Understanding quality issues in joint training programs in Vietnam : a sensemaking approach /

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Student Theses

2024

Nguyen, Ngoc Ninh

Hong Kong : The Education University of Hong Kong

Thesis

This study investigates quality assurance (QA) in Joint Training Programs (JTPs) in Vietnam, a form of transnational education (TNE), that has expanded rapidly over the past three decades. While TNE has garnered significant scholarly attention, there remains a gap in understanding from the host country’s perspective, particularly concerning how stakeholders perceive and address quality challenges in these programs. This research aims to fill this gap by exploring how Vietnamese host institutions design, deliver, and manage JTPs; how stakeholders make sense of and navigate quality challenges during program implementation; and how collective sensemaking influences institutional actions in addressing these challenges.Employing a qualitative approach framed by Weick’s (1995) seven properties of organizational sensemaking, the study utilizes multiple case studies of two Vietnamese universities partnering with UK and US institutions. Data were collected through document analysis, semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, and direct observations. The findings reveal that JTPs are significantly influenced by the partnership approaches of foreign institutions and the responsive models adopted by the host institutions. UK institutions typically employed a Principal-Agent approach with a sense-forcing curriculum implementation. In contrast, US institutions often engaged in a Collegial Partnership with a sense-negotiating strategy. In response to these approaches, host institutions either adopted an Agent Model focused on compliance without significant local adaptation, as in the case of University A (UA), or adopted a Glocalized Model that integrates global standards with local needs, fostering flexibility and innovation in program delivery despite the sense-forcing curriculum, as in the case of University C (UC). It was also found that how Vietnamese universities organized themselves in managing JTP operations either advance solutions to quality challenges as in UC’s unified TNE management through UC International School or untimely attendance to, even failture to recognize, quality issues as in the segmented TNE management of UA.Stakeholders’ perceptions of quality challenges are shaped by identity construction, which influences their capacity for sensemaking. At UA, stakeholders adopted externally constructed identities, seeing themselves primarily as implementers focused on compliance, resulting in limited proactive engagement with quality issues. Conversely, at UC, stakeholders developed internally constructed identities, viewing themselves as responsible agents for ensuring program quality. This fosters a sense of ownership and accountability, enhancing their sensemaking capacity and driving proactive engagement in addressing quality challenges through collaborative efforts. The study concludes that effective collective sensemaking is crucial in guiding institutional actions to address quality challenges in JTPs. UC demonstrated robust collective sensemaking through regular meetings with engaged conversations, open communication channels, and collaborative problem-solving practices, leading to proactive QA actions and enhanced program sustainability. In contrast, the absence of collective sensemaking at UA resulted in reactive responses and ineffective quality assurance practices.This research contributes to TNE theory by linking partnership approaches to QA, extending sensemaking theory within the TNE context, and emphasizing the pivotal role of governance models in shaping leadership identity and collective sensemaking. Practically, it offers insights into establishing effective institutional QA frameworks, advancing JTP curriculum design and delivery, improving teaching practices, enhancing student learning and support, and emphasizing effective leadership and management of JTPs. Methodologically, the study introduces an innovative application of sensemaking theory and a comparative case study approach in TNE research. The findings also inform policy-making by advocating for collaborative partnership models and centralized governance structures to strengthen leadership identities, enhance collective sensemaking, and improve QA frameworks in TNE

LG51.H43 Dr 2024eb Nguyennn

https://educoll.lib.eduhk.hk/records/uthjcRQA