AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE COMMON ERRORS OF WORD FORM USED IN WRITING OF THE FRESHMEN: A CASE STUDY

English has been used all across the world, including in Vietnam. From middle school to high school and even university, Vietnamese students have numerous opportunities to engage with English grammar, but there is still a significant gap between their understanding and the correct application of English grammar. In fact, Grammar has a significant impact on the writing skills of Vietnamese students in general, and especially the first-year students of English majors who were not much exposed to writing in high school, so they are not yet used to writing at a higher level. The majority of errors in their writings are due to the influence of their mother tongue and a lack of frequent practice and their misuse of word forms, as a matter of fact, the expected results have not been satisfactory. Based on the general insight into the writing competence of the freshmen, the study titled “An investigation into the common errors of word forms made in the writings of the freshmen: A case study” was done with the English-major students. A close survey was deliberately done with 142 paragraphs written by the first-year students to investigate the common errors of word forms made in their writings. From what was collected, the study subsequently offered some suggestions for helping the students improve their writing skills.  Article visualizations

Factors affecting customers’ decisions to purchase medicines in Ho Chi Minh City: A quantitative study

Understanding customer behavior and the factors influencing decisions to purchase medicines is crucial for businesses. This study aimed to examine the factors influencing customers’ decisions to purchase medicines in Ho Chi Minh City (HCM). This quantitative study used a self-administered questionnaire. A convenience quota sample of 599 participants was recruited online and offline, and data were collected from July to October 2022. The questionnaire included 8 items on personal characteristics, 6 on customers’ medicine use characteristics, 13 on factors determining where to buy medicine, and 17 on factors influencing customers’ decision to buy medicine. A two-step cluster analysis method was used to identify three distinct customer clusters based on common characteristics. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05, with a 95% confidence interval. Of the 632 distributed questionnaires, 599 were returned and analyzed, resulting in a response rate of 94.78%. When making decisions about purchasing medicines, customers expressed the highest level of concern regarding the therapeutic effects of medicines (mean = 4.40 ± 0.77) and the least interest in advertisements (mean = 3.29 ± 1.19). Offering a wide range of products from different brands provides customers with more choices, which attracts them to drugstores. It is recommended that companies minimize their efforts to advertise medicines in Vietnam

Drought stress - related functional characterization of transcription factor GmNAC085 in soybean

Studies on soybean GmNAC085 transcription factor revealed that the gene expression in plants was induced by water shortage treatments and its overexpression in the model plant Arabidopsis displayed improved plant tolerance characteristics towards drought stress. In this study, we continued analyzing the biological functions of GmNAC085 using transgenic soybean system overexpressing GmNAC085 gene, by targeting at a number of plant physiological features and biochemical activities in response to limited water growing condition. Compared to the wild-type, the transgenic line demonstrated that it possessed stress tolerance characters, including enhanced elongation of taproot, minimized reduction of shoot growth, lower intracellular H2O2 content and stronger peroxidase enzyme activity under drought condition. The results of this study therefore suggest the transgenic plants had better drought tolerance and the GmNAC085 plays important role in aiding plants to cope with water deficit condition, probably via regulating the growth of roots and shoots, and activities of reactive-oxygen-species- scavenging enzymes

Growth and development of transgenic peanut (Arachis hypogaea) lines containing chitinase 42 kDa gene from Trichoderma asperellum SH16

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is vulnerable to many diseases. Vietnam and other regions where peanut is widely cultivated have a high threat of fungal and other plant diseases. Various fungicides are available to control the fungal disease but these have various harmful effects on the natural flora, fauna, and environment. Transgenic peanut lines which possess antifungal activity provide a possible solution in managing fungal diseases apart from the traditional resistance and fungicide usage. Therefore, this study evaluated the probable growth and development of chitinase transgenic peanut lines against Sclerotium rolfsii, a pathogen that causes “southern blight” in plants, under greenhouse conditions. This study provided evidence that through Agrobacterium itumefaciens mediated transformation, 42 kDa chitinase genes from Trichoderma asperellum, which is under the regulation of 35S promoter, were successfully incorporated into the peanut’s (A. hypogaea L.) genome and expressed in their plants. This evidence also demonstrated that transgenic peanut lines were suitable for growing and developing in the greenhouse. Further, it was reported that transgenic peanut lines took approximately 133 to 145 days from planting to maturity. These results also revealed that various growth characteristics of transgenic peanut lines having two synthetic genes (syncod Chi42-2 i.e. S2-2, S2-4, S2-6, and syncod Chi42-1 i.e. S1-1, S1-2, S1-3) were greater than that from the wild-type Chi42 (WT-1, WT-2, and WT-3). In addition, yield-related parameters including the number of mature pods, 100 pods weight and 100 seeds weight for all the transgenic peanut lines were higher than that of the non-transformed plant. Among the transgenic lines, line S2-4 exhibited significantly higher growth and yield than the other transgenic lines. These results demonstrated that 42 kDa chitinase genes overexpressing peanut lines could be a candidate for improvement against plants to phytopathogenic fungus S. rolfsii and high yield.

Challenges of Implementing Outcome-Based Assessment in Vietnamese Higher Education – A Qualitative Inquiry

This qualitative study investigates the key challenges faced by university lecturers in implementing outcome-based assessments (OBA) in higher education institutions in Vietnam, a country currently undergoing significant educational transformation. Utilizing a qualitative research design, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 lecturers from diverse academic fields in a institution. The data were thematically coded and interpreted through the lenses of Constructivism, Institutional Theory, and Diffusion of Innovations Theory. Nine major challenges emerged from the findings, including pedagogical hurdles, lack of training and resources, institutional constraints, and technological limitations. These challenges are contextualized within the existing theoretical frameworks and related literature. The study offers critical insights that are deeply rooted in cultural, institutional, and structural variables. These findings are pertinent for educators, administrators, and policymakers in Vietnam and potentially for those in similar educational settings, and they hold broader implications for professional development, institutional policies, technological infrastructure, and cultural shifts within the educational landscape

In-action reflective teaching in Vietnam: A qualitative exploration of practices, influences and implications

Reflective teaching&nbsp;plays a crucial role in the field of education though its intricacies in particular cultural contexts like Vietnam are still little understood. This study aims&nbsp;to investigate reflective teaching practices in more detail within the context of Vietnamese education. &nbsp;This study used a qualitative methodology and semi-structured interviews with twelve Vietnamese teachers, each representing a different stage of their careers to shed light on the many forms of in-action reflective practices and their implementation, benefits, drawbacks&nbsp;and even cultural influences. The results of this in-depth investigation provided an overview of the wide range of in-action reflective practices that are actively used in the classroom. &nbsp;The enhancement of adaptive teaching methodologies and the bolstering of student engagement are prominent&nbsp;among the many advantages that were noted.&nbsp; Teaching in the Vietnamese context also presents unique challenges. Teachers often struggle with the demands of multitasking, the complexities of navigating uncertainties in real-time classroom scenarios&nbsp; &nbsp;and the predominant challenge of managing large class sizes. Moreover, it was surprising to learn how many Vietnamese cultural, social&nbsp; &nbsp;and educational factors influenced teacher understanding and use of in-action reflection. &nbsp;The understanding of reflective teaching practices is enhanced by the research findings&nbsp;which also have broad implications for areas such as instructional strategies, teacher preparation programmes, academic research perspectives and even the development of educational policies. &nbsp;The study strongly emphasizes the pressing need for more context-specific investigations into reflective teaching and underscores the indispensable role of reflection in fostering an environment conducive to effective teaching and learning

Multi-faceted identities of teacher assessors: A qualitative study in the Vietnamese educational context

Within the educational landscape of Vietnam, the professional identity of teachers when acting as assessors remains a comparatively uncharted domain and requires further explorations. Consequently, this qualitative investigation was initiated to delve deeper into the intricate identities Vietnamese teachers adopt in their capacities as assessors. Relying upon frameworks such as Constructivist Grounded Theory and Identity Theory, the study meticulously analyzed self-reported narratives from 15 tertiary lecturers based in Vietnam. Through this rigorous analysis, a spectrum of fifteen distinct identities was uncovered. These identities included “Gatekeepers of Knowledge and Competency”, “Nurturers”, “Diplomatists”, “Auditors”, “Confusian Sages”, “Innovators”, “Social Justice Advocators”, “Cultural Mediators”, “Emotional Anchors”, “Scalfolders”, “Technological Navigators”, “Lifelong Learners”, “Community Builders”, “Ethical Guardians”, and “Democratic Facilitators.” Intriguingly, these identities were not merely seen as additional layers to their professional duties; instead, they emerged as foundational components of teachers’ professional self-image. The forces molding these roles are diverse, encompassing deep-seated cultural values, prevailing educational paradigms, and personal lived experiences of educators. Unraveling these identities offers consequential implications for the broader educational sector. It underscores the imperative to holistically re-envision teacher training programs and assessment design, ensuring they resonate with the multifaceted roles educators play in steering both academic achievements and wider societal outcomes

Common mutations in G6PD of Vietnamese-Kinh deficient patients

This study was conducted to identify the common mutations occurring within the G6PD gene in the G6PD - Vietnamese deficient patients, which may be the main causative mutations of the G6PD deficiency in Vietnamese-kinh. Sequencing was performed to detect mutations in the coding region of G6PD gene for 30 Vietnamese-Kinh G6PD deficient patients. Seven sets of primers were designed to amplify and sequenced 13 coding regions of G6PD gene. Seven known types of mutations were detected. Each patient had at least one mutation in his G6PD gene. The most common mutation is the silent mutation 1311C&gt;T with frequency of 56.66%. With the high frequency, the 1311C&gt;T mutations are suggested as potential markers for G6PD deficiency in Vietnamese-kinh population.Keywords: G6PD deficiency, Vietnamese-Kinh, 1311C&gt;T, Viangchan, CantonAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(12), pp. 1318-132

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