Peer Interaction and Emotional Resilience Among Early Adolescents: A Correlational Study of Junior Secondary School Students

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This study aimed to empirically investigate the relationship between peer interaction and emotional resilience among seventh-grade students at MTs As-Salam Palembang. A quantitative research approach was employed in this study. This study employed a quantitative research method. The population consisted of 263 seventh-grade students at MTs As-Salam Palembang, distributed across six classes: 44 students in class VII A, 44 students in class VII B, 44 students in class VII C, 44 students in class VII D, 43 students in class VII E, and 44 students in class VII F. Based on the Isaac and Michael sampling table with a 5% margin of error, 149 students were selected as the research sample. Meanwhile, the remaining 101 students were involved in the instrument tryout Data were collected using questionnaires administered both directly and through online platforms. The research instruments employed a Likert scale consisting of the Emotional Resilience Scale and the Peer Interaction Scale. Based on the results of the simple linear regression analysis, the correlation coefficient was r = 0.508 with a significance value of p = 0.000, indicating a highly significant positive relationship between Peer Interaction and Emotional Resilience among seventh-grade students at MTs As-Salam Palembang. The coefficient of determination (R²) was 0.258, indicating that Peer Interaction contributed 25.8% to Emotional Resilience, while the remaining 74.2% was influenced by other factors outside the variables examined in this study. There is a very significant relationship between peer interaction and emotional resilience among seventh-grade students at MTs AsSalam Palembang. This means that the better the interaction between students and their peers, the higher their emotional resilience. Conversely, the lower the quality of peer interaction, the lower the students’ emotional resilience tends to be.

Protect, Preserve, and Conserve in Environmental English: A Corpus-Based Analysis of Collocation and Semantic Preference

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Environmental discourse frequently employs the near-synonymous verbs protect, preserve, and conserve to describe forms of ecological stewardship. Although the three verbs share a broad semantic domain, their actual distribution may reveal differences in collocational behavior and semantic preference. This study investigates the collocational profiles and semantic preferences of protect, preserve, and conserve in contemporary environmental English using a specialized 10-million-word corpus, the Contemporary Environmental English Corpus (CEEC-10M), comprising policy and treaty documents, academic environmental writing, and environmental journalism published between 2016 and 2026. Using AntConc 4.2, the study examines the target verbs and their recurrent collocates within a symmetrical L5-R5 window. Candidate collocates are filtered using a minimum raw-frequency threshold of 15 and an MI threshold of 4.5, followed by concordance inspection and semantic categorization. The results indicate three partially overlapping but distinguishable lexical profiles. Protect shows a broad preference for vulnerable people, species, habitats, ecosystems, and other entities conceptualized as exposed to harm or external pressure. Preserve is more strongly associated with biodiversity, cultural heritage, integrity, historical sites, and existing ecological or cultural states, suggesting a preference for continuity and maintenance. Conserve is particularly associated with water resources, energy, natural resources, soil, and ecosystems, reflecting a stronger orientation toward resource management and sustainable use. The findings demonstrate that near-synonymous verbs cannot be adequately distinguished through dictionary definitions alone. Corpus evidence provides a more precise account of their preferred lexical and semantic environments and offers implications for Environmental English, English for Specific Purposes, and advanced EFL vocabulary instruction.

The Relationship between New Media Literacy and Social Media Addiction Among University Personnel

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This study examines the relationship between new media literacy and social media addiction among university personnel. Designed as a quantitative study using correlational survey and causal-comparative designs, it included 237 academic and administrative staff members at Istanbul Gelisim University. Data were collected with the New Media Literacy Scale and the Social Media Addiction Scale and analyzed using Mann–Whitney U, Kruskal–Wallis H, and Spearman rank-order correlation. Findings show that participants had high new media literacy levels, while social media addiction scores clustered toward the upper end of the scale range. Significant differences emerged in functional consumption by gender, in selected dimensions by age and education level, and in most new media literacy dimensions by the most frequently used platform. The most notable result was a strong positive relationship between total new media literacy and total social media addiction scores (r = .806; p < .001). These findings suggest that digital competence does not automatically ensure controlled use.

Formation of the Topography and Developmental Dynamics of the Kitab-Shahrisabz Oasis

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This study examines the formation of the historical topography and the developmental dynamics of the Kitab-Shahrisabz Oasis in southern Central Asia from antiquity to the early twentieth century. The aim is to reconstruct the principal stages of urban development of Kitab and Shahrisabz and to clarify the historical relationship between these two urban centers and the ancient city of Kesh. The study is based on archaeological, topographical, architectural, historical, and ethnographic evidence obtained through field investigations and the analysis of published and archival sources. Particular attention is given to the results of the Kesh Archaeological and Topographical Expedition (KATE), whose investigations in the 1960s provided important evidence for the reconstruction of the ancient and medieval urban landscape.

The archaeological evidence indicates that the earliest urban development within modern Kitab dates to the third-second centuries BCE, while the ancient settlement reached its peak during the Kushan-Kangju period. The remains of defensive walls, the citadel at Qalandar-tepa, cultural deposits, ceramics, coins, and architectural materials demonstrate the long-term continuity and transformation of the settlement. In contrast, archaeological evidence from Shahrisabz indicates predominantly rural occupation during the Early Medieval period, with intensive urban development beginning in the ninth–twelfth centuries. The study therefore supports the hypothesis that ancient Kesh was located on the site of modern Kitab rather than Shahrisabz. At the same time, the subsequent transfer of the political and economic center to Shahrisabz contributed to its transformation into a major urban, cultural, and architectural center under the Timurids.

Management of Experiential Activities in Primary Schools in the Context of Digital Transformation: A Case Study at a Public Primary School in Hanoi, Vietnam

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Background: Digital transformation is reshaping the management of teaching and educational activities in primary schools. This study examined experiential-activity management at one public primary school in Hanoi.

Methods: A qualitative case study was conducted in May 2026 using interviews with 11 purposively selected stakeholders, direct observation, activity outputs, school records, and digital materials. Data were analysed through the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle.

Results: The school had digitised plans, used online coordination, encouraged digital learning resources, and begun collecting electronic evidence. However, plans were not updated regularly; infrastructure was unstable; monitoring criteria and instruments were not standardised; pupil and parent feedback was limited; and improvement remained situational.

Conclusion: Effective management requires a systematic, data-informed, and continuously improving PDCA process rather than isolated digital-tool use.

Contribution to literature: The study provides case-based evidence from a Vietnamese public primary school and clarifies the conditions required for digitally supported experiential-activity management.

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.