Methodology and Research Practice in Southeast Asian Studies

The paper brings together several strands of debate and deliberation in which I have been involved since the early 2000s on the definition of Southeast Asia and the rationale of Southeast Asian Studies. I refer to the relationship between area studies and methodologies as a conundrum (or puzzle), though I should state from the outset that I think it is much more of a conundrum for others than for me. I have not felt the need to pose the question of whether or not area studies generates a distinctive method or set of methods and research practices, because I operate from a disciplinary perspective; though that it is not to say that the question should not be posed. Indeed, as I have earned a reputation for “revisionism” and championing disciplinary approaches rather than regional ones, it might be anticipated already the position that I take in an examination of the relationships between methodologies and the practice of “area studies” (and in this case Southeast Asian [or Asian] Studies). Nevertheless, given the recent resurgence of interest in the possibilities provided by the adoption of regional perspectives and the grounding of data gathering and analysis within specified locations in the context of globalization, the issues raised for researchers working in Southeast Asia and within the field of Southeast Asian Studies require revisiting.

<p>This article discusses and reviews English teacher professional development (TPD) research studies carried out in South East Asia between 2010 and 2018. There is a need to review previous English TPD because new teaching methods are required to develop 21<sup>st</sup>-century students’ competencies due to the aim of changing the focus of English learning in school from grammar to conversational English and the use of computers in the classroom. This study aims to find the focus and types of English TPD trends in South East Asia to improve our understanding of what contributes to the effectiveness of the TPD programmes, which, in turn, may facilitate successful implementation of innovations in English language education. The researchers used the ERIC, Scopus and Google Scholar search engines to find English TPD research papers in South East Asia. The reviewed studies were conducted in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The researchers performed the analysis by reviewing the studies and coding them for themes and notions using the frame based on the checklist proposed by Hunzicker (2011), namely supportive, job-embedded, instructional focus and ongoing components for TPD analysis. These reviewed studies appeared to be focused on observation research and action research.</p>

The Philippine Economy and the United States: Studies in Past and Present Interactions. Edited by Norman G. Owen. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies, 1983. (Michigan Papers on South and Southeast Asia, no. 22.) xv, 208 pp. List of Contributors, Tables. 8.95 (paper). - Volume 44 Issue 4

Karawitan: Source Readings in Javanese Gamelan and Vocal Music. Vol. 1. Edited by Judith Becker and Alan H. Feinstein. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies, 1984. (Michigan Papers on South and Southeast Asia, no. 23.) xviii, 523 pp. Tables, Figures, Illustrations, Notes, Interim Bibliography, Interim Glossary. $36.50. - Volume 45 Issue 2

Patterns of Migration in Southeast Asia. Edited by Robert R. Reed. Berkeley: Center for South and Southeast Asia Studies, International and Area Studies, University of California, 1990. Pp. xiii, 302. - Volume 23 Issue 1

Purpose This paper compares and contrasts graduate accountant skills and employers' expectations in South East Asia (SEA). Design/methodology/approach We analyse the employers' expectation performance gap (EPG) in three countries – Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam – to provide a reflection on current professional accounting development in SEA. The study relies on data derived from multiple sources including job advertisements, CIMA “ready for business” project, Glassdoor website and other secondary data sources. Findings The findings indicate that over recent decades, the changing nature of the economy, state, and interest of the business sector (including the “Big Four”) have led to the wider adoption of professional accountancy qualifications. The findings suggest that graduates should be equipped with active learning activities such as project-based and work-integrated training to fill the expectation gaps between local university educators and employers. Research limitations/implications Drawing upon a literature review of professional accounting education, we use the results of the documentations and secondary analysis to describe the performance expectation gap of accounting education in SEA. Originality/value The study indicates a large discrepancy between the teachings in accounting education and employer requirements in Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia and propose different methods to fill this employability gap in South East Asia.

Purpose This systematic scoping review aims to map the peer-reviewed evidence on cryptocurrency-enabled money laundering to highlight significant gaps in knowledge, particularly regarding its role in the rapid expansion of Southeast Asia’s scam economy. It focuses on scam compounds, money mule networks and anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist financing strategies to inform policy responses. Design/methodology/approach Following systematic scoping review guidelines, 7,669 records from five databases (2009–2025) were screened, yielding 25 peer-reviewed studies. Dual-reviewer screening, standardized extraction and thematic synthesis were used, with quality appraisal emphasizing methodological rigor and theoretical depth. Findings Four themes emerged: (1) industrial scam ecosystems in Southeast Asia are linked to crypto-enabled wealth transfer and laundering, though peer-reviewed evidence on these specific regional operations remains limited; (2) offender rationales favor low-risk, high-reward techniques like mixing, privacy coins and high-volume, low-amount transfers; (3) blockchain forensics enable tracing and evidence gathering, but are challenged by evolving privacy tools; and (4) regulatory attempts often lag behind criminal innovation, necessitating financial reforms. However, the review reveals a critical gap: only a minority of studies directly address Southeast Asia’s scam compounds, underscoring the need for targeted research amid the region’s burgeoning scam economy. These themes illustrate that cryptocurrency has become essential financial infrastructure for organized crime, yet empirical insights specific to Southeast Asia remain limited. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic scoping review highlighting the shortage of peer-reviewed research and studies of Southeast Asia’s scam economy in cryptocurrency laundering research, synthesizing broader literature to advocate for criminologically informed interventions.

We face the challenges of economic growth productivity which still uses dirty energy and minimal efforts to cleaner energy transition. The debate on efforts to increase productivity by diverting dirty energy into clean energy while still preserving nature has long been discused. Southeast Asia is a region that has massive development potential with valuable natural resources facing regional threats in addition to decreasing environmental quality but also prosperity. This study aims to identify initial steps are needed to control energy consumption, which is still considered dirty, the extent of the scope of Southeast Asia's current clean energy transition and how emissions can be a determinant of the decline in regional economic produtivity. This is the first study to combine the Cobb-Douglass production function model with three models that focus on (1) energy consumption, (2) renewable energy and natural resources, and (3) emissions. The data used is secondary data for the period 2004-2018 sourced from the World Bank Development Indicator and ourworlddata.org. Panel data regression was used as an analytical technique. This study was conducted in the Southeast Asia region (with selected countries with developing economies and insutries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam). The results of this study show that in the energy consumption model, only labor has a significant effect on GDP, in model B there is renewable energy consumption and the labor force which significantly affects GDP and in model C there are CO2 emissions and GHC emissions that affect GDP in the Southeast Asia region. This research will provide input to policy makers and growth analysts to form policies for sustainable economic development in Southeast Asia.

Observing and understanding the Southeast Asian aerosol system by remote sensing: An initial review and analysis for the Seven Southeast Asian Studies (7SEAS) program

Background and objective: Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a polymorphic protein with vital antioxidant and anti-atherosclerotic effects. Three apoE isoforms exist due to polymorphisms in its gene causing disturbances of lipoproteins metabolism and a probability to develop cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the association between apoE gene polymorphism and coronary artery disease (CAD) in a Malaysian population sample and to integrate the study findings with other studies to increase the power of the study sample and to make a better understanding about the association between apoE gene polymorphism and CAD in south east & East Asian countries. Methods: The study involved 185 patients with CAD attending HTAA hospital Kuantan, Pahang with 188 unrelated healthy control participants. ApoE gene polymorphism was determined in the participants using polymerase chain reaction – restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay and was validated using direct nucleotide sequencing. SPSS software version 19 and Chi-squared test was used for determination of allele and genotypes association with CAD. Binary logistic regression analysis of apoE genotypes, gender, ethnicity, age, blood pressure, and lipid profile was used to predict probability of developing CAD. In addition, meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager (Version 5.3.). Results: the preliminary data has shown a non-significant association between apoE genotypes or alleles and CAD. Nevertheless, binary logistic regression analysis has shown a significant association between E3E4 genotype, high blood pressure, male gender & old age as dependant risk factors in the prediction for having CAD. The meta-analysis of studies in Southeast Asia and East Asia region had shown that carriers of the E4 allele are significantly at higher risk to develop CAD [p<0.0001; OR=1.51 (1.24, 1.83) CI=95%; I2=68%]. Conclusion: This study provides an evidence of increased risk to develop CAD among carriers of E4 allele specially if accompanied with high blood pressure, old age with male gender.

Southeast Asia is a cornerstone of global rice security, contributing substantially to regional and international food supply chains. Accurate and timely information on rice yield is essential for effective agricultural planning, trade policy formulation, and food security management. However, conventional approaches to yield estimation, which often rely on historical trends or sparse in situ observations, are insufficient for capturing the complex interplay between climate variability, extreme weather events, and crop dynamics. The increasing frequency and intensity of climate shocks, including droughts, floods, and heatwaves, underscore the need for an advanced rice yield forecasting system. The development of a decision support system--RICE-MAP (Rice&amp;#160;Information &amp;amp; Climate Evaluation- Monitoring And Prediction), integrates state-of-the-art climate forecasts with machine learning techniques to provide dynamic, high-resolution predictions of rice yield under current and future climate scenarios. RICE-MAP synthesizes satellite-derived datasets, global climate model outputs, and agricultural statistics to monitor and predict yield variability across rice-growing regions in Southeast Asia. By leveraging spatially and temporally resolved climate variables with machine learning models, the system provides lead-time-specific yield predictions, accompanied by rigorous evaluations of forecast performance using established metrics. The system&amp;#8217;s capabilities are accessible through a user-friendly dashboard, designed to facilitate decision-making for policymakers, agricultural planners, and other stakeholders. Case studies in Southeast Asia demonstrate the system&amp;#8217;s potential of integrating climate science and artificial intelligence to enhance climate resilience and adaptive capacity in the agricultural.Keywords: Decision Support System; Rice yield forecast; climate shocks.

The history of Cladocera studies in South-East Asia is reviewed, beginning from the early start of explorations in the end of the 19^th century by J. Richard and T. Stingelin. In the first half of the 20^th century, extensive research was carried out by V. Brehm, who investigated material collected by the Wallacea-Expedition and the Deutschen Limnologischen Sunda-Expedition. Later, in the 1970-1980s, C.H. Fernando and collaborators, besides a few other researchers, provided a new series of regional studies of the cladoceran faunas together with the systematic revisions of some taxa from tropical Asia. Then and up to present, investigations of the Cladocera have concentrated in Thailand and many species have been revised and described as new to science. In total, 298 taxa of species rank have been recorded in SE Asia but only comparatively few of them (67 taxa; 22.5%) can be regarded good species, of which the valid status has been confirmed by recent studies, while others are synonyms (68; 22.8%) or taxa of uncertain taxonomic status, including those which definitely represent complexes of species (163; 54.7%). Most total taxa of species level and good species are known from Thailand (155 and 54, respectively), followed by Malaysia (plus Singapore), Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia in this respect (70-119 total taxa and 23-33 good species respectively). Laos, Burma (Myanmar) and Brunei remain practically unexplored. Only good species were used for the zoogeographic analysis. Of them, about a quarter is known only in SE Asia but more species are distributed in tropical/subtropical/temperate Asia and Australia, others in tropics/subtropics of the eastern hemisphere (17.9%) or even wider. Tropical species, constituting the primary part of the cladoceran fauna of SE Asia, can penetrate the neighboring subtropical and southern temperate zones to a different degree. Only a small fraction of species (7 or 10.5%) here are of more or less northern origin, the are distributed predominantly in the subtropical/southern temperate or in the northern boreal latitudes. Few species are suggested to penetrate SE Asia from the north using the Mekong river and its tributaries. Generally, the cladocerans of SE Asia are poorly known and only continuous extensive taxonomic studies would improve this situation.

Tropical snakebite: clinical studies in south east asia: By D.A. WARRELL. Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand

This chapter describes the prevalence and trends of overweight and obesity and associated factors among children and adolescents in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. In general there is very limited data available about child and adolescent obesity for this region. However, the results indicate a very rapid increase of overweight and obesity in school students, from pre-school to high school, especially in urban areas. In most studies, the prevalence of overweight among boys was greater than that among girls. This is a different pattern compared to child and adolescent obesity studies from industrialized countries, where the progressive increase in overweight and obesity in younger age groups was observed. Furthermore, while studies from western countries showed higher prevalence of overweight and obesity amongst children from households with low economic status, the findings from Southeast Asian countries revealed the reverse of this pattern, such as in Vietnam and Indonesia. The methods used to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity varied among countries in this region, making cross country comparisons difficult. Studies in Southeast Asia have mentioned differences in adolescent overweight and obesity across gender and age groups, which might influence the likelihood of participating in physical activity and sport, and may differentially influence the benefits of physical activity in maintaining a healthy weight status. School location was also a notable risk factor of overweight and obesity in children in many studies of this region. Children from private schools had higher odds of overweight/obesity than those from public schools (Philippines, Indonesia); higher odds of overweight in students studying at schools in wealthy urban districts were found in Vietnam.

This chapter discusses the challenges of increasing livestock product supply in environments not traditionally associated with livestock production. To illustrate the approaches to economic analyses, methods used and implications for policy issues, the discussion in this chapter focuses on 3 successful case studies in Southeast Asia (three-strata forage system in Indonesia, development of crop-animal system in transmigration areas in Indonesia and integrated oil palm-ruminants systems in Malaysia). All the 3 projects have demonstrated efficiency in natural resource management, tangible socioeconomic benefits and potential possibilities for the development of sustainable agriculture.