Developing generic skills for students via extra-curricular activities in Vietnamese universities: Practices and influential factors

Authors

  • Tran Le Huu Nghia University of Melbourne, Australia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2017vol8no1art624

Keywords:

higher education, generic skills, extra-curricular activities, Vietnam, the Youth Union

Abstract

Developing generic skills (GS) for students has become central in many higher education curricula lately. However, there is still a lack of studies regarding how these skills are developed for students, especially those in developing countries. Drawing from a PhD study, this article reports the contribution of extra-curricular activities in developing GS for students in Vietnamese universities and analyses factors influencing the effectiveness of developing GS for students via these activities. A content analysis of relevant documents and 69 interviews with university leaders, academics and organisers of the Youth union and its associates (YUA) showed that extra-curricular activities were involved as an integral component of a university’s strategy for training students in GS. This was due to a lack of curriculum autonomy, which restricted most Vietnamese universities from adding skills subjects into the curriculum, and the YUA also had a long-standing tradition of developing non-discipline-specific skills for students. The YUA were found to successfully develop GS for students via extra-curricular activities; however, their operation was influenced by university leadership, student participation, external stakeholders’ support, and the leadership of the YUA. The article argues that extra-curricular activities were conducive to developing GS for students; therefore, they should be included in student skills development programs in higher education.

 

Metrics

File downloads
719
Jul 2017Jan 2018Jul 2018Jan 2019Jul 2019Jan 2020Jul 2020Jan 2021Jul 2021Jan 2022Jul 2022Jan 2023Jul 2023Jan 2024Jul 2024Jan 2025Jul 2025Jan 20269
|

Author Biography

  • Tran Le Huu Nghia, University of Melbourne, Australia

    Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne.

References

Al-Ansari, A., Al-Harbi, F., AbdelAziz, W., AbdelSalam, M., El Tantawi, M. M., & ElRefae, I. (2016). Factors affecting student participation in extra-curricular activities: A comparison between two Middle Eastern dental schools. The Saudi dental journal, 28(1), 36-43.

Al-Mahmood, R., & Gruba, P. (2007). Approaches to the implementation of generic graduate attributes in Australian ICT undergraduate education. Computer Science Education, 17(3), 171-185. doi:10.1080/08993400701538054

Barrie, S., Hughes, C., Smith, C., & Thomson, K. (2009). National GAP issues papers. Retrieved from Australia: http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/projects/nationalgap/resources/GAPpdfs/NationalGAP_issues_Papers.pdf

Bodewig, C., Badiani-Magnusson, R., & Macdonald, K. (2014). Skilling up Vietnam: Preparing the workforce for a modern market economy: World Bank Publications.

Browne, K. (2005). Snowball sampling: using social networks to research non‐heterosexual women. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(1), 47-60. doi:10.1080/1364557032000081663

Elo, S., & Kyngäs, H. (2008). The qualitative content analysis process. Journal of advanced nursing, 62(1), 107-115. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04569.x

Falk, J. H., Ballantyne, R., Packer, J., & Benckendorff, P. (2012). Travel and learning: A neglected tourism research area. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(2), 908-927. doi:10.1016/j.annals.2011.11.016

González, J., & Wagenaar, R. (2003). Tuning educational structures in Europe. Bilbao: University of Deusto

Hadgraft, R., Pearce, J., Edwards, D., Fraillon, J., & Coates, H. (2012). Assessing higher education learning outcomes in civil engineering: The OECD AHELO feasibility study. Paper presented at the Profession of Engineering Education: Advancing Teaching, Research and Careers: 23rd Annual Conference of the Australasian Association for Engineering Education 2012, Melbourne.

Hager, P., & Holland, S. (2006). Graduate attributes, learning and employability. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.

Harman, G., Hayden, M., & Pham, T. N. (2010). Higher education in Vietnam: reform, challenges and priorities. The Netherlands: Springer.

Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union. (2015). Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union. Retrieved from http://english.doanthanhnien.vn/

Horton, J., Macve, R., & Struyven, G. (2004). Qualitative research: experiences in using semi-structured interviews. In C. Humphrey & B. Lee (Eds.), The real life guide to accounting research (pp. 339-357). Amsterdam, The Netherland: Elsevier Science.

Jones, A. (2010). Generic attributes in Accounting: The significance of the disciplinary context. Accounting Education, 19(1/2), 5-21. doi:10.1080/09639280902875523

Kalles, S., & Ryan, T. G. (2015). Service-learning: Promise and possibility in post-secondary education. International Journal of Progressive Education, 11(1), 132-148.

Kearney, S., Perkins, T., & Maakrun, J. (2014). A transformative experience: A short-term cross-cultural service-learning immersion to Kenya. Issues in Educational Research, 24(3), 229-237. Retrieved from http://www.iier.org.au/iier24/kearney.html

Kohlbacher, F. (2006). The use of qualitative content analysis in case study research. Paper presented at the Forum: Qualitative Social Research, Deutschland, Germany. http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/75/154

Manpower Group. (2011). Building a high-skilled economy: A new Vietnam. Retrieved from http://projects.vef.gov/followupresearch/upload/BuildingAHigh-SkilledEconomy_TheNewVietnam_A4.pdf

Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research : a guide to design and implementation. San Francisco Jossey-Bass.

MOET. (2010). Công văn 2916/ BGDĐT-GDĐH hướng dẫn xây dựng và công bố chuẩn đầu ra ngành đào tạo. Hanoi: Ministry of Education and Training Retrieved from http://thuvienphapluat.vn/cong-van/Giao-duc/Cong-van-2196-BGDDT-GDDH-cong-bo-chuan-dau-ra-nganh-dao-tao-104676.aspx.

Osman, K. (2011). The inculcation of generic skills through service learning experience among science student teachers. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 18, 148-153. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.05.022

Pham, L. H., & Fry, G. W. (2002). The emergence of private higher education in Vietnam: Challenges and opportunities. Educational Research for Policy and Practice, 1(1-2), 127-141. doi:10.1023/A:1021130320485

Pham, T. N. (2010). The higher education reform agenda: A vision for 2020. In G. Harman, M. Hayden, & Pham Thanh Nghi (Eds.), Reforming higher education in Vietnam: Challenges and priorities (pp. 51-64). The Netherlands: Springer.

Pitman, T., & Broomhall, S. (2009). Australian universities, generic skills and lifelong learning. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 28(4), 439-458. doi:10.1080/02601370903031280

Scarinci, J., & Pearce, P. (2012). The perceived influence of travel experiences on learning generic skills. Tourism Management, 33(2), 380-386. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2011.04.007

Shattock, M. L. (2001). Impact of the Dearing Report on UK higher education. In D. Aspin, J. Chapman, M. Hatton, & Y. Sawano (Eds.), International Handbook of Lifelong Learning (pp. 7-17). Dordrecht: Springer.

Shoenfelt, E. L., Stone, N. J., & Kottke, J. L. (2013). Internships: An established mechanism for increasing employability. Industrial and Organisational Psychology, 6(1), 24-27. doi:10.1111/iops.12004

Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency. (2013). Australian qualifications framework. Australia: The Australian Qualifications Framework Council Retrieved from http://www.aqf.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/AQF-2nd-Edition-January-2013.pdf.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations. (2008). ASEAN Econmic Community blueprint Jakarta, Indonesia. Retrieved from http://www.asean.org/archive/5187-10.pdf

Tran, T. T. (2015). Is graduate employability the ‘whole-of-higher-education-issue’? Journal of Education and Work, 28(3), 207-227. doi:10.1080/13639080.2014.900167

Tse, T. S. (2010). What do hospitality students find important about internships? Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 10(3), 251-264. doi:10.1080/15313221003792027

Varghese, N. V. (2007). GATS and higher education: the need for regulatory policies. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001506/150689e.pdf

Vietnamese National Congress. (2012). Luật giáo dục đại học. Hanoi: Vietnamese National Congress Retrieved from http://www.chinhphu.vn/portal/page/portal/chinhphu/hethongvanban?class_id=1&mode=detail&document_id=163054.

World Bank. (2008). Vietnam: Higher education and skills for growth. Retrieved from https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/7814

World Bank. (2015). Vietnam [statistics]. Retrieved from: http://data.worldbank.org/country/vietnam

Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research : design and methods (4 ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.

Downloads

Published

2017-03-10

Issue

Section

JOURNAL PAPERS

How to Cite

Nghia, T. L. H. (2017). Developing generic skills for students via extra-curricular activities in Vietnamese universities: Practices and influential factors. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 8(1), 22-39. https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2017vol8no1art624