Rapid Social Cultural Assesment:Using Scor Technique

Penuaan akan menjadi masalah kependudukan di Indonesia. Menteri Negara Kependudukan secara resmi telah mencanangkan berdirinya InResAge atau Jaringan Penelitian Penduduk Lanjut Usia Indonesia pada 30 Maret 1999. InResAge merupakan jaringan peneliti berbagai perguruan tinggi yang berminat di bidang studi gerontologi penduduk lanjut usia di Indonesia. Tujuan penulisan artikel ini adalah menyusun modul pendidikan yang (1) memperkenalkan Teknik SCOR, (2) Persiapan organisasi diskusi, (3) memberikan contoh pelaksanaan SSGD dengan topik pembahasan masalah lanjut usia di Bali.

Ageing will become a population problem in Indonesia. Within several decades from now the number of older persons 60 years and above will be more than the number of children under five years in Indonesia.

InRes-Age is a network of researchers of various academic institutions interested in the study of gerontology

Its recent project was development of IEC materials with the State Ministry of Population in cooperation with United Nations Population Fund. The project resulted in the development of a rapid social cultural appraisal known as the SCOR Technique.

The objectives of this paper is to construct an educational module that (1) introduces the SCOR Technique, (2) Prepares the organisation of an semi-structured group discussion or SSGD, and (3) presents an illustration of SSGD implementation using older person issues in Bali as a topic of discussion.

Instructional objective of module 1 is to introduce the course participants to the basic principles of the SCOR Technique. Duration of Module 1 is 1 hour.

SCOR Technique is an abbreviation of Social Cultural and Operation Research Technique.

It is one of several qualitative research methods that could be use to answer community problems and issues based on a social cultural perspective.

A social cultural perspective implies that the researcher or programmer has to be fully aware of ethnography of the community in the study area.

Extensive knowledge and infor-mation resources on major ethnicity in the study area should be compiled to reinforce researcher’s knowledge on local culture and customs.

Using this ethnographic knowledge the research team could construct an ethnographic flow chart as a basis to facilitate semi-structured group dis-cussions or SSGD of informants that eventually will identify program ne-eds through a social cultural pers-pective.

To identify program issues the rese-arch team could develop a theme dis-cussion guide matrix that consists of an itinerary of issues to be addressed in each program.

Instructional objective of module 2 is to familiarise the course participants to the basic principles of organising and conducting an SSGD. Duration of Module 2 is 1 hour.

Identify the characteristics of your informants based on gender, social economic background and other relevant characteristics that might influence SSGD participant respon-ses.

Divide the discussion groups accor-ding to the specific characteristics of informants.

Informant recruitment should be do-ne randomly so that each informant in the study area has equal oppor-tunity to be selected for the SSGD group.

Each discussion group could be limited to between 5-7 participants. Ideally, the number of group mem-bers should not exceed 10 persons.

A facilitator who chairs the discussion using the flow chart and theme discussion guide matrix will moderate the SSGD. Other members of the research team will serve as reporters and record the key items or issues of the discussion using the above mentioned instruments.

The SSGD as its name implies is structured to conform to two study instruments and will limit itself to an extensive group discussion approxi-mately for 1-2 hours.

Results of the SSGD will be sum-marised by the facilitator based on consensus of all informants participa-ting in the SSGD.

If there are two major topics to be dis-cussed, then each SSGD session will discuss each topic separately. If the topics to be discussed are done continuously, then it is advised to have a short break in between topics.

Instructional objective of module 3 is to facilitate the course participants to the basic principles of implementing the SCOR Technique. As an example the SSGD participants will discuss the theme of older person issues and develop key messages to solve prio-rity older person issue. Duration of Module 3 is approximately 3 hour.

The implementation of SSGD on older person issues will be divided into two sessions:

The first part of the exercise will invite SSGD participants to discuss older person issues.

The SSGD group will select a chair and reporter. Group consensus will be written directly on plastic transpa-rencies that will later be used for group presentation. Product one of the SSGD report will be a list of SSGD participants including facili-tator and reporter.

The brainstorming of older person issues will last approximately 1 hour. Product two of SSCD report will be a list of older person issues as shown in table 1.

**Tabel1**
NO	PROBLEM
1	Decreased prayer services
2	Low knowledge and practice of religion
3	Decrease self care practice
4	Decreased body resistance
5	Low sensory function
6	Loss of appetite
7	Decreased recreational activities
8	Fear of being burden to family
9	Need to be noticed and honored
10	Lowering of mental capacity
11	Increased emotional problems
12	Lowering of creative ability
13	Decreased social activities
14	Decreased income
15	Lowering of work capacity
16	Decreased level of welfare

The last part of the first exercise will be to place issues into appropriate older person themes. Product three of the SSGD report will be a matrix consisting of older person themes and its related issues (Table 2).

**Tabel 2**
N0	THEME	ISSUE
1	Religious	Decreased prayer services Low knowledge and practice of religion
2	Physical	Decreased self care Decreased body resistance Low sensory function Loss of appetite Decreased recreational activities
3	Psychologi	Fear of being burden to family Need to be noticed and honoured Lowering of mental capacity Increased emotional problems Lowering of creativity ability
4	Social Ekonomic	Decreased social activities Decreased income Lowering of work capacity Decreased level of welfare

The second part of the exercise will invite SSGD participants to discuss prioritisation of older person issues and cause of problem.(Table 3)

Select one issue from each theme to be prioritised by SSGD participant through by whatever mode they wish to choose -- consensus or voting

After this exercise has been done SSGD participants are requested to construct a matrix that defines key message to be conveyed in the health education program, and proposed illustration to convey the key message. Product four of SSGD report will be a problem priority matrix on older person issues and IEC development. An example of IEC development is shown in table 4.

**Tabel 4**
NO	KEY MESSAGE	ILLUSTRATIVE NARRATIVE
1	Learning is life long	Older couple is reading religious books
2	Hygiene is the source of health	Older person is entering the bath room holding a tooth brush and soap in the morning
3	Avoid foods rich in fat	Older couple is eating a dish of food rich in fruits and vegetables
4	Work according to own capacity	Older couple are busy making handicrafts in the village

Instructional objective of module 4 is the SSGD presentation by co-urse participants of older person issues and IEC develop-ment of key messa-ges to solve priority older person issues using the SCOR Technique. Duration of Module 4 is approximately 1 hour.

Finally, Course faci-litator to discuss SS-GD reports of par-ticipants and verify that all participants had implemented the SCOR Tech-nique basic princi-ples in their respec-tive SSGD groups will chair onehour discussion.

Manual on Older Person IEC Material Development Using Social Cultural and Operation Research (SCOR) Technique. Jakarta: The State Ministry of Population/ National Family Planning Coor-dinating Board – United Nations Population Fund; 1999