Exploring learning processes: A qualitative diary study of digital VS. print flashcards in Japanese vocabulary acquisition

2026-05-05T14:19:02+00:00

This study explores learning processes and learner perceptions in the use of printed and digital flashcards for Japanese vocabulary acquisition. Employing a qualitative diary study, data were collected from daily learning logs completed by learners at LPJ Bali during an ongoing instructional intervention. The learning logs documented study time, learning strategies, and perceived challenges while using either printed or digital flashcards. The findings reveal distinct patterns between the two flashcard modes. Learners using digital flashcards tended to engage in shorter study sessions and frequently combined multiple learning modes within a single session, whereas learners using printed flashcards more often studied for moderate durations using sequential and repetitive strategies. Reported challenges also differed across modes. While challenges in the printed flashcard group were mainly related to sustained effort and kanji processing, challenges in the digital flashcard group were more commonly associated with technical issues and attentional lapses. These findings are discussed through the lens of Cognitive Load Theory and Multimedia Learning Theory. The study suggests that although digital flashcards offer multimodal and game-based learning affordances, they may introduce additional extraneous cognitive load if not optimally managed. Conversely, printed flashcards provide a more stable learning environment with lower instructional complexity.

Factors affecting the management of teachers’ professional activities in upper secondary schools toward professional autonomy in Vietnam

2026-05-11T02:24:01+00:00

This study examines the factors affecting the management of teachers’ professional activities toward professional autonomy in upper secondary schools in Vietnam. In the context of ongoing educational reform, competency-based education, and school decentralization, professional autonomy has become an important requirement for enhancing teachers’ professional agency, instructional innovation, and educational quality. The study employed a qualitative document analysis approach to review Vietnamese educational policies, legal documents, and international studies related to teacher autonomy, school leadership, organizational culture, and professional development. The findings reveal that the management of teachers’ professional activities is influenced by two major groups of factors: objective factors and subjective factors. Objective factors include institutional frameworks, educational policies, financial mechanisms, and socio-cultural conditions, while subjective factors involve teachers’ professional competence and motivation, school leadership, organizational culture, and professional development support systems. The study also highlights that school-level conditions play a mediating role in connecting educational reforms with teachers’ professional practices. In the Vietnamese context, promoting professional autonomy requires not only supportive policies but also democratic leadership, collaborative school cultures, equitable professional development opportunities, and balanced accountability mechanisms.

International journal of humanities, literature and arts

Exploring learning processes: A qualitative diary study of digital VS. print flashcards in Japanese vocabulary acquisition

Factors affecting the management of teachers’ professional activities in upper secondary schools toward professional autonomy in Vietnam