Fostering a Sense of Belonging: The Asian American Student Experience

The purpose of my research is twofold: to examine the ways that Asian American graduate students within the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) experience a sense of social belonging at the University of San Diego (USD) and to create a means through which their sense of social belonging may be enhanced. There were two cycles, consisting a total of three focus groups, which worked through the four phases of appreciative inquiry. Cultural themes, such as difficulty approaching authority figures, preference for ethnic subgroup identification, and experiences of marginalization by those from within the Asian American community, other people of color, and non-people of color, emerged from the first cycle. This culminated in an expressed desire for more intentional dialogues and mentorship for this graduate student community, which was then further explored in the second cycle. Recommendations include a space where Asian American graduate students can voice their unique concerns, needs, and experiences directly to faculty members and administrators, along with the creation of a mentorship program that supports them through their transition into SOLES

Evaluating factors affecting attitudes of IT-intensive and non-IT-intensive students towards e-assessment

Despite the significant shift to distance computer-based test as an inevitable outcome of Industry 4.0 and the public lockdown of COVID-19, little effort has been made to research this new testing mode. To address this issue, this study targets two groups of information technology (IT)-intensive and non-IT-intensive students with an aim of investigating factors that effectively encourage each group to adopt online assessment and whether their majors cause any differences in the students’ attitudes. Based on the student perception of e-assessment questionnaire (SPEAQ) with some slight modifications, a final 28-item survey was formed and distributed to 400 students. Results have shown that the factors of security, and affective factors were the top factors to impact both groups of students, while the impact of validity and practicality varied among the two groups and reliability and teaching-learning were at the bottom. Besides, there were no noticeable differences in the attitudes of students coming from different majors

Corruption Perceptions During the Pandemic

This study delves into the response of corruption perception indices to the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigate whether a global shift in corruption indices occurred post-pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, we assess changes in standard errors of these indices before and after the pandemic to gauge shifts in consensus among people regarding corruption levels of a country. Given the WGI-CC\u27s lack of year-to-year comparability across countries, we recalculated WGI-CC standard errors using methods akin to TI-CPI score calculations. Subsequently, we employ regression analysis, incorporating independent variables such as population, GDP, education, and political regime to explore whether changes in standard errors of corruption indices are statistically significantly influenced by COVID-19 data, including confirmed cases and deaths

M-LEARNING APPLICATION IN TEACHING BADMINTON FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION STUDENTS IN VIETNAM

The article evaluates the efficacy of M-learning in instructing the Badminton course for K14 university students at the University of Sports and Physical Education in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Utilizing an experimental design, it contrasts the outcomes of two groups: the K13 students who were taught through conventional face-to-face methods and the K14 students who engaged in blended learning. Both groups were exposed to identical content and assessment procedures. The findings indicate that students in the blended learning approach outperformed their peers in the traditional setting. The study also delves into resource utilization and collects feedback from learners, underscoring the advantages of M-learning in Badminton instruction.  Article visualizations

EFL TEACHERS’ STRATEGIES AND CHALLENGES IN PROMOTING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ AUTONOMY IN VOCABULARY LEARNING

Learner autonomy is now regarded as a desirable objective in language teaching. The objective of the study was to identify ELT teachers’ strategies in promoting EFL high school students’ autonomy in vocabulary learning. Besides, this research attempts to find out the challenges that ELT high school teachers employ in promoting EFL students’ autonomy in vocabulary learning. A questionnaire and an interview were used in this study to find out the strategies adopted by the teachers in the current research as well as the challenges they face. The findings of this study revealed that English language teachers frequently promoted autonomous learners in their classrooms. They usually implemented different teaching strategies, which can be categorized into three groups involving students in a student-centered atmosphere; playing various roles in the classroom; and equipping students with the strategies to learn vocabulary. Additionally, the results demonstrated that teachers faced challenges such as learners' lack of independent learning abilities, rules and regulations implemented in schools, and teachers' lack of fundamental ways to promote autonomous learning. Finally, it is hoped that the proposed pedagogical implications will contribute to the innovation of promoting learner autonomy in vocabulary learning in the context of high school in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam.  Article visualizations

Level of Determinants Impact on Buyer’s Purchasing Intention in Motor Liability Insurance: Case of Vietnam

Motor liability insurance has been included in the compulsory insurance category that each vehicle owner of every type of motor vehicle must participate in in Vietnam. However, in fact, the participation in this type of insurance is not popular and not strictly managed. This paper presents an approach to modeling and analyzing the possible determinants that may affect the intention to buy motor liability insurance for motor vehicle owners in the North of Vietnam. The target audience of this study is motorcycle owners. Based on the theories of buying intention, buying behavior and the specific characteristics of this insurance, this study has proposed a model with 4 factors influencing intention to participate in the insurance: Attitudes towards risk and insurance, subjective standards, Insurance Perceptions, and Product Accessibility. Taken together, these factors model a consumer's tendency toward insurance intentions for motorbike owners. The results show that all of the above factors have influence on the intention of motorcycle owners to participate in insurance. Keywords: Motor liability insurance, Buying intention, Purchase decision DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-8-11 Publication date: April 30th 202

ENHANCING SCIENCE EDUCATION IN REMOTE REGIONS: THE IMPACT OF PHET SIMULATIONS ON TEACHING ELECTRICITY IN NORTHERN VIETNAM

This study explores the efficacy of PhET simulations in enhancing science education in remote regions of northern Vietnam, addressing the educational disparities exacerbated by geographical isolation. Employing a mixed-methods research design, the study surveyed and interviewed science teachers across several remote schools to evaluate their experiences with PhET simulations in teaching. The subjects included both experienced and novice teachers, who provided insights into the integration of simulations into their teaching practices. Findings indicate a significant improvement in student engagement and comprehension of complex scientific concepts, with teachers reporting enhanced instructional quality and student interest. The study underscores the potential of digital tools in democratizing education, suggesting that PhET simulations represent a valuable resource for overcoming the challenges of delivering quality science education in resource-constrained settings. This research contributes to the broader discourse on educational equity, highlighting the role of technology in bridging the gap between urban and rural education systems

Nonlinear Control of an Active Magnetic Bearing with Output Constraint

In this paper, an appropriate control strategy is proposed to handle the nonlinear dynamics ofan active magnetic bearing (AMB). The goal of the control design is to drive the AMB rotor to the origin with improved transient response. In order to achieve this task, back stepping control technique with a barrier Lyapunov function are employed to keep the tracking error trajectory inside a predefined zone to avoid possible mechanical contact between rotor and stator. Besides, a speed observer is also used since information about rotor speed is not always available. The stability of the closed-loop system is proven. The effectiveness of the proposed control strategy is verified by numerical simulations

DOLABRANE-TYPE DITERPENOID AND LIGNAN CONSTITUENTS FROM THE STEM BARKS OF CERIOPS DECANDRA (GRIFF.) W. THEOB.

Three dolabrane-type diterpenoids (1‒3) and a lignan derivative (4) were isolated from a methanolic extract of C. decandra stem barks using various chromatographic separations. Their structures were elucidated to be tagalsine X (1), tagalsin P (2), ent-5α,2-oxodolabr-3-ene-3,15,16-triol (3), and (+)-pinoresinol (4) by detailed analysis via spectroscopic techniques (1D, 2D NMR, and ESI-MS data) as well as comparison with those reported. This is the first report of compound 4 from the Ceriops genus

Fixed Index Annuity Return and Risk Analysis with an Enhanced Model

This paper examines the risk and return of fixed index annuity (FIA) with an enhanced model framework which takes into account correlations among market variables and a changing participation rate fluctuating with the market moves. The FIA business model is discussed to explain the participation rate model. Sensitivity analysis of FIA returns is performed for key model assumptions. The risk and return profile of the mix (30/70, 40/60, 50/50, 100/0) of the S&P 500 Index and the 1-year Treasury bills is compared with that of the FIAs. This study focuses on 2 hypothetical contracts: (10-year) annual reset Point-to-Point (PTP) and Monthly-Averaging (MA) contracts with participation rate but no cap or yield spread. PTPs outperformed MAs. They together outperformed the mixes of stock/treasury with comparable risk. Simulated stock index shows higher returns than FIAs most of the time, but FIAs has much less volatilities and much lower tail risk