Who says research has to be stiff and boring? For the three of us, our biggest academic breakthrough actually started from a casual discussion group we nicknamed "Gibah Sedep" (Savory Gossip). While "gibah" is usually associated with idle chatter, we turned it into a productive "academic gibah" session. Little did we know that those savory discussions would eventually lead us to a publication in one of the leading top SAGE journals, Ecopsychology. You can read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1177/19429347261449426

The "No" That Led to a Global "Yes" (Alya’s Perspective)

Publishing this research is a milestone we cherish, but it wasn't an instant success. What is now an international publication originally started as a humble vision for a campus research grant. We had high hopes, but when we weren't on the list, we had a choice: let the idea fade or believe it still had value.

We chose the latter. We realized that a setback isn’t a dead end, it’s just a redirection. That initial "No" was a blessing in disguise; it forced us to think bigger and work harder. It led us to seek a worldwide platform and, more importantly, it brought the three of us together. To anyone who has ever felt discouraged by a closed door: I hope you hold onto your vision. Sometimes, the "other way" is the one that leads to the most beautiful destination.

The "Juggling" Time of my UIII Life (Maulana’s Perspective) 

I remember the hectic days of juggling my Master’s thesis while simultaneously collecting data for this study. Since I was already exploring Spiritual Intelligence (SI), the ultimate intelligence that allows us to solve problems of meaning and value, for my master thesis. I wondered: Could this "individual inner compass" be the key to solving our global ecological crisis?

We "gassss" (went all out). I remember waiting at KRL stations, visiting a campus in Tangerang and Jakarta, and revisiting them to thank the lecturer who helped us reach nearly half of our research sample. When we presented at the REACT International Conference 2025 organized by PPIM UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, we were outliers with our quantitative models in a sea of qualitative studies. But that leap of faith was necessary. The "Saturday-Sunday office hours" we spent revising were tough, but seeing the "Accepted" email made the mile traveled and every hour spent on it feel completely worth it. In the end, this experience was the ultimate test of my own "internal compass." It showed me that when we are driven by genuine curiosity and a supportive community, we can navigate the most hectic seasons of our lives and turn academic challenges into meaningful contributions.

Theory Meets Practice: The Learning Curve (Ula’s Perspective)

I was pleasantly surprised when Maulana and Alya asked me to lead the quantitative analysis. It was a leap into the unknown; I had only learned the basics of the Rasch Model in class and had never touched SEM-PLS.

This project was my first chance to put theory into actual practice. I learned that analysis is far more than just running software, it’s about understanding the meaning behind each result. Interestingly, the feedback from international reviewers was remarkably similar to the feedback our UIII lecturers gave us in class. It made me realize that the academic standards at FoE UIII truly reflect international expectations. Stepping into unfamiliar territory when we didn’t feel fully prepared was the best learning decision we’ve ever made. I believe this was also supported by the "sat-set"—highly responsive and fast-paced collaboration—that naturally developed among the three of us throughout the writing and revision process. 

Strength in Connection (Our Collective Reflection)

What started as a campus proposal grew into a deeper collaboration where our interests "cross-pollinated." SI became a core part of Alya’s thesis, while Ula’s work on climate change added a vital layer to our environmental framework. 

Beyond the data, this was about the people. We shared random Google Meets on sunny weekends, constant mutual encouragement, and the shared stress of three rounds of revisions. As Maulana often says, "berproses itu perjalanan, satu-satu" (the process is a journey, one step at a time).

We are immensely grateful to the Faculty of Education at UIII for providing a world-class ecosystem that fosters such growth. This achievement doesn't just belong to us; it belongs to the community that supported us.

by Bambang Sumintono