Constituting information technology research: the experience of IT researchers

The collective consciousness of effective groups of researchers is characterized by shared understandings of their research object or territory. In this study, we adopted a phenomenographic approach to investigate information technology (IT) research, and its objects and territories, as they are constituted in the experience of IT researchers. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with researchers representing different sub‐disciplines. Analysis revealed the variation in meaning associated with the idea of IT research; and the awareness structures through which participants experience variation in ways of seeing the object and territories of IT research. Eight ways of seeing IT research were found. The outcomes of our project appear to make visible the changes and developments that are an essential part of the character and experience of contemporary IT research.     

Is graduate employability the ‘whole-of-higher-education-issue’?

Graduate employability has become an issue in Vietnam since many university students do not satisfy the needs of employers. Universities often receive the strongest criticism on the poor employability assets graduates possess. The ill-preparation of university graduates is considered the result of the out dated and irrelevant curriculum in the higher education system, of the traditional teaching methods and the absent of career guidance in most universities. This article, however, aims to challenge this common criticism that university is to blame for the ill-preparation for employment of its graduates. By conducting a qualitative research inviting the voices of both students and employers on the issue, this article wants to address a wider context and circumstance and also the related issues surrounding the transition from university to work of Vietnamese university graduates. It suggests that not only universities, but also students, employers and other related stakeholders (i.e. student’s family, government and educational policy makers) should acknowledge the changes in society, should be aware of the cultural features at work, and should see their responsibility in the process. They all should make an effort to create mutual understanding, to collaborate and to enhance the development of graduate employability in the Vietnamese context.     

Estimating unit cost of public university education in Vietnam

Educational Research for Policy and Practice - This paper is motivated by the ongoing debate on university reform in Vietnam. In particular, there is a need to quantify the level of governmental...     

A rising tide of primary school standards—The role of data systems in improving equitable access for all to quality education in Vietnam

The approach taken over the past decade to introduce minimum primary school standards in Vietnam is reviewed, with annual school audits that measured both input (quality) and output indicators.     

Dog ownership, dog walking, and children's and parents' physical activity

This study aimed to determine cross-sectional associations of dog ownership, dog walking, and physical activity (PA) among children and their parents. Objective measures of PA were obtained for children ages 5-6 and 10-12 years from 19 primary schools across Melbourne, Australia. Parents self-reported their PA, dog ownership, and frequency of dog walking: 53% of families owned a dog, 41% of children who owned a dog did not walk their dog at all, and 32% reported never or rarely walking their dog as a family. Dog ownership was associated with an additional 29 min/day in PA among younger girls, and 70 and 59 min/week more in PA among mothers of younger boys and older girls, respectively. Among mothers of older girls, dog owners were 1.6 times as likely to meet PA guidelines. Mothers with older boys and girls, and fathers with younger boys, who reported walking the dog regularly as a family, spent more time in PA (105, 90, and 158 more min/week, respectively). Promoting dog ownership and dog walking among children and as a family are potential strategies for increasing PA participation in some families.     

Youth transition to employment in Vietnam: a vulnerable path

Literature suggests that educational attainment is one of the significant factors affecting youth transition to work. The process of capital accumulation through education is suggested as the key marker of social inclusion and exclusion. This paper compares the educational attainment among youth in Vietnam with their status in employment. It uses the data from the school-to-work transition survey of the International Labour Office with 2722 youth participants aged 15–29 in different geographical areas in Vietnam. The findings indicate that Vietnamese youth have to face many challenges when negotiating their transition to work, especially when the educational attainment of the majority youth is low. A wide gap between education and learners’ needs and interests, the economic burden many young people had to bear and the low level of development of the economy with a large proportion of the informal sector are the main reasons for youth in Vietnam to leave school early and to accept low quality work to earn their living. These problems need to be solved to help youth in Vietnam approach better jobs in the market.     

垂直绿化综合效应研究

除了美观上的效果,垂直绿化缓解热岛效应,减少水土流失,防尘减噪,节能环保,延长建筑寿命等作用也被越来越多的人意识到,有关垂直绿化各方面定性的研究也不断得到开展.以南京的三种墙面绿化形式—攀援式墙面绿化、铺贴式墙面绿化和组合移动式墙面绿化作为研究对象,通过测定垂直绿化的降温、减噪和心理效应探讨垂直绿化对建筑环境的综合影响.     

Is the learning approach of students from the Confucian heritage culture problematic?

This article is concerned with the learning style adopted by Asian students who come from a Confucian heritage culture (CHC) such countries as China, Vietnam, Singapore, Korea and Japan are considered countries with Confucian heritage culture (Phuong-Mai et al. 2005). These students are generally viewed as typically passive, unwilling to ask questions or speak up in class and often based on memorising rather than understanding knowledge delivered by teachers. This learning style is claimed to be shaped by the CHC in Asian countries and receives massive criticism in the literature. This article aims to challenge this criticism of the passive learning style adopted by Asian students who come from the CHC. By conducting in-depth interviews with 10 Asian students from the CHC currently studying tertiary education in Australia, this article addresses the confusion between passive learning style and CHC, between memorising and understanding and between quietness and passiveness. Finally, if passiveness of Asian students is indeed observed in both Asian CHC countries and English-speaking countries, it is more because of situation-specific factors of teaching methodologies, learning requirements, learning habits and language proficiency rather than cultural factors.     

Limitation on the development of skills in higher education in Vietnam

This study investigates the perceptions of higher education students, recent graduates and employers in Vietnam on the issue of skill development in the higher education system in Vietnam. Enhancing skill development is considered essential for students, not only to pursue their study, but also for their success later, at work and in life. The results suggest that though there is evidence of effort to change, to include and to develop soft skills in the system, the central-controlled curriculum, the traditional teaching method, the prevalence of passiveness among students and cultural features all hinder the effort of developing skills for university students. The limitation in skill development during university is considered one of the biggest barriers preventing university graduates from making a smooth transition to the workplace.