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number: /2021
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 1,834
The Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) currently has 1220 faculty members and staff working under the ten constituent colleges and the Office of the Vice Chancellor. This figure comprises of 402 women employees compared to 818 men (IMS, 2021). This number indicates that gender equality has not been reached within RUB. The present study explored the self-efficacy and job satisfaction levels of female RUB employees and how they are related. A mixed method, sequential explanatory design was adopted for the study. The quantitative data were gathered from 95 participants and the qualitative data were gathered from 38 participants. The participants included female employees working in different colleges of RUB and the Office of the Vice Chancellor. A thematic analysis following descriptive statistical analysis was used for the quantitative data and the qualitative data were analyzed along the same themes. The findings revealed that the participants’ levels of selfefficacy and job satisfaction are high. The study also highlighted a repertoire of factors that affect self-efficacy and job satisfaction. A study to explore the most effective and sustainable source of self-efficacy and job satisfaction is recommended.
number: /2021
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 2,077
In the era of globalization, one of the ultimate goals in English language education is to equip learners with intercultural sensitivity (InS) to effectively communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds; however, EFL learners in rural contexts are supposed to encounter difficulties in achieving InS. Therefore, this mixed-methods study aims at exploring EFL students’ InS in a rural high school where students have few opportunities to interact with foreigners in person. The study involved 185 EFL high school students in Lam Dong province, Vietnam, in answering the questionnaire, and 18 students in responding to the focus group interview questions. The results indicated that participants possessed a high level of InS. Among the five constructs of InS (e.g. interaction engagement, respect for cultural differences, interaction enjoyment, interaction attentiveness, & intercultural confidence), the participants were most aware of respect for cultural differences, had interaction enjoyment and attentiveness, and showed their intercultural confidence. Nevertheless, they were likely to have difficulties in interaction engagement. It can be implied that the EFL high school students could, to some extent, gain their InS except socially intercultural interactions.
number: /2021
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 3,510
The paper aims to investigate the impact of the Big Five personality traits on the academic performance of college students within the context of the Faculty of Business English at Foreign Trade University. A quantitative approach was applied in this study. Primary data was collected through an online questionnaire. Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) was used as the academic performance measure, whereas the Big Five personality traits were measured using the extra short version of the Big Five Inventory-2. Regression results showed that 41.2 percent of the variance in CGPA is explained by personality traits. Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience were found to have significant and positive impacts on CGPA, while Neuroticism was found to have a significant negative impact. It is concluded that Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience enhance academic performance, and Neuroticism impairs it. Suggestions were made on creating an appropriate fit between teaching and assessment methods and individual differences in personality among college students. Limitations of the personality trait instrument and the academic performance measure were considered.
number: /2021
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 4,063
This research mainly aims at investigating non-English majored students’ awareness of autonomous English learning. To obtain the data for this research, one hundred non-English majors, from The Saigon International University, were surveyed. The objectives were to explore the students’ perceptions of their responsibility in learning English as well as the main factors affecting students’ autonomy. In addition to the survey, five students were also interviewed to discover the roles of autonomous English learning in students’ view. The findings indicate that the majority of students perceive themselves as autonomous learners who are willing to take responsibility for their English learning inside and outside the classroom. Besides, according to the results, there are various factors influencing autonomous English learning which includes laziness, a lack of learning strategies, and a lack of motivation. Moreover, the results show that autonomy does play an integral part in English learning. This study concludes by suggesting various methods to promote non-English majors’ autonomy in their English language learning process.
number: /2021
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 1,951
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic reached most countries globally, economies have suffered more or less a change in all activities. Vietnamese firms have been struggling with economic consequences associated with social distancing measures and lockdown. Firms in Vietnam have had to apply strategies of reshaping business, cutting costs and laying off staff. In this context, graduating students should have concerns. This study investigates their perceptions of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employability and their perceptions of training gaps. The study explores what graduating students prepare to find a job after graduation and their future career intentions. In addition, the research is aimed at students’ proposals for universities’ support to help them cope flexibly with the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used quantitative research methods, including an online questionnaire designed on Google Forms to collect data over a 3-week time frame in May 2020. More than 500 suitable responses were collected for descriptive statistical analysis with the support of SPSS software. The results of the study reveal that the final year students are well aware of the disadvantages when they graduate in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of them are willing to accept the difficulties and adjust themselves to survive and have a job. This study proposes solutions to assist graduating students by providing justifications, adaptation and skill improvement sets for better employability. In addition, this study also highlights information for higher education institutions with students’ perceptions of career orientation and new skill training to respond to Vietnam’s market demands.
number: /2021
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 2,125
This paper presents the results of a study exploring the English as a foreign language (EFL) high school students’ perceptions of the factors that affect their intercultural communicative competence (ICC) development. This mixed-methods study was conducted in the context of a high school in Lam Dong Province, and it involved 140 EFL high school students in answering the questionnaires and 12 of them in semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data were processed using the software SPSS, while the qualitative data were analyzed by the content analysis approach. The findings unraveled that participants believed that learner-related factors played an important role in shaping their ICC. Learners’ psychology (e.g., confidence, calmness, risking-taking) and motivation (e.g., importance, necessity and usefulness of culture) were two major factors in contributing to their ICC development. Nevertheless, it was found out that participants were unsure of the effects of teacherrelated factors (e.g., teaching methods/approaches, enthusiasm, assistance) and learning material-related factors (e.g., cultural issues, textbook contents, effectiveness) on their ICC enhancement. Such preliminary findings may imply that learners play an important role in shaping their ICC, while the teachers and learning materials are not clearly significant in developing students’ ICC.
number: /2021
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 3,779
Student intercultural adaptation in higher education has been extensively studied throughout the world, primarily from socio-cultural and psychological perspectives. This paper draws on recognition, agency and transformative learning theories to develop a conceptual framework of intercultural adaptation in students of international training programs in higher education. Firstly, it articulates intercultural adaptation issues that have been presented in the recent literature. Secondly, it conceptualizes “intercultural adaptation” in student self-transformation through exercising their “needs-response agency” and “agency for becoming” that is shaped by structural and affective recognition in ecological circumstances. Accordingly, the needs-response agency is manifested in students’ intentions and actions in response to structural contexts in terms of international curriculum, culturally responsive pedagogy, intercultural support policies and extra-curricular programs. Meanwhile, agency for becoming is exhibited in self-transformation to become more interculturally adaptable through future aspirations and goals, agentive access to available resources and support and a stimulating environment. The paper concludes by arguing for a critical orientation towards transformed agency through structural and affective recognition as a worthwhile means of achieving effective intercultural adaptation in students of international training programs in higher education.
number: /2021
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 1,680
Gifted education in Malaysia can be traced back to the 1980s. However, the first gifted school was established in 2011. It was later included in the policy as the awareness of gifted education gained more significance. The gifted education curriculum is specifically designed to tailor to the needs of gifted students while also accommodating the standard national curriculum. This paper reviews history and current practice of gifted education in Malaysia. The conclusion showed that there is much room for improvement for gifted education in Malaysia and find the best system to cater to the needs of gifted students that are arising in Malaysia.
number: /2021
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 1,524
This study aims to discover middle school students’ creative capacity in reading literary texts. Starting with discussing the definition of creative capacity prior to assessing the creative capacity of 128 middle school students in reading literary texts, the research finds that Vietnamese students perform well in a low level of creativity as in recognizing new ideas. However, they are limited in the high level of the capacity in reading comprehension such as giving their own opinion on literary text content, comparing works, applying the values of literary texts into real life as well as the ability to create new products. The results provide significant insights into the current situation of enhancing creative capacity for students in reading comprehension grounding the basis for proposing some appropriate solutions and recommendations to help develop students’ creativity in reading comprehension of literary texts.
number: /2021
CIT number: 0
Number of views: 1,702
Teaching Biology at the upper secondary school level is considered to be the most important basis for developing students’ interest in science and then into careers in the field of Biology. This study’s purpose was to suggest some learning activities of Biology grade 10 to promote students’ career orientation competencies. This study investigated the contents of the Biology grade 10 programme of the General Education Curriculum 2018, and the types of learning activities that can be organised to promote students’ career orientation competencies. The results of the study included: 1) Defining learning activities represented by various forms such as research activities, project activities, explore activities, experimental activities, career discovery, experience activities,... depending on the characteristics of contents and the requirements that need to be achieved in the Biology grade 10 programme; and 2) Proposing the illustration for designing learning activities which can be organised in 5E inquiry learning model to enhance students’ career orientation in teaching Biology