HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE USE OF FACEBOOK-BASED E-PORTFOLIOS IN EFL WRITING: A CASE IN THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM

Electronic portfolios (e-portfolios) have grown in popularity in ESL/EFL writing instruction for their contributions to students’ writing. However, selecting an electronic tool in e-portfolios is of concern to many researchers and teachers. The combination of Facebook and e-portfolios is a rather new implementation in educational research, especially in high school contexts. Therefore, the current research aimed at exploring (1) high school students’ perceptions of the use of Facebook-based e-portfolios in terms of their contributions in writing, and (2) problems in using Facebook-based e-portfolios in writing. Fifty grade 11 students at a high school in Soc Trang province, Vietnam participated in the research. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected by using close-ended questionnaire and the interview. Prior to data collection, the students spent six weeks writing on Facebook close-typed groups. The results showed that the students highly appreciated the contributions of Facebook-based e-portfolios in terms of enhancing interaction, giving and receiving feedback, motivation and confidence in writing, writing skills, vocabulary, and grammar knowledge. No significant problems were found in using Facebook-based e-portfolios. The research is expected to shed light on implementing Facebook-based e-portfolios in improving the quality of teaching EFL/ESL writing in high school contexts.  Article visualizations

Estimation semi-paramétrique et application à\ud l'évaluation de la biomasse d'anchois

Notre étude est motivée par un problème d'évaluation de la biomasse, c'est à dire de la densité des œufs d'anchois à l'instant de ponte dans le golfe de Biscay-Gascogne. Les données sont les densités, c'est à dire les poids d' œufs d'anchois par unité de surface dans le golfe, collectées lors de la campagne d'échantillonnage de 1994. Le problème consiste à estimer la densité des œufs d'anchois au moment de leur ponte et le taux de mortalité. Jusqu'à présent, ce problème a été résolu en ajustant les données précédentes à un modèle classique de mortalité exponentielle. Notre analyse montre que ce modèle n'est pas adapté aux données à cause de la grande variation spatial de la densité d'œufs au moment de ponte. Or pour les données considérées, les densités \ud A(tj,kj) des œufs au moment de ponte diffèrent de façon aléatoire selon les zones géographiques de kj ponte. Nous proposons de modéliser les A(tj,kj) comme un échantillon issu d'une variable aléatoire d'espérance a0 et ayant une densité de probabilité fA, ce qui conduit au modèle de mortalité étendue (EEM) suivant :\ud Y (tj,kj) = A (tj,kj) e-z0tj +ε(tj,kj)\ud Le problème que nous avons à étudier alors est d'estimer les paramètres du modèle et la densité fA. Nous résolvons ce problème en deux étapes; nous commençons par estimer les paramètres par des techniques de régression, puis nous estimons la densité fA en combinant l'estimation non-paramétrique de densité, avec l'estimation du paramètre z0 et avec éventuellement une déconvolution de densités. Les résultats des études en simulations que nous réalisons corroborent les résultats théorique de la consistance.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The motivation of this study is to evaluate the anchovy biomass, that is estimate the egg densities at the spawning time and the mortality rate. The data are the anchovy egg densities that are the egg weights by area unit, collected in the Gascogne bay. The problem we are faced is to estimate from these data the egg densities at the spawning time. Until now, this is done by using the classical exponential mortality model. However, such model is inadequate for the data under consideration because of the great spatial variability of the egg densities at the spawning time. They are samples of generated by a r.v whose mathematical expectation is a0 and the probability density function is fA. Therefore, we propose an extended exponential mortality model \ud Y (tj,kj) = A (tj,kj) e-z0tj +ε(tj,kj)\ud where A(tj,kj) and ε(tj,kj) are i.i.d, with the random variables A and ε being assumed to be independent.\ud Then the problem consists in estimating the mortality rate and the probability density of the random variable . We solve this semiparametric estimation problem in two steps. First, we estimate the mortality rate by fitting an exponential mortality model to averaged data. Second, we estimate the density fA by combining nonparametric estimation method with deconvolution technique and estimate the parameter z0. Theoretical results of consistence of these estimates are corroborated by simulation studies.\ud \u

MEDICAL STUDENTS’ EVALUATION OF AN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES COURSEBOOK: A CASE IN VIETNAM

The current study investigates students’ evaluation of the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) coursebook taught at a medical college in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. After using it for a year, the users, including medical students and their teachers, have given some unofficial feedback on the book. This study provided insightful official information about how its student users perceive the coursebook they were adopting. Data on the evaluations of the ESP coursebook were gained from questionnaires administered to 166 students majoring in nursing and pharmacy in charge of ESP programs. Semi-structured interviews were employed with four students to get more specific apprehension. The results of this study indicated that students were satisfied with the ESP coursebook in terms of the covering of four skills, the presence of vocabulary and grammar, relevant content, understandable social and cultural context, suitability for mix-level students. In addition, participants perceived that communicative skills were not sufficiently presented, examples in grammar were not more interesting, the illustrations were not diverse and enough, and the cover was simple but not appealing. Suggestions regarding the pedagogical implications for the adoption and evaluation of the coursebook were discussed

Fe-MCM-22 zeolites: synthesis and study about the states of iron

The Fe-MCM-22 zeolite was successfully synthesized with hexametylenimine template. Several physicochemical techniques (XRD, SEM, BET, AAS, IR and ESR) have been used to characterize this zeolite. Iron exists under three states: isolated ions in tetrahedral lattice positions, in octahedral coordination as isolated ions at cationic positions and as aggregated oxide species or hydroxide phases.Keywords: Fe-MCM-22 zeolite, synthesis, characterization, framework iron

Factors influencing well-being of special education teachers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Increasing numbers of special education teachers are leaving jobs across different cultures and countries, which leads to teachers’ well-being has gotten more attention over the past decades. This study aims to investigate the levels of well-being and explore the factors influencing well-being in special education teachers in Vietnam. Special education teachers (N = 81) from three special education schools and a special education Centre in Vietnam were involved in the current study. Descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression were used to examine the levels of well-being and determine whether life satisfaction, job satisfaction, self-compassion, and salary and benefits influencing the well-being levels among teachers. The results show a positive correlation between well-being and job satisfaction, life satisfaction, self-compassion, and salary and benefits. Additionally, multiple regression analysis reveals that life satisfaction, self-compassion, and salary and benefits influence well-being levels positively, meaning that teachers with increased life satisfaction, self-compassion, and salary and benefits have higher levels of well-being. The present findings contribute to the general discussion about the nature of well-being and the influential factors in teachers’ well-being. It is highly suggested that organizations/schools provide appropriate policies and increase the special education teachers' well-being in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Tertiary students’ preferences on extracurricular activities for English learning: Voices from the field of Advanced Program in Biotechnology

In Vietnam, where English plays a vital role in the country’s development, extracurricular activities for English learning are considered an effective reform for enhancing citizens’ English proficiency. Previous studies have showed the positive impact of extracurricular activities on language learners’ outcomes. Yet, almost none of them has investigated students’ voices about what, how, when, and where they want these activities to be organized. This current study was employed to fill that gap in the field of biotechnology (advanced program). A 77-item questionnaire was sent to 148 students who learned biotechnology in an advanced program at a tertiary institution in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. The results indicated the students preferred mental activities (M=4.00) to others. Moreover, they would like to travel to experience cultures from English-speaking countries (M=4.11). Further extracurricular activities were encouraged to be organized on their university campus (M=3.63). The students also preferred short-term activities at weekends to those that were organized over a long period. The study proposed a model for further extracurricular activities at the end of this writing

Optimization of culture conditions of Streptomyces antibioticus strain 1083 to improve the antimicrobial activity against Aeromonas hydrophila

Fish is a healthy, high protein and low fat food that encourages the health and growth of people, especially children. However, in fact fish is very sensitive to many diseases which affects the productivity and quality of fish. Therefore, identifying the cause of the diseases and finding preventive measures become an urgent task today. In the previous study, we isolated Streptomyces antibioticus strain 1083 that has the ability to antagonize Aeromonas hydrophila - a pathogenic bacterium in fish. Based on the obtained results, we continue to perform this study to determine optimal conditions for the culture of S. antibioticus strain 1083 in order to produce antimicrobial compounds against A. hydrophila. The production of antagonists by the strain 1083 was optimized by controlling the condition of different inoculations such as media, pH, temperature and incubation period. The results indicated that International Streptomyces Project 2 (ISP2) was the best medium for S. antibioticus strain 1083 to produce the highest antimicrobial activity against A. hydrophila with 32 mm in diameter of inhibited zone. The actinomycete strain 1083 could express the maximum antimicrobial activity when they were incubated in shaker incubator (200rpm) at 40oC with pH8 in 8 days. The ability of the actinomycete strain in antagonism against A. hydrophila was evaluated by adding different culture medium volume of S. antibioticus strain 1083. With adding 10% cultured solution volume of S. antibioticus strain 1083 into the culture medium of A. hydrophila, after 1 day of inoculation the number of pathogenic bacteria cells were completely eliminated

Rice farmers' perception and determinants of climate change adaptation measures: a case study in Vietnam

The study used Mann Kendall's and Sen's slope tests to elicit rice farmers' perceptions of climate change due to extreme weather occurrences and compared them to hydro-meteorological data. According to the findings, temperatures increased by 0.4 degrees during the last 35 years. While rainfall has increased, the pattern has been difficult to discern. The test results corroborated farmers' perceptions of increased heat spells, but rainfall frequency and intensity vary and are difficult to anticipate. Three adaptation strategies are frequently employed in the Nong Cong district: adjusting the seasonal calendar to alter transplanting and harvesting timing; increasing fertiliser and pesticide application; and changing variety to short-time kinds. Due to the interdependence of adaption techniques, the study used a multivariate probit model. The regression findings indicated that several relevant variables influence the decision to apply adaption methods. Numerous policy ideas for enhancing adaptation to climate change can be derived from the results of this study. District governments must improve their capacity to forecast weekly weather and train how to adapt production to climate change.Le Phuong Nam (Viet Nam National University of Agriculture (VNUA)), Nguyen Dang Que (National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA)), Nguyen Van Song (Viet Nam National University of Agriculture (VNUA)), Tran Thi Hoang Mai (Vinh University (VU)), Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong (Vinh University (VU)), Nguyen Thi Xuan Huong (Viet Nam National University of Forestry (VNUF)), Nguyen Cong Tiep (Viet Nam National University of Agriculture (VNUA)), Tran Ba Uan (Dien Bien Technical Economic College)Includes bibliographical references