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

Factors of the brand image influencing students’ choices in higher education institutions in Ho Chi Minh City

The awareness of brand image increasingly becomes great importance in students’ choices towards higher education institutions. This study aims to investigate factors of brand image which influence the choices of students in terms of postgraduate universities, the case of three universities in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC): International University HCMC, Economics University HCMC, University of Economics and Law HCMC. Focus group and paper-based techniques are applied to build questionnaire forming. The surveys of 450 samples would be collected by email survey technique. The qualitative method of factor analysis and ANOVA are used for this study. The results show the positive significance of human resource quality, program quality, infrastructure, cost and reputation of the universities to students’ choices. Besides, there is an influence between the type of job and students’ choices

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

Quality properties Of Vietnamese cocoa liquors

Vietnam (VN) is an emerging country targeting cocoa as a potential industrial domain. It is however still unclear how the quality of VN cocoa liquors can be positioned in the world cocoa supply. Three VN cocoa liquors exhibiting high to intermediate acidity (pH: 4.7 – 5.2) were selected to produce dark chocolate (48.0% sugar, 17.6% cocoa solids, 34.0% cocoa butter and 0.4% lecithin). A comparison study was conducted to investigate the difference between VN and Ghanaian (GH; pH: 5.6) dark chocolates in terms of Casson flow properties (yield stress sCA and viscosity hCA), hardness (F 20°C and F 30°C), water-soluble organic acid content, aroma profile and sensory evaluation. The impact of pre-treatments of cocoa liquor by ball-milling at different fat contents and conching (-C) was also examined

Covid-19 And Factors Affecting Vietnamese Students’ Readiness For Digital Transformation

Education in Vietnam is trying to make use of the values of the digital technology revolution. As one of the eight key fields of National Digital Transformation, education needs to find ways to develop and take advantage of opportunities to be able to shape the future of society with high-quality human resources. As a huge challenge, the Covid-19 pandemic has quickly put pressure on the past predicted trends in education such as the “university of the future”, but, from a positive viewpoint, it also brings a big opportunity for universities to make the transformation, from classic one to the new and trendy university – the digital one. The paper analyzes in-depth the factors affecting the readiness of Vietnamese students for digital transformation in the above context. The research model is built based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) theory and corrects necessary variables. The results show that the impact of Covid-19, self-study ability and attitude are the factors that have the most influence on the willingness to shift the learning method towards digitization. According to the result, the authors will propose several recommendations on improving the readiness of Vietnamese students for the digital transformation of education and training. Thereby helping students change to adapt to learning activities when the pandemic appears, and know how to take advantage of digital transformation. Keywords: digital transformation, Covid-19, awareness, attitude, self-study DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-16-04 Publication date:June 30th 202

The Role of Multi-Sensory Experience Toward Perceived Medical Service Quality: A Research at Vietnam Public Hospital

The theory of Sensory Marketing has been developed as a special approach to help managers understand customers through creating multi-sensory experiences. In medical services, a patient's multi-sensory experience with a medical facility will shape each customer's different perception of service quality. The article evaluates the role of multi-sensory experience in customers’ perceived service quality at public hospitals in Vietnam. Research results have shown that tactile, olfactory, visual and taste stimuli have a significant influence on the perceived service quality of customers when experiencing medical services. Besides, the authors also detected that customer’s expectation and satisfaction have a proportional relationship. Discussions and recommendations on the application of sensory marketing to improve people's perception of the medical service quality have been proposed to enhance the brand image of Vietnam's public hospitals as well as to ensure the interests of the customer during the use of the service. Keywords: sensory marketing, perceived service quality, medical service, public hospital. DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/83-02 Publication date: December 31st 202

Elevated Levels of Cell-Free Circulating DNA in Patients with Acute Dengue Virus Infection

BACKGROUND: Apoptosis is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of severe dengue and the release of cell-free DNA into the circulatory system in several medical conditions. Therefore, we investigated circulating DNA as a potential biomarker for severe dengue. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A direct fluorometric degradation assay using PicoGreen was performed to quantify cell-free DNA from patient plasma. Circulating DNA levels were significantly higher in patients with dengue virus infection than with other febrile illnesses and healthy controls. Remarkably, the increase of DNA levels correlated with the severity of dengue. Additionally, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that circulating DNA levels independently correlated with dengue shock syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Circulating DNA levels were increased in dengue patients and correlated with dengue severity. Additional studies are required to show the benefits of this biomarker in early dengue diagnosis and for the prognosis of shock complication

BIODIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS OF FREE-LIVING NEMATODES COMMUNITIES IN BALAI RIVER, BENTRE PROVINCE

Nematodes communities in Ba Lai river, Ben Tre province were investigated in September of 2015 (eight stations from estuary to upstream). The results showed that the nematodes communities have characterized by high density and biodiversity, providing useful information of nematodes assemblages in freshwater habitas, in particular inland river. Also the results indicated that the distribution of nematodes communities in Ba Lai river was strongly discriminated between in and outside of dam with two groups. The Ba Lai dam may be reasons for cause  the nematodes distribution discontinuity. Present study is a pioneering attempt to record the impact of the dam on benthic-invertebrate in Vietnam