RESEARCHING GANODERMA RESIDUES APPLYING IN EARTHWORM CULTIVATION PROCESS (PERIONYX EXCAVATUS)

The research of applying Ganoderma residue in earthworm Perionyx excavatus cultivation have promised in reducing environmental pollutions from mushroom farm and brought high economic efficiency. A 9 m square with 9 experimental formulas were applied to investigate the effect of Ganoderma residue to earthworm growth. The results showed that Perionyx excavatus increased mass in all formulas added cultivated Ganoderma residues, in which the largest increased in formula of 75 % cultivated Ganoderma residues treated with Trichoderma, from 0.59 kg/m2 initial to 2.62 kg/m2. In addition, Perionyx excavatus growth and development completely was seen on the medium with 100 % cultivated ganoderma residues, reached 1.89 kg/m2. Although the growth rate of the Perionyx excavatus cultivated with Ganoderma residues was slower as compared to farming entirely by cow manure (2.94 kg/m2), in the long run, this process will bring farmers higher profits (56.500 VN dongs /m2 of culturing). This cultivation process might be promising to be applied in regions with mushrooms farms for economic and environmental reasons

STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS DRAMA-BASED ROLE PLAY IN ORAL PERFORMANCE

Speaking is widely recognized as being the most important tool for communication that influences how students succeed in foreign language learning. In particular, given its importance to enhancing students’ oral performance, drama-based role plays are strongly connected to this language learning skill through English. Recent reforms in higher education in Vietnam have stressed the increased demands on universities to promote the quality of teaching and learning foreign languages at all levels to meet learners’ needs, particularly students’ capacity of interacting with others using English. However, research into the effects of drama-based role play activities on English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ oral performance is limited in the Mekong Delta. Moreover, students’ reluctance to interact in the target language is largely influenced by traditional speaking instruction, whereas speaking requires a more interactive and communicative learning environment. This paper therefore provides insights into students’ attitudes towards the use of drama-based role-play activities in EFL speaking classes. Using a descriptive design, interviews were undertaken with freshmen who were currently learning at a Vietnamese university in the Mekong Delta. The findings show positive attitudes of the students towards drama-based role play activities. Pedagogical implications for productive instructional practice to advance students’ oral performance are also discussed.         Article visualizations

The Effects of Collaborative Learning on Young ESL Learners’ L2 Anxiety and Speaking Performance

Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) is one of the issues of interest attracting researchers in recent decades. However, while collaborative learning introduced a prospective tool for FLA, it has not been much researched in the L2 classroom context, particularly in Vietnam. This paper focuses on using collaborative learning to reduce foreign language anxiety and enhance the L2 speaking performance of young learners at an English center in Ho Chi Minh City. A combination of tools, including Aydin et al.’s (2017) Children Foreign Language Anxiety Scale (CFLAS) for the pre-tests and post-tests, the teacher’s diary, and follow-up interviews, was used to measure the changes in learner’ FLA level and speaking performance. After five-week implementations, these learners’ FLA was slightly alleviated, and their speaking performance was improved using a collaborative learning approach. Moreover, learners were found to have positive attitudes and experience with learning in the new approach. These findings implied that collaborative learning could be a potential treatment to help L2 learners uncover their anxious selves and find more confidence in using the target languag

ESSENTIAL SELF-TRAINING SKILLS TO BECOME AN INTERPRETER: ENGLISH-MAJORING STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION

Currently, interpreting has become a profession in high demand. This study surveyed students' perceptions of the essential self-training skills to become an interpreter. The study used a questionnaire to collect data collection tool which was a survey with 12 multiple-choice questions and 4 open-ended questions. 82 English–majoring students of High-quality program Batch 45 – at Can Tho University participated in the survey. The results show that students majoring in High-quality English Language perceive the importance of skills in interpreting: shorthand skills, listening comprehension skills, memorization skills, visualization skills, presentation skills, skills in using search engines, teamwork skills, multi-tasking skills, and pronunciation skills. Students also pointed out a number of skills that they think are equally important if they want to become an interpreter such as reflexes, situational skills, and contextual skills. On that basis, a number of measures of how to support students to develop their own training plans and hone their skills for their future careers are proposed.  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

Competencies of the Team of Department Head at Higher Education Institutions in Vietnam in The Context of the Industrial Revolution 4.0

This study aims to investigate the Competencies of the team of department head at higher education institutions in Vietnam to implement higher education development in the context of the industrial revolution 4.0. The authors conducted a Delphi study with 15 experts in educational management in Vietnam to gather their expert views on the competencies of the team of department head at higher education institutions. A total of 24 components of competency related to 4 fields (professional expertise, scientific research, subject management and leadership, social activities and international cooperation) were strongly emphasized by experts. The competence of the team of department head is proposed based on the ideas of a group of experts and the results need to be tested, completed and confirmed by follow-up work. Besides, in this study, we have not determined the level of achievement of each competence as well as developed assessment tools. The specific competencies of the team of department head can be considered as a foundation to contribute to the development of higher education in the context of the industrial revolution 4.0. We know that competence does not exist independently; in stead of, they should be considered in the specific context of teaching, university, culture and society. This study is one of the studies related to the competence contextualization of the team of department head at higher education institutions in the Vietnamese context

Vietnam's visa policy for tourists

States employ travel visa as an instrument to leverage on visitor arrivals for various reasons. In tourism, visa plays a crucial role in facilitating potential and last-minute tourists’ decision making process. This paper focuses on the Vietnamese government’s visa policy in the context of tourism development. Adopting an economic approach, this paper reviews key achievements in tourist immigration policies and examines the challenges that deter tourists from visiting the country. This study purports that a stronger national strategy pertaining to simplification of visa processing and streamlining common visa entry union with neighboring countries within the AEC 2015 framework will translate to gains for Vietnamese tourism. __________________________________________________ Key words: economic approach, national visa policy, tourism developmen