Developmnent of a Model to Enhance Effective Change Management In Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study In Can Tho University, Vietnam

Change management (management of change), is known to be a significant model based on theories and practices from educational experts, educators, professors, school administrators and even scientists. Like other higher education institutions in Vietnam, Can Tho University (CTU) is a change management type organization. Its educational decentralization from the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training has allowed step-by-step management of change implementation but is not yet effective. And it is likely that CTU organizational change with participation of change agents really may need new ingredients. In this research a model is proposed to enhance the effectiveness of change management in a higher education institution, particularly in CTU, Can Tho City, South Vietnam: Where the change process has been implemented for about 10 years. This is in the context of wider change following on 30 years after the Vietnam War conclusion in 1975. Thus, the paper aims (1) to construct a hypothetical model for enhancing effective change management in universities, (2) to verify the model for enhancing effective change management in universities, and (3) to propose the model towards the effectiveness of change management in CTU, Vietnam. The findings of this paper utilized a mixed method (qualitative and quantitative) - through documents, email discussions, self-made questionnaires, structured interviews, and observations from the international experts (5 from Thailand, 5 from Asia and 5 from Europe and North America), CTU administrators (70), teachers (70), office staff (30) and students (30). The evaluation of the applicability of the model was judged by experts using a focus group of 11 members from CTU, Vietnam. In addition, there were descriptive reports and data collection that were analyzed using descriptive statistics, mean and standard deviation tools. The concepts brought forth and feasibility of this study could bring those interested in change management to have a better understanding regarding change management theories: Especially models implemented in higher education institutions around the world including CTU regarding ways of practicing change management. Moreover, it would be a useful reference for educational administrators and a strong impetus for researchers to engage in a comparative study among levels of education beyond ones borders in the regionally and globally sensitized educational environment

EFL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES ON LEARNING STRATEGIES TOWARDS ESP FOR TOURISM AT SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES, CAN THO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

Learning strategies are determined as an effective approach to learning ESP. To implement more useful learning strategies, it is essential to understand the extent of practice toward learning strategies. The study focused on six (6) learning strategies, including (1) Memorization, (2) Cognitive, (3) Metacognitive, (4) Compensation, (5) Affective, and (6) Social, which were applied in four English skills belonging to English for Tourism courses. A hundred-item questionnaire was administered to investigate the perception and practice of learning strategies and interviews for students and teachers were employed to examine students’ practice of their involvement in learning strategies activities and discover teachers’ observations of students’ practice in their class. The study sample consists of 70 EFL (English as a foreign language) students who have taken the three courses of English for Tourism 1, 2, and 3 in their curriculum. The findings revealed that students had a positive attitude to a significant extent and students had positive perception toward their learning strategies performances. There found a medium correlation between the extent of perception impacts on students' practice that points out two hypotheses: (1) The higher the student's perception, the higher the extent of practice; (2) Students have good perception but the extent of practice does not depend on their perception. The findings may contribute to the discipline of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) since they not only help students understand the significance of learning strategies in learning ESP but also help ESP teachers understand students’ perceptions, from which teachers can generate more effective and appropriate learning strategies in classes for enhancing students’ productivity in learning ESP for Tourism.  Article visualizations

EFL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES ON LEARNING STRATEGIES TOWARDS ESP FOR POLITICAL EDUCATION: A CASE AT SCHOOL OF POLITICAL SCIENCES, CAN THO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

This study investigates the perceptions and practices of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students regarding learning strategies for English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in the context of Political Education. The study focuses on six (6) learning strategies of Oxford (1990)'s classification, including (1) memorization strategies, (2) cognitive strategies, (3) compensation strategies, (4) metacognitive strategies, (5) affective strategies, and (6) social strategies. A mixed-methods approach is employed, including questionnaire and interviews. First, 101 items for the questionnaire are administered to investigate the perception and practice of students on learning strategies. Then interviews with students and teachers are employed to capture more details about the participants’ perception and practice on learning strategies towards ESP for Political Education. The study sample consists of 187 EFL students from School of Political Sciences, Can Tho University, Vietnam who are currently participating in ESP for Political Education course named "Specialized English for Political Education Course 2". The findings reveal that the majority of students have positive perceptions of ESP and recognize the importance of learning strategies in mastering this area.  Article visualizations

MANAGEMENT OF TEACHING ENGLISH ACTIVITIES OF GRADE 10 OF HIGH SCHOOLS IN NINH KIEU DISTRICT, CAN THO CITY, VIETNAM

Managing English teaching activities for Grade 10 in high schools is one of the most important tasks and activities because it plays a decisive role in the success of teaching and the improvement of teaching quality for Grade 10 in high schools. This activity shows not only the results and quality of the students’ study but also the education management of managers and teaching activities of teachers in Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City, Vietnam. The study was conducted at 4 high schools in Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City, namely Phan Ngoc Hien High School, Chau Van Liem High School, An Khanh High School, and Nguyen Viet Hong High School. Participants in the survey by questionnaires were school managers (n = 4), English teachers (n = 17) and 10th Graders (n = 456). And the findings showed that to achieve the desired effect in the management of teaching activities of 10th Grade English at a high school in Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City, the administrator or the school leader needs to have appropriate management measures and implement those measures in a synchronous and unified manner. Besides, through the use of measures, school leaders can recognize the positive aspects as well as the limitations of the situation. From there, management staff can continue to promote strengths and overcome existing weaknesses and limitations, and make adjustments in a timely manner. Some measures can be mentioned as follows: organizing activities to raise awareness about the importance of teaching 10th Grade English; organizing professional and professional training activities for 10th Grade English teachers; strengthening the management of the content and curriculum development of 10th Grade English subjects; directing the renewal of teaching methods and forms of organization of teaching activities in Grade 10 English; directing the renewal of forms and methods of studying English for 10th Grade students; directing the renewal of the form of examination and assessment of students' learning results in English 10; strengthening facilities and equipment to serve the teaching of 10th Grade English in high schools.  Article visualizations

EFFECTIVENESS OF POWERPOINT PRESENTATION ON VOCABULARY RETENTION OF EFL FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION

Vocabulary learning plays an important role in language learning. To many language learners, lack of vocabulary is one of the biggest obstacles that prevent them from mastering the language. Moreover, there have been a lot of studies conducted to find out the way to help language learners acquire and retain learned vocabulary. Among them, PowerPoint is suggested by many researchers as one good way to help learners learn vocabulary retention through reading comprehension. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of PowerPoint on vocabulary retention in reading comprehension of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) first-year students at Long An University of Economics and Industry (DLA), Long An Province, Vietnam. Besides, this study investigates learners’ attitudes towards the use of PowerPoint in learning vocabulary. The participants were 60 non-English major students at DLA. Two instruments were (1) the tests on English vocabulary, (2) the questionnaire on the participants’ attitudes towards the use of PowerPoint in teaching and learning vocabulary, were investigated. The results demonstrated a significant difference in learners’ vocabulary retention: the participants in the experimental group remembered vocabulary longer than those in the control group. The study showed that the learners had positive attitudes towards the use of PPT (PowerPoint Presentation) in learning vocabulary retention.  Article visualizations

ASSESSING THE SATISFACTION OF DOMESTIC TOURISTS WITH ECO-TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN MANG DEN TOWN, KON PLONG DISTRICT, KON TUM PROVINCE, VIETNAM

Mang Den town, Kon Plong District, the Central Province of Kon Tum is one of the destinations of recent interest. With the advantage of the climate and unique high mountain ecosystem, eco-tourism development is one of the notable trends in Mang Den. Based on a survey of 130 domestic tourists to Mang Den, the study used SPSS software 20 to analyze domestic tourists' satisfaction with eco-tourism development in Mang Den. The findings of this research demonstrated the potential of ecotourism Mang Den Town as a destination for Vietnamese tourists seeking natural beauty, cultural experiences, and adventure activities. The positive satisfaction levels indicated that efforts have been made to provide a quality tourism experience. However, there is still room for improvement, particularly in infrastructure development and providing more interpretive and accommodation options. These results can guide tourism stakeholders in developing strategies to enhance ecotourism in Mang Den Town, as a Good Practice and ensure sustainable tourism growth in the Kon Plong District, Kon Tum Province.  Article visualizations

STUDY ON LEARNING AUTONOMY STRATEGIES FOR ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS OF HIGH-QUALITY FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS, SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, CAN THO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

This study examined the challenges of self-studying English-speaking skills for first-year English studies majors at Can Tho University. The study aimed to answer questions such as: What self-study strategies can first-year students majoring in high-quality English at School of Foreign Languages at Can Tho University apply to develop speaking skills? The target audience was 96 English studies majors who have studied speaking and listening at Can Tho University. A questionnaire and an interview with 13 students were used to collect data for this study. In order to support the quantitative data, a questionnaire was used, while an interview was used for the qualitative data. This study aimed to find out the difficulties encountered by students, thereby proposing solutions to overcome them and improve the quality of their learning autonomy or self-studying English-speaking skills.  Article visualizations

ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT SITUATION OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN MANG DEN TOWN, KON PLONG DISTRICT, KON TUM PROVINCE, VIETNAM

This study surveyed 120 domestic tourists in Mang Den Town, using the convenience sampling method. The method used to analyze primary data was descriptive statistics. The research results have proposed six factors to evaluate the current situation of tourism development in Mang Den Town, Kon Plong District, Kon Tum Province, Vietnam including: (1) Quality of tourism services and tourism resources; (2) Perceived prices; (3) Human resources; (4) Security, order, and safety; (5) Quality of tourism services and tourism infrastructure; (6) and Tourism resources and perceived prices, in which "Human resources" is the factor that has the strongest impact on the current situations of tourism development in Mang Den Town. Through research results, the article has proposed some solutions to develop tourism in Mang Den Town more effectively in the future.  Article visualizations

PERSPECTIVES ON PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICE THROUGH LEARNING CULTURES OF ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES OF HIGH-QUALITY ENGLISH STUDIES PROGRAM STUDENTS, SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, CAN THO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

The overall goal of the project is to understand the awareness or perceptions and practice of students of the High-quality English Studies program, School of Foreign Languages (SFL), Can Tho University (CTU), Vietnam when studying cultures of English-speaking countries (CESCs) to improve intercultural competence. The research on the perspectives or opinions of 200 High-quality English Studies students, 12 of them joining the semi-structured interview, about their awareness and practice through learning CESCs. The analysis would help the researcher understand the difficulties of students when studying cultural modules from English-speaking countries at SFL, CTU. The research results would suggest solutions to overcome the difficulties that students encounter, and at the same time provide factors that contribute to improving the intercultural competence of language students. Also, through the research results, despite many obstacles in the process of absorbing culture from cultural modules, students still retain their interest and love for the course-CESCs. However, it can be seen that the difficulty that many students often encounter is still cultural differences, thereby raising awareness of the need to learn cultures for students. Next is to design teaching materials to become more attractive and attractive, proactively find opportunities to communicate with foreigners.  Article visualizations

SURVEY ON VOCABULARY LEARNING STRATEGIES OF HIGH–QUALITY ENGLISH STUDIES PROGRAM STUDENTS, SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, CAN THO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

This research study aimed to investigate the usage of vocabulary learning strategies among English Studies students at Can Tho University (CTU), specifically those under the high-quality program at the School of Foreign Languages (SFL). The primary objective of the study was to identify the most commonly used strategies for learning English vocabulary and to compare the similarities and differences in how these strategies were applied among students by academic year. A total of 200 survey responses from SFL, CTU got involved in the study, and 12 of whom joined a semi-structured interview. The data gathered were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The results of this study provided insights into effective vocabulary learning strategies and would facilitate the improvement of English language teaching and learning practices at the university level.  Article visualizations