From Registration to Implementation: TVET Students’ Entrepreneurial Engagement after a Business Registration Course

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This study aimed to evaluate the level of student engagement in entrepreneurial activities after participating in a Business Registration conducted in collaboration with the Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (SSM), Kedah. The study involved a total of 100 students. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and interviews and analysed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that 65 students successfully registered their businesses after attending the course; however, only 50 students were found to be actively operating their businesses, either online or through face-to-face transactions. These findings indicate a significant gap between the act of business registration and the actual implementation of business activities among TVET students. The results suggest that the Business Registration was effective in increasing students’ awareness and encouraging them to take formal action; however, it was insufficient to ensure their sustained involvement in business activities. Therefore, follow-up programmes such as entrepreneurial mentoring, digital marketing support, and post-course monitoring are recommended to enhance the effectiveness of this intervention. Overall, this study contributes to a clearer understanding of the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in the TVET context and supports the development of more sustainable young entrepreneurs at the national level.

The Role of Crisis Communication Channels on Student Engagement During Lecturers’ Industrial Strikes: Evidence from the University of Nairobi

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Effective crisis communication is essential for sustaining stakeholder engagement during periods of institutional disruption such as lecturers’ industrial strikes. However, despite the recurring nature of industrial strikes in Kenyan public universities and the associated crisis communication shortcomings, limited empirical research has examined how crisis communication channels influence student engagement during such crises. This study sought to establish the influence of crisis communication channels on student engagement during lecturers’ industrial strikes at the University of Nairobi. The study was guided by the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) and adopted an explanatory mixed-methods research design. Quantitative data were collected from 391 undergraduate students using structured questionnaires, while qualitative data were obtained through interviews with 12 key informants comprising student leaders, academic staff, and non-academic staff. Quantitative data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), while qualitative data were analysed thematically. The findings established that crisis communication channels have a positive and statistically significant influence on student engagement. Communication channels emerged as a key determinant of students’ willingness to remain informed, participate in university processes, and maintain confidence in the institution during industrial strikes. The study concludes that effective crisis communication depends not merely on disseminating information but on providing communication channels that are timely, accessible, interactive, transparent, and responsive to students’ informational needs during industrial disputes. The study recommends that public universities strengthen student-centred communication by institutionalising intercative, two-way communication channels that keep students informed through the crisis cycle, maintain trust, and allow them to seek clarifications and relay feedback.

Generative AI Empowering Chinese Language Teaching in Vietnam: Current Applications, Empirical Investigations, and Practical Pathways

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The iterative upgrading of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has profoundly reshaped the pedagogical forms and developmental models of international Chinese language education. As a core country for Chinese learning in Southeast Asia, Vietnam witnesses robust and growing demands for Chinese language education, yet it has long confronted structural dilemmas including insufficient teacher supply, inadequate localized teaching resources, and difficulties in implementing personalized instruction. To explore the adaptability and practical value of AI technology in Vietnamese Chinese teaching, this study adopts a mixed‑method research design. Based on questionnaires, semi‑structured interviews, and an eight‑week classroom action research involving 221 teachers and learners from universities, primary and secondary schools, and training institutions in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, this paper systematically examines the application scenarios, practical effects, and localized challenges of generative AI in local Chinese pedagogy. The results indicate that generative AI functions as an effective digital pedagogical scaffold, alleviating shortages of teaching resources and professional teachers, reducing learners’ foreign language anxiety, and improving the efficiency of basic linguistic training. Nevertheless, current applications are constrained by insufficient Vietnamese‑Chinese bilingual corpus adaptation, inadequate teachers’ AI pedagogical literacy, learners’ technological dependence, and prominent regional digital divides. Grounded on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and sociocultural constructivist theory, this study constructs a teacher‑led and AI‑assisted collaborative teaching paradigm and proposes targeted optimization pathways from four dimensions: localized resource development, teacher competency cultivation, classroom procedure reconstruction, and learner media literacy enhancement. This research fills the empirical research gap regarding intelligent Chinese language education in Vietnam and provides practical implications for the digital transformation of Chinese language education in ASEAN countries.

The Role of Traditional Pottery Production in Sustainable Community Development in Uganda: (A Case Study of the Ankole Sub-Region)

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Traditional pottery production is a significant but not broadly researched area in sustainable community development in Uganda, especially in rural areas where the economy is generally based on the crafts industry. This study aimed at the investigating socio-economic, cultural, and environmental impacts of traditional pottery production in sustainable community development in the Ankole Sub-Region, Western Uganda. The study was guided by the sustainable livelihood framework and the perspectives of culture-based development. The study used a descriptive cross-sectional case study design. This study used a sample size of 20 respondents, comprising 8 master potters, 4 long-term traders, 2 elders, 4 clay extractors, and 2 transporters. The researcher used a multistage sampling technique in areas with concentrated, accessible pottery activity in the Ankole sub-region. Semi-structured interviews and observations, together with structured interviews, were employed in data collection. Thematic data analysis, as described by Braun and Clarke (2006), was employed in analyzing the qualitative data, while descriptive statistics summarized the basic livelihood and production data.

The findings showed that traditional pottery-making is an important economic activity for diversifying income and minimize poverty level by empowering women economically, passing on skills to the next generation, preserving cultural identity, heritage, and improve community ties through working together, and helping the development of the circular economy through the availability of local resources such as clay and organic matter for firing, and the simple technology for pottery-making.

However, the sustainability of the traditional pottery is also limited by factors such as less access to the market, insufficient production facilities and modern kilns, reduced access to suitable clay materials, health risks from inhaling smoke and dust, and less institutional backing for the value steam. These findings also confirm previous evidence suggesting that pottery production results in employment and alleviates poverty in Ankole, while also emphasizing environmental and technical concerns related to production methods. The study concludes that enhancing pottery value steams through technological innovations, collaborative marketing strategies, heritage tourism partnerships, and targeted support from local government can promote sustainable community development outcomes aligned with Uganda’s national development goals and the increasing recognition of crafts within Uganda’s creative economy.

ESP Students’ Perceptions of the Use of Technological Devices in Assessing English Listening Skills

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Nowadays, technology plays an increasingly vital role in language education. Recently, more and more educators and researchers have explored how technological devices can support the assessment of English listening skills. This study, therefore, aims to explore students’ perceptions of the use of technological devices in the assessment of listening skills in an ESP course, namely ‘English for Logistics’. More specifically, the research was conducted at Ho Chi Minh City College of Transport with the participation of 80 second-year ESP students majoring in Logistics. A mixed-methods research design was employed to collect both quantitative and qualitative data through the employment of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and content analysis were used. The findings revealed that the main purposes of using technological devices in assessing English listening skills include enhancing students’ listening skills and giving feedback to students via formative assessment. Besides, most students had positive perceptions of the use of technological devices in assessing listening skills in the course of English for Logistics, such as having convenience, increasing interest, saving time, and giving immediate feedback. In addition, the findings showed that distraction, anxiety, security, and technical problems were several major challenges of using technological devices in English listening.

Developing EFL Students’ Communicative Performance Through Experiential Cross-Cultural Interaction with International Tourists: A Mixed-Methods Study at TSES English Club

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The disconnect between formal language instruction and real-world communicative competence remains a core challenge in global EFL education. This convergent mixed-methods study examines an innovative experiential learning model at the TSES English Club in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where university students practise their English skills via structured, authentic interactions with international tourists in public spaces. The quantitative data, collected over an 18-week intervention period, comprised pre/post-test scores of 11 students assessed using a 100-point rubric, alongside student post-intervention perception surveys from 71 students and 7 expert facilitators. The qualitative data, gathered via semi-structured interviews with 3 facilitators and 5 students, underwent reflexive thematic analysis and were supplemented by ethnographic observation. Findings reveal significant practical communication score gains (t(10)=24.06, p<.001, d=7.25), indicating an extremely large effect. Post-intervention surveys indicated over 77% of students improved across all criteria. Thematic analysis revealed three primary catalysts: authentic communicative pressure, intrinsic motivation from meaningful cross-cultural exchange, and peer scaffolding with emotional support. Three principal barriers emerged: accent-triggered anxiety, cultural and pragmatic misunderstandings, and environmental noise. The study theoretically operationalises experiential learning and intercultural competence frameworks within this non-institutional, tourism-driven context. Practically, it offers ten evidence-based, actionable recommendations to maximise pedagogical impact for language clubs.

Factors Influencing the Quality of Cultural Tourism Experiences: Integrating Don Ca Tai Tu and Cai Luong Performing Arts in the Mekong Delta

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This article presents a conceptual framework and research protocol for investigating the factors that influence the quality of cultural tourism experiences associated with Đờn ca tài tử (Southern Vietnamese folk music) and Cải lương (Vietnamese traditional opera) in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Recognised by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013, Đờn ca tài tử embodies the cultural soul of Southern Vietnam. Despite its heritage significance and the growing global shift toward experience-based tourism, the integration of these traditional performing arts into tourism offerings remains underdeveloped and empirically understudied. This article addresses three critical research gaps: the absence of an integrated theoretical framework combining Experience Economy Theory, Authenticity Theory, Co-creation Theory, Memorable Tourism Experience (MTE), and the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model; the lack of quantitative studies employing structural equation modelling in this context; and the scarcity of comprehensive research on cultural tourism experiences tied to these art forms in the Mekong Delta. The proposed research employs an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, combining qualitative interviews with artisans, managers, and tourists, followed by a quantitative survey of 400-500 respondents analysed using PLS-SEM. This article contributes to the theoretical advancement of cultural heritage tourism research and offers practical implications for sustainable tourism development in the Mekong Delta.

Service Quality, Citizen Satisfaction, and Citizen Participation: Evidence from Independent (PBPU) Members of Indonesia’s National Health Insurance Program

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Universal health coverage schemes in developing countries face a recurring sustainability problem: keeping voluntarily enrolled members active once they have joined. This study investigates how the five dimensions of service quality proposed in the SERVQUAL framework, namely tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy, shape the satisfaction of independent participants (Pekerja Bukan Penerima Upah/PBPU) of Indonesia’s Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN) programme administered by BPJS Kesehatan, and whether this satisfaction subsequently drives citizen participation. Data were obtained from 180 PBPU participants who had used BPJS Kesehatan services at least twice, selected through purposive sampling, and analyzed with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS. All five service-quality dimensions were found to exert a significant positive effect on citizen satisfaction, with responsiveness and empathy showing the strongest influence, while citizen satisfaction in turn had a strong positive effect on citizen participation and fully mediated the link between each service-quality dimension and participatory behavior. The measurement model satisfied established criteria for convergent and discriminant validity, and the structural model showed adequate explanatory and predictive relevance. The findings extend the SERVQUAL framework and expectation confirmation theory into the domain of participatory behavior and provide BPJS Kesehatan with practical direction for strengthening service delivery to sustain long-term member engagement.

Validation and Reliability of the Questionnaire for Assessing the Effectiveness of The Reverse Whole Brain Model

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The use of appropriate teaching methods for students in the classroom is a challenge. The effectiveness of teaching is determined by what methods the teacher uses when teaching. Reverse Whole Brain Model is the result of Sianipar’s thinking in his article in 2025. Sianipar states that the Whole Brain Model has the necessary things for Aphasia students (Sianipar, 2025). The research method is quantitative, using questionnaires as a measurement tool to determine the effectiveness of the Reverse Whole Brain Model. Questionnaires were created by researchers using the Theory of Effective Instruction from Slavin (1994). The data analysis technique is Aiken’s V to test the validity of experts who have assessed existing instruments. The calculated r value of all statement items has a value above 0.304. The calculation of sig. (2-Tailed) of all items has a value of 0.000, which is smaller than 0.05. All items in the questionnaire meet the requirements to be declared valid and suitable for use as a data collection tool. In terms of the validity test, it is greater than 0.60. All items have a value not far from 0.989. From the calculation of this reliability test, it can be concluded that all statement items in the questionnaire are declared reliable to be used.

Job Demands, Resources, Occupational Burnout, And Individual Work Performance Among Commune-Level Civil Servants: Evidence from Gia Lai, Vietnam

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The operation of Vietnam’s two-tier local government system, comprising the provincial and commune levels, has heightened the requirements placed upon commune-level civil servants in relation to initiative, coordination, digital casework, and accountability for outputs. This study examines the associations among personal resources, the work environment, job demands, new-task demands, occupational burnout, and individual work performance. Data were collected in 2026 from 563 non-managerial professional civil servants working at commune level in Gia Lai Province. The scales were assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and covariance-based structural equation modelling in SPSS and AMOS; indirect effects were evaluated using 5,000 bootstrap resamples. The model demonstrated a good fit to the data (χ²/df=1.280; CFI=0.978; TLI=0.976; RMSEA=0.022; SRMR=0.034) and explained 42.6% of the variance in occupational burnout and 59.3% of the variance in individual work performance. Job demands and new-task demands were positively associated with burnout, whereas burnout was negatively associated with work performance. Implementation competence exhibited the strongest direct association with performance, followed by digital adaptability and public service motivation. Although the work environment did not demonstrate a sufficiently robust direct association with performance, it contributed to lower burnout. Both indirect paths, JD→BO→IWP and DQ→BO→IWP, were statistically significant. The findings indicate that strengthening administrative performance at commune level requires an integrated approach combining competence development, work design, digital support, and the prevention of sustained occupational depletion.