Analysis of Strengths,Weaknesses,Opportunities,and Threats on the Development and Internationalization of China’s Vocational Education in the Context of“The Belt and Road Initiative”Strategy

The belt and road initiative strategy is proposed based on the stable and sustainable cooperation on economy and development between China and neighboring countries.The development of economy can affect every aspect of vocational education development.Therefore,vocational education in China must be moved toward internationalization to achieve sustainable development in the face of the implementation of the belt and road initiative strategy.The analysis data obtained through the strengths,weaknesses,opportunities,and threats analysis method on the internationalization of China’s vocational education under the background of the belt and road initiative strategy were the advantages analysis(strengths)of continuous maturity in developing of vocational education,which drives by economic development and the foreign employment and entrepreneurship guidance mechanism;the disadvantages analysis(weaknesses)of lack talent cultivation and weak branding of vocational education;analysis of support opportunities given by national policy;and threats analysis of social culture in the involved countries along the route.To further develop and expand China’s vocational education under the background of the belt and road initiative strategy,some countermeasures were proposed such as improves cultivation or training of talents,to build strong branding of China vocational education,and faces cultural challenges to facilitate the international development of China vocational education.

Strengths,Weaknesses,Opportunities,and Threats Analysis and Countermeasures on the Cultivation of Preschool Teachers in Sichuan Province

Training of preschool teachers in Sichuan Province brings advantages in increasing government support for the preschool education industry.The society attaches an important role to the preschool education industry as well as the rapid development of preschool education in Sichuan Province.However,problem exists in large flows of preschool teachers and imbalanced gender ratios.By viewing from the new situation,the comprehensive liberalization of the second-child policy and the development of educational informatization as well as the implementation of the one belt and one road strategy have created great opportunities in training of preschool teachers.At the same time,the increase in external impact of high-quality graduates in the east also poses a great threat to the development of preschool teachers in Sichuan Province.Through the strategic combination of strengths,weaknesses,opportunities,and threats analysis,the paper explores effective countermeasure ways to improve the quality of training of the preschool teachers in Sichuan Province and the construction of an excellent team of preschool teachers in Sichuan Province.

Small ruminant value chain in Al-Ruwaished District,Jordan

This study aims to assess the small ruminant value chain in Al-Ruwaished District,Jordan,to identify the potential intervention areas that could improve the production efficiency and guarantee the sustainability of the small ruminant sector in this area.Sheep breeding is the source of livelihood for most of the people in Al-Ruwaished District,which is characterized by the large number of sheep and goats.We surveyed 5.0% of the small ruminant holders in the study area and conducted individual interviews and surveys with the potential actors in the value chain to undertake a small ruminant value chain analysis.From the survey,we found that the small ruminant value chain consists of five core functions,namely,input supply,production management,marketing,processing,and consumption.Despite the stable impression given by the large number of holdings in the small ruminant sector,the surveyed results show a clear fragility in the value chain of small ruminants in this area.The small ruminant production system is negatively impacted by climate change,especially continuous drought.In addition,the high prices of feed that the farmer cannot afford with clear and real absence of the governmental and non-governmental support activities also impact the development of the value chain.The results of strengths,weaknesses,opportunities,and threats(SWOT)analysis reveal that the major constraints faced by this value chain could be divided into external and internal threats.Specifically,the most prominent external threats are the nature of the desert land and continuous drought,while the major internal threats are the absence of appropriate infrastructure,shortage of inputs,and weakness in the production management and marketing.We proposed solutions to these challenges to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the sector,such as the formulation of emergency response plans to severe weather,qualifying farmers’skills,and establishment of agricultural cooperative societies.

Critique of TBLT in the Chinese Context

Task-based language teaching(TBLT) is an influential approach which prevails and thrives all over the world and is still favored by a number of teachers and researchers for its unparalleled advantages that overshadow the traditional ones. However, it still remains a question whether the foreign approach could be imported to China without modification and localized to adapt to Chinese educational background. This paper, aiming at answering this question, investigates the strengths and weaknesses of TBLT in the Chinese context at length.

Tunnel behaviour and support associated with the weak rock masses of flysch

Flysch formations are generally characterised by evident heterogeneity in the presence of low strength and tectonically disturbed structures. The complexity of these geological materials demands a more specialized geoengineering characterisation. In this regard, the paper tries to discuss the standardization of the engineering geological characteristics, the assessment of the behaviour in underground excava- tions, and the instructions-guidelines for the primary support measures for flysch layer qualitatively. In order to investigate the properties of flysch rock mass, 12 tunnels of Egnatia Highway, constructed in Northern Greece, were examined considering the data obtained from the design and construction records. Flysch formations are classified thereafter in 11 rock mass types （I-XI）, according to the siltstone -sandstone proportion and their tectonic disturbance. A special geological strength index （GSI） chart for heterogeneous rock masses is used and a range of geotechnical parameters for every flysch type is presented. Standardization tunnel behaviour for every rock mass type of flysch is also presented, based on its site-specific geotechnical characteristics such as structure, intact rock strength, persistence and complexity of discontinuities. Flysch, depending on its types, can be stable even under noticeable overburden depth, and exhibit wedge sliding and wider chimney type failures or cause serious deformation even under thin cover. Squeezing can be observed under high overburden depth. The magnitude of squeezing and tunnel support requirements are also discussed for various flysch rock mass types under different overburdens. Detailed principles and guidelines for selecting immediate support mea- sures are proposed based on the principal tunnel behaviour mode and the experiences obtained from these 12 tunnels. Finally, the cost for tunnel support from these experiences is also presented.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Planning Profession in China

China, as a developing nation, has therare success of maintaining the balance be-tween its rural and urban population toabout 80% and 20%, although the urbanpopulation has actually increased 130%since 1949, which is greater than the increaseof the national population (Zou, 1986).With its modernization effort and theliberalization of the economy, there aregreat demands for additional and improvedproduction space and efficient productionconditions, as well as demands for a betterliving environment which includes

A Critical Analysis of Group Work in Chinese University EFL Classes

In the past few years,group activities have been warmly welcomed by EFL(English as a foreign language)classes in Chi-na,but few studies have discussed it from a critical perspective.Thus,this study explores from students’experiences what and whythe strengths and weaknesses of group work in actual contexts appear.The findings reveal that Chinese learners regard group workas an effective interactive activity for language,personal,and emotional development.However,the possible pitfalls,such as pseu-dogroups,unequal participation,groupthink,L1(first language)influence may prevent learners from obtaining the benefits of CL(collaborative learning).Finally,some suggestions are given,with the purpose of creating a more suitable facilitative EFL classroomenvironment for future Chinese EFL teaching and learning.

Finite element analysis for inclined wellbore stability of transversely iso-tropic rock with HMCD coupling based on weak plane strength criterion

The finite element analysis(FEA) technology by hydraulic-mechanical-chemical-damage(HMCD) coupling is proposed in this paper for inclined wellbore stability analysis of water-sensitive and laminated rock, developed basing on the recently established FEA technology for transversely isotropic rock with hydraulic-mechanical-damage(HMD) coupling. The chemical activity of the drilling fluid is considered as phenomenological hydration behavior, the moisture content and parameters of rock considering hydration could be determined with time. The finite element(FE) solutions of numerical wellbore model considering the chemical activity of drilling fluid, damage tensor calculation and weak plane strength criterion for transversely isotropic rock are developed for researching the wellbore failure characteristics and computing the time-dependent collapse and fracture pressure of laminated rock as shale reservoirs. A three-dimensional FE model and elastic solid deformation and seepage flow coupled equations are developed, and the damage tensor calculation technology for transversely isotropic rock are realized by introducing effect of the hydration and the stress state under the current load. The proposed method utilizing weak plane strength criterion fully reflects the strength parameters in rock matrix and weak plane. To the end, an effective and reliable numerically three-step FEA strategy is well established for wellbore stability analysis. Numerical examples are given to show that the proposed method can establish efficient and applicable FE model and be suitable for analyzing the timedependsolutions of pore pressure and stresses, and the evolution region considering the hydration surrounding wellbore,furthermore to compute the collapse cycling time and the safe mud weight for collapse and fracture pressure of transversely isotropic rock.

Space Expression of Industry Status Using GIS and SWOT Analysis —Take the Planning Area in Lu'an as an Example

On the basis of sufficient understanding about the general situation of the Lu＇an planning area, Anhui Province, this paper uses strengths weakness opportunity threats （SWOT） analysis to analyze the internal and external factors of the development of the planning area itself; then it analyzes the industrial cluster situation in the planning area, and uses GIS space analysis to analyze the industry status of the planning area, integrating it with the geographic space expression to provide references for formulating the economic development program of the Lu＇an planning area.

Appraisal of the Production-Oriented Approach： An Introduction

The production-oriented approach （POA） has been developed over a decade. It is driven by the need to improve English classroom instruction for university students in China （Wen, 2016）. It is also motivated by the aspiration to enhance the quality of foreign language education in other similar pedagogical contexts outside China. A volume of research has been done by Wen Qiufang and her research team, to formulate the theory of POA and to test its effectiveness in classroom pedagogy （e.g. Wen, 2016, 2015; Yang, 2015; Zhang, 2015）. At the moment, the POA is still at an early stage of theory building and almost all empirical research is done in the Chinese context. In order to improve the quality of this theory and to make it intelligible to the international academic community, a one-day symposium was held in Beijing Foreign Studies University on May 15, 2017. The symposium was entitled ＇The first international forum on innovative foreign language education in China： Appraisal of the POA＇. In the forum, leading experts in applied linguistics were invited to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the POA and the directions for its future development. The symposium was the first attempt for the POA research team to discuss its latest work with international scholars. This Viewpoint section collects the responses of four experts who participated in the symposium, listed in alphabetical order. The collection of articles covers three topics related to the POA： its pedagogical application, its use for teacher training, and its research. Alister Cumming is Professor Emeritus and the former Head of the Centre for Educational Research on Languages and Literacies, University of Toronto, Canada. His article focuses primarily on POA research as an exemplary case of design-based research. Rod Ellis is Research Professor in the School of Education at Curtin University, Australia. He discusses POA in terms of pedagogy, teacher training and research, with both critiques and constructive suggestions. Paul Kei Matsuda is Professor of English and Director of Second Language Writing at Arizona State University, the writed states. He responds to POA from the perspective of an expert researcher and teacher of L2 writing. Charlene Polio is Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Linguistics ＆ Germanic, Slavic, Asian ＆ African Languages atMichigan State University, the writed states. She conceptualises POA as a useful method to address some issues in pre-service teacher development. Overall, the articles in this section are insightful and reader-friendly. They are not only useful for the development of POA in particular, but may also be valuable to a broad range of researchers as they touch upon pertaining issues, as well as emerging topics, in the field of applied linguistics. We therefore find it necessary to make them accessible to a wide readership.