درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

China has become a competitive player in the global higher education landscape with a growing number of Chinese universities being part of the global rankings. With the significant improvement in the quality of some Chinese universities, education as a soft power was deployed by China toward ASEAN countries. This strategy was particularly evident in PRC Ministry of Education’s appeal to Chinese universities to serve the nation’s diplomatic strategies. This paper puts into perspective Sino-ASEAN people-to-people exchange and institutional linkages in the aspect of education. Overall, the article examines the intersections of soft power, geopolitics, and student mobility as situated in the Sino-ASEAN context. Through secondary data analysis, the trend of student mobility from ASEAN countries to China was traced. The results reveal that the ASEAN student outflows to China have been gradually increasing.  By strategically accepting more ASEAN students to Chinese universities, China assists in the development of ASEAN’s human resources and continues to be perceived as a partner in the region’s development.

With the COVID-19 outbreak, it appears that social research to better understand how people react to epidemics, particularly this one, is a necessity. A lesser-known societal feature of COVID-19 is the trust of Corona patients in modern medical institution. The current study addresses this issue. This study drew on institutional trust theories, most notably Giddens' theory of abstract systems trust. In this study, the qualitative method was applied. Thematic analysis is a qualitative research method which was used. Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. The statistical population for this study is comprised of Covid-19 patients who have been infected with the virus between the Covid-19 virus outbreak in Iran and September 2020, and 21 of them were chosen through a purposive sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with these patients. According to the research findings, Corona patients' opinions can be classified into three categories: 'medical science and expertise', 'hospital environment,' and 'medical staff,' with each category containing sources of trust and distrust. The article delves deeper into sub-themes and other details. Among the COVID-19 patients who have been interviewed, there appears to be a boost in public trust in medical personnel. While these patients' trust in medical science and expertise, as well as in the hospital environment, has eroded.

Despite the increased research on various aspects of academic optimism (AO) in general education, this line of inquiry has not received adequate empirical attention in English language teacher education. The present mixed-methods study aimed to explore the role of AO in MALL-oriented listening instruction among Iranian EFL teachers, with a focus on variations in their experience ranges. A total of 168 teachers participated in the study and completed the study scales, and 15 teachers with higher levels of perceived AO were further interviewed to gather qualitative data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to examine the quantitative data, while thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the qualitative data. The quantitative results indicated significant differences between novice, experienced, and highly experienced language teachers, with the latter holding more positive beliefs about AO and MALL in relation to listening. Additionally, a significant correlation was found between AO and MALL. The qualitative findings complemented the quantitative results by highlighting the pivotal role of academic optimism in driving teachers’ motivation, the positive impact of teachers’ optimistic attitudes on student engagement and motivation, and the pedagogical strategies employed by optimistic teachers to effectively incorporate MALL in their instructional practices. These findings provide implications for teachers and teacher educators, emphasizing the importance of integrating AO principles in MALL-related professional development courses to positively contribute to teachers’ professional growth. The study contributes to the limited empirical research on AO within the context of English language teacher education and provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between academic optimism, MALL-oriented listening instruction, and teacher-student interactions.