THE EFFECT OF USING INSTRUCTIONAL RUBRICS ON EFL STUDENTS’ WRITING PERFORMANCE: A HIGH SCHOOL CASE IN THE MEKONG DELTA OF VIETNAM

Teaching EFL writing has been one of the most trending research fields recently. Among the techniques being tested, using instructional rubrics has drawn much attention from researchers and teachers. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of using rubrics in enhancing students’ writing skill and the students’ attitudes towards this technique. The study used the experimental research design. The participants were thirty English-majored eleventh-grade students (N=30) in a high school in Can Tho City, Viet Nam. The main research tools included two guiding rubrics, one writing pre-test, two writing post-tests, and a questionnaire. Holistic and analytic rubrics were used in the teaching of writing skill to the participants to help them understand the targets for learning and the standards of quality for their writing work.  Data from the pre- and post- writing tests indicated significant changes in students’ writing performance after using both holistic and analytic rubrics. Besides, the results of the questionnaire revealed learners’ positive perceptions of this technique. It could be suggested that high school teachers should take into account the use of rubrics in teaching writing for EFL students.  Article visualizations

ANALYSIS OF CONDITIONS PROMOTING TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN AN GIANG PROVINCE IN REGIONAL LINKAGES

This study was conducted in An Giang province, Vietnam, to analyze factors affecting tourism development in An Giang province in regional linkages, including geographical location, tourism resources, infrastructure, tourism development policies, and safety and security in tourism. The study uses methods of synthesizing documents and comparative statistics to find conditions that promote tourism development in An Giang province. The factor analysis results show the advantages and disadvantages, from which there are reasonable solutions to develop tourism in An Giang province in regional linkages.  Article visualizations

THE CORRELATION BETWEEN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS AND THEIR PRONUNCIATION OF ENGLISH INFLECTIONAL MORPHEMES –ED AND -S: A CASE IN THE MEKONG DELTA OF VIETNAM

This study examined the relationship between high school students' phonological awareness and their performance in pronouncing allomorphs of English inflectional morphemes -ed and -s. The study involved 31 high school students in Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Data of the study were collected through a pronunciation written test (PWT) and a pronunciation oral test (POT). The findings pointed out that all the students had phonological knowledge of the two morphemes; however, the majority of the participants made errors in pronouncing them which indicated their lack of pronunciation performance. In addition, there was no correlation between the students’ phonological awareness and their pronunciation performance detected in the study. Based on the results, pedagogical implications were suggested.  Article visualizations

Under the State's Thumb: Results from an Empirical Survey of Civic Organizations in Vietnam

Civic organizations (COs) are neither a good nor a bad thing. They are not inherently fighters for democracy or supporters of authoritarian rule. The way they develop depends on the impact that various forms of state power have on them and on their influence on the state. Vietnamese COs appear to be no exception. When we examine just one direction of these interdependent and reciprocal relations, it becomes clear that under the constraints of the Vietnamese state's infrastructural power many Vietnamese COs develop features of intra-organizational authoritarianism; that they help to embed the state and the Communist Party more deeply within Vietnamese society; and, finally, that they contribute to bringing the society further under the control of the state and the party. However, this occurs to a very different degree depending on the type of CO. NGOs and faith-based organizations in particular, at least in the field of gender norms and practices, seem to resist the state's discursive power. This could imply challenges to the state's and the party's control of politics and society and leads the authors to draw far-reaching conclusions as far as developmental cooperation with and potential support for various types of Vietnamese COs is concerned

Replacement of freshwater small-size fish by formulated feed in snakehead (Channa striata) aquaculture: Experimental and commercial-scale pond trials, with economic analysis

Traditional snakehead culture in Southeast Asia relies on use of small-size (trash) fish as food, an unsustainable practice. Following development of weaning methods and testing of formulated feed (FF) in laboratory experiments, we conducted feeding trials of FF vs. trash fish (TF) in experimental ponds at Can Tho University (CTU), followed by similar trials on commercial farms in two provinces in Vietnam. CTU pond trials consisted of five treatments (in triplicate), in which TF was replaced by FF in increasing percentages: 0 (control), 25, 50, 75, and 100% replacement of TF by FF (i.e., three treatments had mixed TF/FF diets). Although survival was significantly reduced in the 100% replacement treatment, and growth was significantly reduced in the 75% and 100% replacement treatments, the cost per kg of fish produced was 28–35% less in those high-replacement treatments compared to the 0% replacement treatment. On-farm trials were then conducted at two farms in An Giang and Dong Thap provinces for 6 months with snakehead fed TF only or FF only. At both farms, survival (73–80%) was not significantly different, but growth was significantly better on FF diet at both; however, FF-fed fish at the An Giang farm showed significantly higher levels of abnormal development. Overall production was about twice as high at the An Giang farm as at Dong Thap, but significantly greater production by FF-fed fish vs. TF-fed fish was only seen at Dong Thap. Sensory evaluation by a tasting panel found no difference in product quality between FF-fed fish, TF-fed fish, and a commercial sample bought in the market. Economic analysis indicated that profits were higher for FF-fed fish from both farms, although production costs and sales varied greatly, reflecting market differences in the two provinces

Temporal fluctuation of multidrug resistant salmonella typhi haplotypes in the mekong river delta region of Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: typhoid fever remains a public health problem in Vietnam, with a significant burden in the Mekong River delta region. Typhoid fever is caused by the bacterial pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi), which is frequently multidrug resistant with reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolone-based drugs, the first choice for the treatment of typhoid fever. We used a GoldenGate (Illumina) assay to type 1,500 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and analyse the genetic variation of S. Typhi isolated from 267 typhoid fever patients in the Mekong delta region participating in a randomized trial conducted between 2004 and 2005. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: the population of S. Typhi circulating during the study was highly clonal, with 91% of isolates belonging to a single clonal complex of the S. Typhi H58 haplogroup. The patterns of disease were consistent with the presence of an endemic haplotype H58-C and a localised outbreak of S. Typhi haplotype H58-E2 in 2004. H58-E2-associated typhoid fever cases exhibited evidence of significant geo-spatial clustering along the Sông H u branch of the Mekong River. Multidrug resistance was common in the established clone H58-C but not in the outbreak clone H58-E2, however all H58 S. Typhi were nalidixic acid resistant and carried a Ser83Phe amino acid substitution in the gyrA gene. SIGNIFICANCE: the H58 haplogroup dominates S. Typhi populations in other endemic areas, but the population described here was more homogeneous than previously examined populations, and the dominant clonal complex (H58-C, -E1, -E2) observed in this study has not been detected outside Vietnam. IncHI1 plasmid-bearing S. Typhi H58-C was endemic during the study period whilst H58-E2, which rarely carried the plasmid, was only transient, suggesting a selective advantage for the plasmid. These data add insight into the outbreak dynamics and local molecular epidemiology of S. Typhi in southern Vietnam

VIETNAMESE STUDENT RESEARCHERS’ EXPECTATIONS OF THEIR SUPERVISOR AND SUPERVISION PROCESS

In Vietnam, scientific research is no longer just the work of scientists, graduate students, scholars, or lecturers; tertiary students are also encouraged to conduct scientific research. Therefore, the scientific research work of students receives more attention from educators. The research on carrying out scientific research of students is also therefore increasing. However, researchers do not seem to have paid enough attention to the role of supervisors during the supervision process. The evidence is that there are few studies on supervisors in Vietnam. Therefore, this study was conducted to learn about the role of supervisors from the student's perspective and expectations. Specifically, this study was conducted quantitatively with the use of a questionnaire consisting of 49 questions with a 5-point Likert scale. A total of 100 English-major students at a university in Southwest Vietnam participated in this study by answering the questionnaire. The results from the questionnaire show that students had high expectations from their supervisors. Specifically, students expect their supervisor to be someone who respects their opinions, has good scientific research knowledge, can give constructive comments, and is always willing to help them when needed. Based on research findings, supervisors are encouraged to participate in professional development training related to scientific research to improve their research knowledge and skills. Along with that, supervisors need to be aware of their role during the process of guiding students to do scientific research.  Article visualizations

HIỆU QUẢ KINH TẾ CỦA NÔNG HỘ THAM GIA HỢP ĐỒNG SẢN XUẤT LÚA HỮU CƠ: NGHIÊN CỨU TRƯỜNG HỢP XÃ PHONG HIỀN, HUYỆN PHONG ĐIỀN, TỈNH THỪA THIÊN HUẾ

A random survey of 85 farmers engaging in organic rice contract farming was conducted in Phong Hien Commune, Phong Dien District, Thua Thien Hue Province. The economic accounting and quantile regression methods are applied to quantify the economic efficiency of households and the factors that affect annual revenue in the various quantiles. The findings show that the average annual profit of farmers is 0.709 million VND/ 500 m2. The revenue-to-total cost ratio in all cropping seasons is greater than 1, indicating that farmers are profitable and their profit margin is 17%. Moreover, an average family labor contribution generates a profit of 179 thousand VND/ 500 m2. The results of quantile regression at 75% show that the annual revenue of households is positively affected by two factors: education and the interaction of cultivated area and family labor cost. Improving the economic effeciency of farming household hinges on their ability to effectively utilize and allocate expenses, optimize the costs of purchasing organic fertiliser, and harmonizing production scale with labor utilization sourced from within the family. This research contributes empirical evidence in support of planning the  development of organic rice production in Thua Thien Hue Province. Nghiên cứu khảo sát ngẫu nhiên 85 hộ trồng lúa hữu cơ theo hình thức hợp đồng sản xuất ở xã Phong Hiền, huyện Phong Điền, tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế. Phương pháp hạch toán kinh tế và hồi quy phân vị được áp dụng nhằm đánh giá hiệu quả kinh tế của nông hộ và ảnh hưởng của các yếu tố đến doanh thu hằng năm ở các mức phân vị khác nhau. Kết quả cho thấy, lợi nhuận bình quân hằng năm của hộ là 0,709 triệu đồng/ sào. Tỷ suất doanh thu trên tổng chi phí ở các vụ lớn hơn 1 cho thấy nông hộ đang có lãi và khả năng sinh lời là 17%. Ngoài ra, công lao động gia đình trung bình mang lại 179 nghìn đồng lợi nhuận/ sào. Kết quả hồi quy ở mức phân vị 75% cho thấy, doanh thu cả năm của hộ chịu ảnh hưởng tích cực bởi yếu tố học vấn và tương tác giữa quy mô sản xuất và lao động gia đình. Để nâng cao hiệu quả kinh tế, điều quan trọng là hộ cần kết hợp sử dụng và phân bổ tốt các khoản chi phí, tối ưu chi phí mua phân hữu cơ, kết hợp tốt giữa quy mô sản xuất và sử dụng công lao động gia đình. Nghiên cứu đóng góp bằng chứng thực nghiệm ủng hộ phát triển quy hoạch vùng sản xuất lúa hữu cơ trên địa bàn tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế