Be, Thi Tuyet (2020) Developing Students’ Employability in Internationalised Curriculum Programs in Vietnamese Higher Education. PhD thesis, Victoria University.

Abstract

With the increasing trend towards internationalisation of curriculum (IoC) in higher education, questions about quality and outcomes of students’ future employment are under-researched in Vietnam. This study contributed to the scarce information on understanding employability skills and how these skills are developed in IoC programs in Vietnam. Designed as quantitative and qualitative mixed methods, this research employed two methods of data collection: a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with three stakeholder groups. A total of 375 final year students in their final year in four public universities participated in the survey. Twenty-six interviews were conducted with students, graduates and employers of IoC employees. The study engaged with the dimensions of employability skills adopted from Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills (ATC21S) combined with the Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, Values and Ethics (KSAVE) model of Binkley et al. (2012). The findings of this research identify variability in the employability skills IoC programs are developing for their business students. The results show that IoC programs could help students develop ways of thinking and working, equip them with tools for working, enrich cultural understanding, enhance career identity and improve personal attributes but that there is no one systematic approach. This research highlights strategies to enhance students’ skills development, which may provide some guidance for IoC educational providers, academic staff and IoC students. My research also indicates several problems related to IoC programs reported by the above mentioned stakeholders. These require reviewing and resolving where possible. Finally, my research proposed a practical employability skills framework, developed and validated from a Western model, to suit the context of IoC program institutions in Vietnam.

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