University Student Training On Social Research

training courses in 3 provinces

university students from 49 universities

AIMS

Equipping students with skills and methods of project implementation of social research.
Encouraging students to love nature and increasing their awareness and knowledge about nature conservation, especially Pangolin conservation in Vietnam.
Giving students the opportunities to experience, learn, and participate in wildlife conservation.
Creating a bridge between student volunteers and SVW conservationists for networking and exchanging conservation experiences and expertise.
Supplementing students with social skills to carry out and participate in community activities.

TRAINING DESIGNS

Selection of student and training locations

Students would interview people living in different areas (urban, rural, and around the forest) located in 15 provinces across Vietnam. As Vietnam has very distinct cultures amongst the regions and provinces, we reviewed applications, interviewed, and selected university students who are permanent residents in 15 targeted provinces to ensure that the students are familiar with the areas and the local cultures for more effective communication and safer travels.
Selected students came from 49 universities across the country. Therefore, we selected three training locations in 3 big cities (Ha Noi, Hue, Ho Chi Minh City) with the largest number of participants living and studying. A few students from other provinces will be granted travel expenses to participate in the training at one closest training venue.

Training lectures and activities

We aim to ensure that the students are equipped with adequate knowledge, information, and practical skills to carry out the interview as well as raising awareness for Vietnamese people about wildlife conservation. After finishing the interview, each student would deliver an awareness-raising session to leave every respondent with a positive attitude towards Pangolin conservation. This is also to prevent possible negative behaviours toward Pangolins caused by their curiosity.

TRAINING OUTCOMES

114 trained students have interviewed and raised awareness for approximately 10,000 people living in 15 provinces across Vietnam. In each province, each student travelled hundreds of kilometres to ensure the equal collection of data from urban, rural, and remote areas.

About 10,000 educational material sets, which included the certification of appreciation, were distributed directly to all respondents.

After the data being cleaned, the research achieved 8,313 completed questionnaires for data analysis.

There was a positive response from respondents about the certification of appreciation. Most respondents were satisfied and happy to receive the certifications. Some respondents used the certification to spread the word about the Pangolins. One of the respondents named Vo Thi Bich Van in Can Tho province carefully placed the certificate in the most visible position on her food stall wall. “There, I aim to put the certificate there, so that all people eating noodles in my shop can read and learn to save this gentle animal!”, she said.