Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Soft Skill Development For Employability
Soft Skill Development For Employability
Soft skill development for employability: A case study of stem graduate students
at a Vietnamese transnational university
Christina W. Yao, Minerva D. Tuliao,
Article information:
To cite this document:
Christina W. Yao, Minerva D. Tuliao, (2019) "Soft skill development for employability: A case study of
stem graduate students at a Vietnamese transnational university", Higher Education, Skills and Work-
Based Learning, https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-03-2018-0027
Permanent link to this document:
https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-03-2018-0027
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Soft skill
Soft skill development for development
employability for
employability
A case study of stem graduate students at a
Vietnamese transnational university
Christina W. Yao Received 12 March 2018
University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, and Revised 16 May 2018
26 June 2018
Minerva D. Tuliao Accepted 12 July 2018
Department of Educational Administration,
College of Education and Human Sciences, University of Nebraska–Lincoln,
Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
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Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore graduate students’ perception of how soft skills are developed
at a transnational university in Vietnam, and how these soft skills contribute to their perceived employability.
Design/methodology/approach – This study utilized a qualitative case study method. In depth,
semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 graduate students at Vietnamese–German University.
Findings – Findings suggest that faculty utilized classroom-based practices to provide students the
opportunity to enhance soft skills that are perceived to contribute to employability, such as skills related to
independent work, interpersonal relationships and the ability to work in global contexts. In addition,
interacting with international faculty played a large part in providing students the opportunity to develop
their independent skills, critical thinking, communication and cultural competence.
Practical implications – Implications include multiple approaches, including faculty training, curriculum
development and learner preparation. Institutions must consider how their curriculum contributes to the
development of soft skills and how international faculty are prepared to engage meaningfully with students,
particularly within specific global and political contexts. In addition, graduate students must also be prepared
to engage in a classroom that promotes group work, class presentations and independent work.
Originality/value – This study provides insight on how a transnational institution can foster soft skills for
employability in graduate students in Vietnam. Considering the growth of collaborative transnational
institutions in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, findings and implications from this study provide
recommendations on how to better prepare graduates for employability within a global economy.
Keywords Vietnam, STEM, Employability, Graduate education, Soft skills, Transnational universities
Paper type Research paper
Higher education has a critical role in the economic and workforce development in Vietnam.
The World Bank (2013) reported that with the increase of professional and technical jobs in
Vietnam, the demand for educated workers with the appropriate training has grown. As a
result, workers need to have “analytical and interpersonal skills” (The World Bank, 2013, p. 42)
as a way to contribute to the needs of employers. In turn, higher education institutions in
Vietnam must reconsider their approaches toward effective teaching methods, soft skill
development and support for university students’ transition to the workplace (Tran, 2013) as a
way to contribute to overall graduate employability.
Part of the strategy for increasing educational standards includes an emphasis in
producing skilled workers to contribute to the country’s economy as a way to increase
graduate skills, particularly in the science, technology, engineering and maths fields (STEM).
Currently, skills from recent graduates are not matching the needs of the developing
Vietnamese economy (Tran, 2015). In addition, globalization, which is “the increased Higher Education, Skills and
Work-Based Learning
integration of the world economy,” (Altbach, 2016, p. 5), adds increased pressures for © Emerald Publishing Limited
2042-3896
Vietnamese institutions to prepare graduates for the increasingly globalized market economy. DOI 10.1108/HESWBL-03-2018-0027
HESWBL Much of the problem stems from curriculum and instruction being incongruent with
work skills, including teaching methods that do not encourage active learning or practice
skills development (Nguyen, 2011). As Vietnam struggles to meet the needs of a more
globalized economy, higher education institutions play a critical role in developing the skills
of the future workforce. Vietnam’s new market-based, global economy requires workers to
not only possess technical skills, but also general skills such as being able to communicate
well, understand English, work with a team, think creatively, take initiative and work
independently under pressure (Pham, 2008; Tran, 2013, 2015; Trung and Swierczek, 2009).
In addition to the challenges in graduate training, the current educational system in
Vietnam is unable to meet the rising demands of higher education (Ashwill, 2006).
As a result, the Vietnamese Government formed transnational education partnerships as an
additional strategy for preparing graduates for the global economy. Transnational
education is defined as “study programs where learners are located in a country other than
the one in which the awarding institutions is based” (Wilkins, 2016, p. 3). Benefits of
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transnational partnerships for sending countries include increased global visibility and
economic gain, which are typically foreign institutions from the USA, the UK and Australia.
Receiving or host countries, which in this case is Vietnam, gain access to what are perceived
to be world-class universities as a way to fill the growing demands for higher education
(Altbach and Knight, 2007).
The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) in Vietnam has partnered with several
foreign countries and institutions in an effort to address skill development and provide
global workforce training for their students, including Germany, France and Japan.
For example, Vietnamese–German University (VGU), the site for this current study, is a
collaborative transnational institution that is a partnership between Germany and Vietnam.
Located in Southern Vietnam, VGU attracted students because of English language
instruction, student-centered teaching practices and low cost for quality education (Yao and
Collins, 2018; Yao and Garcia, 2018). As a result, graduate students reported that their
experience at this transnational institution allowed for expanded employment options
post-graduation (Yao and Garcia, 2018). Yet in order to gain a full picture of the intersection
of transnational education and employability, a deeper understanding of how this
transnational institution develops STEM students’ soft skills for employability is needed.
Utilizing case study methodology, we seek to understand how soft skills are developed in
graduate students at VGU, predominantly an engineering and technology transnational
university, as related to students’ perceived employability. We examined the types of soft
skills participants developed and how these skills are perceived to be useful for participation
in the global economy. Findings from this study emerged from a larger study that
questioned, “what are graduate students’ academic experiences at VGU?” The findings from
this study contribute to a better understanding of how institutions can meet the
employability and soft skills needs in market-driven countries. By giving attention to
student experiences, we can understand the challenges and opportunities for Vietnamese
students, especially related to their professional goals and national priorities in STEM.
(2013) found that soft skills were perceived as more important than professional knowledge,
and that the development of soft skills in higher education was essential for success at
school, work and life. Important soft skills in Vietnam’s labor market include teamwork,
communication skills, independent working skills, presentation skills, social understanding
and decision making (Tran, 2013).
student-centered, active learning approaches. For example, critical thinking skills increased
among science undergraduates who went through group-based learning and wrote
individual reflective reports (Kim et al., 2012). In Hong Kong, critical thinking skills also
increased among nursing undergraduates randomly assigned to the problem-based group
vs the lecture-only group (Tiwari et al., 2006). The problem-based group underwent a variety
of student-focused activities including constructing and analyzing cases, and working with
a group to generate objectives, synthesize and present information. In an increasingly
market-driven economy where STEM graduates are expected to possess a wide array of soft
skills (Felder et al., 2000), the use of varied teaching and learning strategies for soft skill
development of STEM students is more critical than ever before.
Conceptual framework
In this study, perceived employability was utilized as a way to frame participants’ approach
to their soft skill development in their coursework. As a broad concept, employability is
viewed as the individual’s ability to self-sufficiently gain initial quality employment,
maintain it and obtain new employment if required (Hillage and Pollard, 1998).
Employability also includes “having a set of skills, knowledge, understanding, and
personal attributes that make a person more likely to choose and secure occupations in
which they can be satisfied and successful” (Knight and Yorke, 2004, p. 280).
Within the broad concept of employability is the implied subjective perspective of
perceived employability (McQuaid and Lindsay, 2005). In an increasingly competitive and
turbulent job market, workers who believe they are highly employable and can manage
their own careers have a greater sense of security and self-determination because they
perceive that there are alternative opportunities available for them (Clarke, 2009; Fugate
et al., 2004; Parker et al., 2010). Higher education must not only strive to develop the soft
skills and attributes associated with graduate employability, but also nurture the perceived
employability and self-assurance of future graduates so they may cope with the turbulent
job market ( Jackson and Wilton, 2017). In this particularly study, we seek to understand
participants’ soft skill development with regard to their perceived employability priorities.
Themes related to soft skills or personal, generic attributes were noted if participants
perceived them as valuable to their career goals or eventual employment.
Methodology
We utilized case study method (Yin, 2014) at a single site institution. Case study research
was appropriate for this study because we seek to “understand a real-world case and
assume that such an understanding is likely to involve important contextual conditions”
(Yin, 2014, p. 16). In this embedded single case study, the institution served as the case with
each participant as an embedded unit of analysis. Analyzing the experiences of the Soft skill
participants (i.e. units of analysis) provided a better understanding of how the institution development
(i.e. VGU) contributed to the phenomenon of soft skills development for employability. for
Case description
employability
The findings for this paper emerged from a larger study in which we questioned: What are
graduate students’ academic experiences at VGU? Founded in 2008, VGU is a public
university that resulted from an agreement between the Vietnamese MOET and the Hessen
State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts (HMWK) in 2006. In addition to
Hessen, VGU also collaborates with other German states. Graduates receive degrees that are
conferred by the German partner universities associated with their degree program.
Currently, VGU issues confirmation certificates of students’ graduation, with future plans of
VGU conferring joint degrees in collaboration with German universities. Similarly, other
transnational institutions include partnerships with France and Japan. In addition, all of
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Data analysis
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A team of four additional researchers conducted coding and analysis after the first author
returned to the USA. We first made categories that were based on the research questions and
conceptual framework from which we interpreted emerging themes (Rossman and
Rallis, 2003). We utilized deductive coding, which includes a “start list” (Miles et al., 2014,
p. 81) based on this study’s interview protocol and conceptual framework. We first searched
for broad categories and then developed themes that emerged from the interviews. Themes
were coded by identifying appropriate phrases that related to our themes.
After concluding first cycle coding, we moved on to second cycle coding by grouping
those phrases into a smaller number of themes (Miles et al., 2014). We organized the first
cycle codes by clustering them under common themes or patterns that emerged from the
interviews. We continuously refined the pattern codes until we felt the final codes were
representative of the participants’ experiences. Using direct data sources and multiple
researchers in the coding and analysis process allowed for effective triangulation of data
(Merriam, 2009) and reliability of procedures (Creswell, 2007). Reliability included
conducting multiple reviews of audio data and transcripts in order to understand and
interpret inflection and meaning. In doing so, we were able to confirm that our
interpretations were representative of participants’ lived experiences.
Reliability often lies within the researcher who is the primary instrument for data
collection. As such, the investigators’ positionality was used as a form of reliability (Merriam,
2009). As the researchers, we were aware that reflexivity affected how we made meaning of
participants’ worldviews. The first author, who traveled to VGU to conduct the interviews,
identifies as an US-born first-generation Chinese–American whose primary language is
English. This author had traveled to Vietnam for a previous study tour while in her doctoral
program, and recognizes the privileges and benefits of her US citizenship when conducting
this research project. Her position as a US-trained researcher provided access and acceptance
by her participants and the research site. She benefitted from the outsider status as a western
scholar, and at the same time, also benefitted as an insider who had prior experience in
Vietnam. The second author was born and college-educated in the Philippines. As a current
international doctoral student in the USA, she can relate to the experiences of the participants
in this study as a Southeast Asian studying at a university that follows a western-based
curriculum. Having completed her basic and secondary education in the Fiji Islands, and
working in multinational corporations prior to pursuing doctoral studies, she is also aware
that her background may frame her perspectives and biases about international education.
Findings
Participants reported that their institution and program helped develop their skills related to
interpersonal relationships and independent skills. In addition, participants found that their
soft skills development improved in building work relationships, global competency and Soft skill
career-specific training. In fact, several participants stated that soft skill development was development
more important than technical knowledge, which are highlighted in the subsequent findings. for
Findings from this study are organized into the following categories: soft skill
development for independent skills and soft skill development for interpersonal employability
relationships. We utilized the voices from the participants to illuminate the findings
related to soft skills for employability. We then conclude with some findings related to the
importance of soft skill development for perceived employability within the global market.
in addition to soft skills. Anna stated that VGU helped with developing “another skill,
I think like life skill. Now I’m getting better my life much more than before. And I can work
for less stress […] more than before.”
Although some participants shared their life skills development, most participants
emphasized the importance of critical thinking skills. For example, Steve, a first-year
master’s student in Mechatronics and Sensors Technology (MST), recalled an experience in
the classroom, sharing, “I think more critically than before. ‘Don’t believe what teacher say
or said,’ that German professor teacher told me. And I have some democratic thought and
[…] I am very confident to learn.” Here, classroom experiences opened the opportunity for
Steve to confidently exercise critical thinking.
Similarly, by interacting with German professors in the SUD program, Melissa
appreciated the diversity in thought that exercises logical and critical thinking:
They have the broad knowledge that one problem [can be] seen in different ways. […] logical
thinking, something critical thinking. Because when you work, when I work, many problems
will happen. So how do you solve the problem? How do you deal with?
Melissa later shared that soft skills development is the reason she attended a transnational
university, stating that if she had chosen to attend a Vietnamese university, there would not
have been as much critical thinking development.
Many participants credited their German faculty for fostering their independent working
and research skills. Most participants shared that their independent skills were developed
through assigned work accomplished outside of the classroom. Harry described how faculty
in the MST program would provide study materials, including outside websites and sources
for reference. In doing so, Harry and his peers were able to go beyond the lectures to learn
more about the course content. Harry elaborated by stating:
We have the source to know where to start studying instead of just reviewing our lecture in the
morning, but besides that, we also finished reviewing our lecture at night, when we have more time
to doing our own research, our own studying and working. And we can also prepare some
questions when the next morning, we come to class and ask him, “so how does that work” and
“what does it mean?”
Fat Ray, a second-year in the GPEM program, shared a similar experience with his faculty.
When asked about effective teaching practices, he shared that his German professors
would do two things: lecture in class and then assign exercises or projects after class.
He stated that his homework or out-of-class projects often included independent research.
Fat Ray found value in conducting out-of-class work which was often done using the
internet, stating that his faculty would often say “Google is your friend.” Thus, Fat Ray
HESWBL was able to gain additional content knowledge while at the same time develops
independent working skills.
Steve also found the faculty supportive of independent as well as group work. His faculty
would often divide them into groups which he said was “so much fun.” Yet after group
work, each student had to return to individually doing their own work because “everybody
has to study on his own.” A self-proclaimed private person, Steve found value in studying as
a group yet at the same time, he also enjoyed staying in his room to do his own independent
studying. Thus, Steve’s experience is an example of effective group work learning that
would also foster independent working skills.
Around 40 to 50% I improved the skill of talking with a friend or pupil and the working style. When
I’m working with professor from Germany, I have to work very exact and fast. It makes me feel like
new person.
Overall, participants found significant value in gaining soft skills in interpersonal skills while
at VGU. They valued soft skill development as a precursor for employability in the global
labor market in Vietnam. Jenny, a first-year student in GPEM, illustrated this by stating:
I think the soft skills are very important for any job because when you work at a job, you not only
focus on that job, but on communication between you and other colleagues. And the soft skills will
help you improve the communication and negotiation.
Vietnamese? I have to learn at least the most popular foreign language, which is English.
English as the operating global language meant that the participants had to have strong
communication skills. As Steve asserted, English language skills were necessary “because
technology world is mostly in English. The world now is mostly English based.”
He emphasized the technical need for English language in both written and verbal forms
because “if you take any instruction, you will find English somewhere even if it’s in Vietnam
or China anywhere. Especially in technology when you have to configure something with
parameters, it is always in English.”
As indicated by participants, communication skills, especially in English, were essential to
employability post-graduation. Tony, a second-year master’s student in Computational
Engineering, summarized his beliefs in the necessity of English communication skills by saying
that “especially in Vietnam, if I try to find a job in Vietnam” because “company from US or
European, they have bosses that speak English.” Tony was confident that companies preferred
employees who were comfortable with English because of his prior experience working as a
tester engineer. He shared that in his role, he had to work with other employees from Canada
and Russia, and as a result, “we have to know English to communicate with the designer.”
Therefore, due to the increasingly international contexts of business in Vietnam, participants
strongly believed in the need for strong soft skill development in communication skills.
perceived employability. Findings indicated that German faculty at VGU used a variety of
student-focused teaching approaches that fostered soft skill development in STEM
classrooms, such as group-based and problem-based learning. These experiences are similar
to findings from previous studies conducted by Kim et al. (2012) and Tiwari et al. (2006).
As a result of the findings, we provide three recommendations for future research and
practice. First, findings demonstrate that interacting with international faculty played a large
part in providing students the opportunity to develop their independent skills, critical
thinking, communication and cultural competence. This has implications for transnational
universities and the international faculty who teach in universities like VGU. Specifically, how
are the faculty trained to provide soft skill development to graduate students at a
transnational university? This is a question that must include multiple approaches, including
faculty training, curriculum development and learner preparation. Institutions must consider
how their curriculum contributes to the development of soft skills and how faculty,
particularly international faculty who are on campus for only two weeks, are prepared to
engage meaningfully in the engagement and development of student outcomes, especially
within specific global and political contexts. Finally, students must also be prepared to engage
in a classroom that promotes group work, class presentations and independent work.
Second, students spoke of largely faculty-initiated, classroom-based strategies to develop
soft skills for perceived employability. One must consider additional methods for promoting
students’ learning and building soft skills to enhance students’ perceptions of their own
employability ( Jackson and Wilton, 2017). From an individual perspective, the ability to “learn
how to learn” is a soft skill desired by the modern economy (Carnevale and Smith, 2013). From
a contextual perspective, it has been suggested that multiple stakeholders influence the
employability of graduates, including universities, governments, employers and the graduates
themselves (Crossman and Clarke, 2010). Though the students and graduates themselves are
assumed to take primary responsibility in enhancing their own employability, the support and
cooperation of both universities and employers can help strengthen graduate job-readiness
and employability (Chapple and Tolley, 2000; Harvey, 2005; McQuaid and Lindsay, 2005;
Van Buren, 2003). In the effort to close the soft skill gap among university graduates and
workplace demands, universities and employers must work together in the development of
soft skills (Bodewig et al., 2014; Tran, 2015), but how exactly can this be done? Future research
can explore individual and context-based perspectives in soft skill development, as well as
how these connect to classroom-based strategies at the university level.
Finally, future research can explore the concept of perceived employability in more
longitudinal studies. From a theoretical perspective, employability has been conceptualized as
the ability to secure and maintain employment (Hillage and Pollard, 1998), as well as
possessing certain skills and attributes that lead toward more successful occupations (Knight
HESWBL and Yorke, 2004). Since HERA was issued in 2005, there has been some progress in examining
the university students’ perceived importance of soft skills in the job market (Tran, 2012, 2013,
2015), as well as the importance of soft skills among graduates working at the job itself (Duy
Nguyen et al., 2004; Lau et al., 2016; Thang and Wongsurawat, 2016). Continued research in
this area can include longitudinal studies that track what soft skill development looks like in
the transition of STEM students from university to maintaining careers. For students who
have graduated, how have soft skills developed or evolved over time in their respective STEM
fields? How have perceptions of employability changed since acquiring employment? The
above mentioned longitudinal studies can provide information for both universities and
employers in offering opportunities for soft skill development as individuals transition from
students to new hires, and then to successful professionals in STEM fields.
Conclusion
This study is significant in higher education because of the increased emphasis in global
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Corresponding author
Christina W. Yao can be contacted at: cyao@unl.edu
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