Leadership to support quality improvement in Vietnamese higher education

The impetus for the study reported in this paper is the Higher Education (HE) reform agenda outlined by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET). The paper reports on phase one of a mixed method research; a quantitative approach using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) to investigate the Vietnamese HE leaders’ leadership styles. The MLQ survey was administered to approximately 190 senior managers in State HE institutions in Mekong Delta region in Vietnam (nine of colleges). The psychometrics of the MLQ for the Vietnamese sample confirmed the reliability and validity of the instrument with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.779. A CFA was conducted and all factor structures were stable and consistent. The demographic variables were used to analyse patterns of leadership behaviours by the different sub-groups. The findings suggest that leaders who have different educational background and different gender in Mekong Delta region, Vietnam do not differ significantly in their perceptions about leadership factors.

Towards a potential model to enhance language learner autonomy in the Vietnamese higher education context

This constructivist theory-led case study explored how the term language learner autonomy (LLA) is interpreted and the appropriate pedagogy to foster LLA in the Vietnamese higher education context. Evidence through the exploration of the government policies and the cases of three EFL classes confirms the interpretation that learner autonomy and language acquisition are mutually supported. The study has proposed project work as a potential model while demonstrating the role of the teacher and the use of target language as mediators to enhance LLA in the local context. Findings of the study contribute a theoretical and pedagogical justification for encouraging LLA in Vietnam and other similar contexts.

Caught in the headlights: Designing for creative learning and teaching in higher education

This study was an exploration of the different ways that educators conceptualise and approach creative learning and teaching. The research revealed theoretical and practice-based insights, demonstrating that exemplary teachers adopt an ecological approach to designing for student creativity; this approach acknowledges and works with the complexity of the higher education environment and the dynamic relationships between students, peers and teachers. The inquiry confirmed the value of using learning design patterns to uncover hidden creative processes.

Interactive relationships among multiple dimensions of professional commitment: Implications for stress outcomes in lawyers

The purpose of this study was to examine the main and interactive effects of four dimensions of professional commitment on strain (i.e., depression, anxiety, perceived health status, and job dissatisfaction) for a sample of 176 law professionals. The study utilized a two-wave design in which professional commitment and strain were measured at Time 1 and strain was measured again at Time 2 (T2), 2 months later. A significant two-way interaction indicated that high affective commitment was related to less T2 job dissatisfaction only for lawyers with low accumulated costs. A significant four-way interaction indicated that high affective professional commitment was only related to fewer symptoms of T2 anxiety for lawyers with high normative professional commitment and both low limited alternatives and accumulated costs. A similar pattern of results emerged in regard to T2 perceived health status. The theoretical and practical implications of these results for career counselors are discussed.

The history, content and evolution of The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education

The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education (Int J FYHE) began in 2010 with a specific FYHE focus and has published two issues per year with one issue linked to The International First Year in Higher Education Conference (FYHE Conference). This issue—Volume 6, Issue 1—is the last under this title. In 2015 the Journal will align to a new conference that has a broader focus on Students, Transitions, Achievement, Retention and Success (STARS). At this significant point and before we move on to the new journal, the journal team felt it was appropriate that the Feature in this final issue of the Int J FYHE should summarise the Journal’s activity over the years from 2010 to 2014.

Creative labour and graduate outcomes : Implications for higher education and cultural policy

One of the principal ways that cultural and higher education policy and practice intersect is over a shared concern with the supply of talent and its employability and career sustainability. This article considers the multidisciplinary contributions to these debates, and then engages with these debates by drawing upon research from analyses of national Census data, and via granular empirical survey research into Australian creative arts graduates’ initial career trajectories. In so doing, it seeks to paint a more nuanced picture of graduate outcomes, the significance of creative skills and by extension creative education and training, and the various kinds of value that creative graduates add through their work. This evidence should assist in a closer affinity between the differing approaches to creative labour and the creative economy, and has implications for cultural and higher education policy.

Establishing a participatory library model: A Grounded Theory study

Purpose The purpose of this research is to explore the idea of the participatory library in higher education settings. This research aims to address the question, what is a participatory university library? Design/methodology/approach Grounded theory approach was adopted. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with two diverse groups of participants including ten library staff members and six library users. Data collection and analysis were carried out simultaneously and complied with Straussian grounded theory principles and techniques. Findings Three core categories representing the participatory library were found including “community”, “empowerment”, and “experience”. Each category was thoroughly delineated via sub-categories, properties, and dimensions that all together create a foundation for the participatory library. A participatory library model was also developed together with an explanation of model building blocks that provide a deeper understanding of the participatory library phenomenon. Research limitations The research focuses on a specific library system, i.e., academic libraries. Therefore, the research results may not be very applicable to public, special, and school library contexts. Originality/value This is the first empirical study developing a participatory library model. It provides librarians, library managers, researchers, library students, and the library community with a holistic picture of the contemporary library.

Rethinking Disney: Private Control, Public Dimensions

Mike Budd and Max H. Kirsch, eds. Rethinking Disney: Private Control, Public Dimensions. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2005. ix + 341pp. $27.95

A cellular automata model to investigate immune cell–tumor cell interactions in growing tumors in two spatial dimensions

We develop a hybrid cellular automata model to describe the effect of the immune system and chemokines on a growing tumor. The hybrid cellular automata model consists of partial differential equations to model chemokine concentrations, and discrete cellular automata to model cell–cell interactions and changes. The computational implementation overlays these two components on the same spatial region. We present representative simulations of the model and show that increasing the number of immature dendritic cells (DCs) in the domain causes a decrease in the number of tumor cells. This result strongly supports the hypothesis that DCs can be used as a cancer treatment. Furthermore, we also use the hybrid cellular automata model to investigate the growth of a tumor in a number of computational “cancer patients.” Using these virtual patients, the model can explain that increasing the number of DCs in the domain causes longer “survival.” Not surprisingly, the model also reflects the fact that the parameter related to tumor division rate plays an important role in tumor metastasis.

Success factors of engaging higher education students and staff with e-learning tools within Learning Management Systems

This thesis explored the state of the use of e-learning tools within Learning Management Systems in higher education and developed a distinct framework to explain the factors influencing users' engagement with these tools. The study revealed that the Learning Management System design, preferences for other tools, availability of time, lack of adequate knowledge about tools, pedagogical practices, and social influences affect the uptake of Learning Management System tools. Semi structured interviews with 74 students and lecturers of a major Australian university were used as a source of data. The applied thematic analysis method was used to analyse the collected data.

Higher-intensity exercise results in more sustainable improvements for VO2peak for breast and prostate cancer survivors

Purpose/Objectives: To examine peak volume of oxygen consumption (VO2peak) changes after a high- or low-intensity exercise intervention.
 Design: Experimental trial comparing two randomized intervention groups with control. 
 Setting: An exercise clinic at a university in Australia.
 Sample: 87 prostate cancer survivors (aged 47–80 years) and 72 breast cancer survivors (aged 34–76 years).
 Methods: Participants enrolled in an eight-week exercise intervention (n = 84) or control (n = 75) group. Intervention participants were randomized to low-intensity (n = 44, 60%–65% VO2peak, 50%–65% of one repetition maximum [1RM]) or high-intensity (n = 40, 75%–80% VO2peak, 65%–80% 1RM) exercise groups. Participants in the control group continued usual routines. All participants were assessed at weeks 1 and 10. The intervention groups were reassessed four months postintervention for sustainability. 
 Main Research Variables: VO2peak and self-reported physical activity.
 Findings: Intervention groups improved VO2peak similarly (p = 0.083), and both more than controls (p < 0.001). The high-intensity group maintained VO2peak at follow-up, whereas the low-intensity group regressed (p = 0.021). The low-intensity group minimally changed from baseline to follow-up by 0.5 ml/kg per minute, whereas the high-intensity group significantly improved by 2.2 ml/kg per minute (p = 0.01). Intervention groups always reported similar physical activity levels. 
 Conclusions: Higher-intensity exercise provided more sustainable cardiorespiratory benefits than lower-intensity exercise.
 Implications for Nursing: Survivors need guidance on exercise intensity, because a high volume of low-intensity exercise may not provide sustained health benefits.

Application of higher-order spectra for automated grading of diabetic maculopathy

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is one of the most common causes of visual loss among diabetes mellitus patients. Early detection and successive treatment may improve the visual acuity. DME is mainly graded into non-clinically significant macular edema (NCSME) and clinically significant macular edema according to the location of hard exudates in the macula region. DME can be identified by manual examination of fundus images. It is laborious and resource intensive. Hence, in this work, automated grading of DME is proposed using higher-order spectra (HOS) of Radon transform projections of the fundus images. We have used third-order cumulants and bispectrum magnitude, in this work, as features, and compared their performance. They can capture subtle changes in the fundus image. Spectral regression discriminant analysis (SRDA) reduces feature dimension, and minimum redundancy maximum relevance method is used to rank the significant SRDA components. Ranked features are fed to various supervised classifiers, viz. Naive Bayes, AdaBoost and support vector machine, to discriminate No DME, NCSME and clinically significant macular edema classes. The performance of our system is evaluated using the publicly available MESSIDOR dataset (300 images) and also verified with a local dataset (300 images). Our results show that HOS cumulants and bispectrum magnitude obtained an average accuracy of 95.56 and 94.39 % for MESSIDOR dataset and 95.93 and 93.33 % for local dataset, respectively.

An investigation into students' motivation to learn English in higher education in Vietnam

This mixed-methods research explored students' motivation to learn English in an attempt to enhance the quality of teaching and learning English in Vietnamese higher education. An intricate picture of students' motivation was revealed: motivation to learn English to gain pragmatic benefits, to satisfy internal aspirations, and in response to external pressures. Students expressed that feeling connected with significant people (lecturers, peers and parents) enhanced their motivation to learn English. This research has significance at both practical and theoretical levels as it provides important insights into the teaching and learning English in Vietnamese higher education and the literature of second language learning motivation.

International students' perceptions of their experience of higher education in Australia: A focus on Saudi Arabian students in their first year of a business course in a major Australian university

This study examined perceptions of international students from Saudi Arabia living and studying in Australia. As a qualitative study that featured case study methodology, the thesis discusses the experiences of Saudi Arabian students in the light of two important factors: students' expectations prior to coming to Australia and the impact of intercultural competency on students' experiences. The study found that while study participants reported mostly positive experiences, there were challenges faced such as coping with English language and culture shock. The thesis culminates in a comprehensive list of implications for educators in the light of the study's findings.