Abstract This study examines how ChatGPT influences high school students’ cognitive and behavioral engagement in Physics learning, drawing on survey data from 251 students at Vo Minh Duc High School in Ho Chi Minh City. Although generative AI is increasingly adopted in education, little is known about how Vietnamese students use ChatGPT in a cognitively demanding subject like Physics-representing a notable research gapin a cognitively demanding subject like Physics, which represents a notable research gap. Using a mixed-methods design, the study explores how students employ ChatGPT, how they perceive its usefulness and reliability, and how its use shapes learning behaviors. Findings indicate that students commonly use ChatGPT as a self-study aid and perceive it as helpful for understanding complex concepts, yet many express concerns about accuracy and show signs of overreliance when using the tool without guidance. The study highlights the dual impact of ChatGPT-supporting learning while potentially reducing independent thinking-and contributes evidence potentially reducing independent thinking and contributes evidence to inform AI literacy development, teacher training, and pedagogical frameworks for responsible integration of generative AI in secondary education.

The administrative merger in Southeast Vietnam has fundamentally reshaped regional governance, spatial configurations, and development priorities, creating urgent requirements for a more integrated approach to science and technology (S&T) human resource development. To assess the implications of this restructuring, the study employs a mixed-methods design that combines institutional diagnostics, comparative policy analysis, and quantitative evaluation of workforce indicators. Empirical data are sourced from national statistical agencies, ministerial datasets, provincial development reports, and international benchmarking studies. The analysis focuses on the S&T workforce within the newly configured administrative units of expanded Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, and Tay Ninh, examining competency structures, spatial distribution, coordination mechanisms, and post-merger system dynamics. The findings reveal significant disparities in qualification profiles, weak cross-provincial linkages in training and research, and limited alignment between workforce planning and emergent regional development trajectories. Despite these constraints, the merger presents opportunities to consolidate training capacity, strengthen innovation networks, and enhance talent mobility. The study argues for a coordinated regional S&T human resource strategy supported by institutional harmonization, a functionally differentiated training system, AI-enabled workforce planning tools, and expanded regional–national–international cooperation to advance a knowledge-based, climate-adaptive development pathway for Southeast Vietnam.

This study explores non-English major students’ perceptions of the ethical use and plagiarism risks associated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in academic writing at Thu Dau Mot University. As AI technologies become increasingly integrated into higher education, concerns about academic integrity, authorship, and originality have intensified. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, data were collected from 108 students through questionnaires and from six participants via semi-structured interviews. Quantitative findings revealed that a majority of students acknowledged the importance of ethical AI use and expressed support for clearer institutional guidelines and teacher training on responsible AI integration. However, uncertainty persisted regarding the ethical boundaries between legitimate assistance and academic misconduct. Qualitative data reinforced these findings, highlighting students’ awareness of AI’s dual role in enhancing writing skills and posing plagiarism risks, particularly through diminished creativity and loss of personal voice. The study underscores the need for localized policies, updated plagiarism regulations, and pedagogical strategies to guide responsible AI use in EFL writing contexts.

Effective English communication remains a significant challenge for non-English major students at many Vietnamese universities, often hindering their academic and professional development. This study explores the key difficulties faced by non-English majors at Thu Dau Mot University in English communication and their engagement in classroom speaking activities. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study collected data from 100 students through questionnaires and interviews. The findings reveal four primary challenges: limited vocabulary, pronunciation difficulties, overreliance on the native language, and lack of confidence. These issues not only affect students’ ability to express themselves in English but also reduce their participation in classroom activities. Despite these obstacles, the study found that active engagement in speaking activities positively impacts students’ learning outcomes, highlighting the importance of supportive and interactive teaching methods. Engagement varied, with students demonstrating greater participation in structured activities than in spontaneous speaking tasks. Based on the findings, the study provides recommendations for fostering a more engaging and effective learning environment.

English language proficiency is crucial for academic and professional success, with effective communication skills playing a pivotal role. Collaborative teaching methods, particularly group work, can significantly enhance students' creativity, evaluation, synthesis, analysis, and comparison, as well as problem-solving, essential for developing collaborative abilities. Furthermore, non-English major students often struggle to develop their speaking skills due to limited practice opportunities. This study addresses this challenge by implementing group-work activities in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. A mixed-methods approach was used to gather data including quantitative data collected through a questionnaire administered to 71 non-major students at Dong Nai Technology University and qualitative data came from semi-structured interviews. The results showed that group work significantly improved students' fluency, coherence, and confidence. Students reported increased motivation and engagement in speaking activities. These findings suggest that group-work activities effectively enhance speaking skills for non-English major students.

This research examines the scholarly literature on technology-based language learning published in the Computer Assisted Language Learning journal-one of the key journals in the field from 1990 to 2019. The researcher randomly selected 30 articles from 257 articles found in this journal during a thirty-year period (one article each year) to analyze the research method trends and the learner types focused in those studies. Results showed that mixed-method research has been more popular in recent years, and this may help academics better understand the connections between classroom environments and technology-enhanced language acquisition. For quantitative analysis, tests and Liker-scale questionnaires are the most used instruments, whereas interviews are the most common approach for qualitative analysis in mixed-method publications. Additionally, when it came to learning levels, researchers focused their attention on college and university students, but they paid no attention to pre-schoolers.