An Giang University (AGU) (Vietnamese: Trường Đại học An Giang) is a Vietnamese public university based in the city of Long Xuyen in An Giang Province. With over 10,000 enrolled students annually, it is one of the major educational and research institutions in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.
Peer interaction (PI) research to date has primarily focused on documenting the benefits and issues of PI among adult learners, with little research examining teachers’ perceptions and practices of PI among young learners (YLs) in intact English as a foreign language (EFL) classrooms. To address this gap, this study explored how primary school teachers in Vietnam perceived and used PI in the classroom. The study used multi-methods, including classroom video recordings, field notes, semi-structured interviews, and stimulated recall interviews with seven EFL primary school teachers to explore their perceptions of PI. Field notes and interview data were analysed following a theme-based approach in combination with descriptive analyses of observational data. Findings revealed that PI was perceived by teachers as including two types: decontextualized form-practiced PI (DFPI) and genuinely communicative PI (GCPI). These results suggested that teachers’ perceptions of PI did not match the definition of PI adopted in this study which only considered GCPI as PI and excluded the DFPI. Regarding the GCPI, the teachers acknowledged its benefits but reported numerous drawbacks in implementing it. Notably, the teachers’ PI practices reflected their stated beliefs about PI, and the results showed that GCPI accounted for only a small portion (20%) of the lesson time. The results revealed a lack of awareness of PI and thus a limited understanding of communicative language teaching (CLT) and/or Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) among primary English teachers in a Vietnamese EFL context. The study provides insights into teachers’ varied interpretations of PI as it is practiced in authentic classrooms and points to a need for further teacher training in equipping primary school teachers with updated knowledge of TBLT, especially in terms of PI and skills to implement it more frequently in intact L2 classrooms for YLs.
Despite the known benefits of biofertilizers, there remains a limited understanding of effective indigenous strains specifically adapted to baby corn cultivation. This study isolated, characterized and evaluated an indigenous strain, Bacillus megaterium ATCC 14581, from the baby corn rhizosphere to assess its potential as a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium biofertilizer. Morphological, biochemical and molecular analyses confirmed the identity and nitrogen-fixing capacity of this strain. Laboratory assays demonstrated significant nitrogenase activity alongside effective phosphate solubilization and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production, indicating multifunctional plant growth-promoting traits. Field experiments conducted with varying chemical nitrogen fertilizer (CNF) reduction levels (0, 25, 50 and 75 %) and bacterial inoculation revealed that inoculation with strain ATCC 14581 significantly improved baby corn growth parameters, including biomass, cob length and yield components compared to non-inoculated controls. Importantly, the strain enabled up to a 50 % reduction in CNF use without compromising yield, thereby contributing to nutrient efficiency. Inoculated plants showed increased protein and phosphorus levels in edible corn cobs. The strain showed good adaptability to environmental stresses, including temperature, pH and salinity, supporting its practical application. These results underscore the potential of strain ATCC 14581 as a sustainable biofertilizerthat can help reduce CNF input, improve soil fertility and promote climate-smart agriculture in baby corn production systems. Further research on large-scale application and longterm soil health impact is recommended to optimize field implementation.
This study examined the identity development of two Chinese teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) in a globalized city in China. Grounded in the conceptual frameworks of ‘identity in belief and practice’ and the images of teacher knowledge, the study critically analysed the factors that influenced the formation of teacher identities. The data were collected through interviews and classroom observations. It was revealed that the participants acquired and internalized their professional knowledge differently, resulting in differences in teacher beliefs and instructional practices. Individuals’ acquisition of teaching knowledge did not necessarily lead to practical identities that matched their initial expectations. The gaps between teacher knowledge and practice and between the participants’ ideals and reality acted as parts of their ‘glocal’ identity formation. The findings illuminated the tensions and limitations within the educational transfer between Western-style and non-Western-style classrooms in Chinese teachers’ teaching.
The present research examined cyberbullying among Vietnamese high school students and its connection with their digital literacy. The cross-sectional study involved 518 students in the 10th, 11th and 12 grades from six public high schools. Students’ cyberbullying was assessed in two dimensions of cyber-victimization and cyber-aggression, while their digital literacy was estimated in four aspects: digital technology, digital cognition, social-emotional, and digital security. The findings revealed that within 6 months, out of 518 surveyed students, 392 (75.67
In tropical megacities undergoing rapid industrialization, comprehensive assessments of seasonal variability in heavy metal(loid)s sources and ecological risks in river-canal sediments remain limited, particularly in Southeast Asian urban systems. Urban sediments function as both secondary sinks and potential sources of heavy metal(loid)s, yet integrated evaluations linking geochemistry, source apportionment, and predictive risk modeling are still unexplored. A total of 144 sediment samples were collected during the dry and wet seasons of 2022. Here, we applied an integrated methodological framework combining geochemical characterization, sequential extraction for metal speciation, non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) for source apportionment, GIS-based risk mapping, and machine-learning prediction using Random Forest and XGBoost, with SHAP interpretation. Results demonstrated pronounced spatial and seasonal heterogeneity. Metal burdens were dominated by Fe, Cr, Cu, Zn, and As, primarily derived from crustal/soil inputs and traffic-related urban emissions. Sequential extraction indicated that Cr and Fe were largely associated with residual fractions, whereas Zn, Cu, and As were enriched in redox-sensitive phases. NMF resolved five source profiles, and risk mapping consistently identified high-risk hotspots (levels 4-5) in the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe canal, with additional concerns in Ben Nghe canal. Among predictive models, XGBoost exhibited superior performance, and SHAP analysis identified Cr, Fe, and As as the dominant risk drivers. Overall, this study establishes a data-driven, interpretable framework that supports evidence-based prioritization of remediation zones and strategic urban sediment management. Future work integrating metal bioavailability, ecotoxicological responses, and hydrodynamic processes would further refine risk prediction and sustainable intervention planning.
