The effects of academic learning on problem solving efficacy of vietnamese university student a case study of vnu hcm = yue nan da xue ke ye xue xi dui wen ti jie xue xiao neng gan zhi ying xiang

碩士論文 越南大學生課業學習對問題解決效能感之影響: 以胡志明國家大學爲例 The Effects of Academic Learning on Problem-Solving Efficacy of Vietnamese University Students: A Case Study of VNU-HCM 指導教授：吳京玲 博士 研究生：楊明光...

碩士論文

越南大學生課業學習對問題解決效能感之影響:

以胡志明國家大學爲例

The Effects of Academic Learning on Problem-Solving

Efficacy of Vietnamese University Students:

A Case Study of VNU-HCM

指導教授：吳京玲 博士 研究生：楊明光

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My dissertation could not have been completed without the enormous help and

influence of many others I would like to convey my heartfelt gratitude to Dr Ching-Ling

Wu for the outstanding guidance and support to my dissertation As my advisor, she

intellectually supported my ups and downs as a master’s student I also would like to express

my sincerest thanks and greatest gratitude to the wonderful people who have assisted me during my study Taiwan I am also very appreciative of the analytical comments and

excellent assistance received from the other committee members, Prof.Dr Pei-Hsui Chen, Asst.Prof Dr Chun-Ping Wang, and Dr Xiao Lin for support of my dissertation

I am thankful for all of the administrators, professors, lecturers, and staff of the

Department of Educational Policy and Administration, College of Education, National Chi Nan University for their instructions, dedication, encouragement, and help over the past two years

I am also deeply grateful to the scholarship donors from the National Chi Nan

University I would like to send my very special thanks to Prof.Dr Dian-Fu Chang,

Asst.Prof.Dr Lian-Chyi Yeh, Dr Xiao Lin, and Dr Feng-I Feng of the Department of

Educational Policy and Administration for sponsoring and financing my job as a research assistant throughout the years of my studies so that now, I can complete my dissertation

I would like to give thanks to Miss Thi-My-Xuan Nguyen (staff of Education Faculty, University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam), Miss Thi-Thanh-Thao Le (staff of Agriculture Department, Tien Giang University, Vietnam) and my students for their agreement in helping me with the survey My most sincere appreciation also

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goes to Dr Anh-Hong Nguyen (Dean of Education Faculty, University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) and Dr Mai-Khanh Hoang (Vice-Dean of

Education Faculty, University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Ho Chi Minh City,

Vietnam) for their support, encouragement, and trust during the two years of my study

I am thankful to many friends from far and near who have supported me by way of expressions of confidence, concern, hope, and encouragement along the way Finally and most importantly, I am grateful to my grandparents, parents, siblings who would always call

to give me the confidence and strength to continue, and for remembering me in their prayers Thank you very much, and remember Minh-Quang Duong will always love all you

關鍵詞：問題解決效能感、越南大學生、課業學習

Title of Thesis: The Effects of Academic Learning on Problem-Solving Efficacy of

Vietnamese University Students: A Case Study of VNU-HCM Name of Institute: Department of Educational Policy and Administration, College of

Education, National Chi Nan University Pages: 62 Graduation Time: June 2011 Degree Conferred: Master of Education Student Name: Minh-Quang Duong Advisor Name: Dr Ching-Ling Wu

Abstract

Problem-solving efficacy is important for students to become effective problem

solvers in their profession and for career success However, the literature indicated that

Vietnamese university students are weak in problem-solving efficacy Despite the elaboration

of the importance of problem-solving efficacy to university students in previously stated

research, unfortunately, there has not yet been much research into the problem-solving

efficacy of Vietnamese university students Thus, this study was conducted to explore the

relationship between academic learning and problem-solving efficacy of Vietnamese

university students.This study used a questionnaire survey to gather data The final survey was conducted with 700 students from five member universities at Vietnam National

University of Ho Chi Minh City The results of this study showed that Vietnamese university students’ problem-solving efficacy was within the range of “average” to “high” response

There existed significant differences of problem-solving efficacy of students among the five universities In addition, Vietnamese university students’ problem-solving efficacy is

significantly influenced by their backgrounds and academic learning

Key words: academic learning, problem-solving efficacy, Vietnamese university

students

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi

LIST OF TABLES ix

LIST OF FIGURES x

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xi

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the Study 1

1.2 Purpose of the Study 4

1.3 Research Questions 4

1.4 Theoretical Perspective 4

1.5 Signification of the Study 6

1.6 Limitations of the Study 6

2 LITERATURE REVIEW 7

2.1 The System of Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City 7

2.1.1 The introduction of Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City 7

2.1.2 Academic learning at the Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City 9

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2.2 The Input-Environment-Outcome Model in Studying How the University Affects

Students 10

2.3 Problem-Solving Efficacy 12

2.3.1 Definition of problem-solving 12

2.3.2 The importance of problem-solving efficacy for university students 13

2.3.3 How can problem-solving efficacy be learned at the university? 15

2.4 The relationship of academic learning and university students’ problem-solving efficacy 16

3 METHODOLOGY 19

3.1 Variables of the Study 19

3.1.1 Descriptive analysis results of background 23

3.1.2 Descriptive analysis results of teaching approach 24

3.1.3 Descriptive analysis results of curriculum emphasis 25

3.1.4 Descriptive analysis results of learning engagement 25

3.2 Sample 26

3.3 Data Gathering Procedure Design 28

3.4 Data Analysis Method 28

3.4.1 Descriptive analysis 29

3.4.2 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) 29

3.4.3 Regression analysis 30

3.5 Pilot Study 30

3.5.1 Stage one of preliminary survey 31

3.5.2 Stage two of preliminary survey 32

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4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 34

4.1 Results for Research Question 1 34

4.2 Results for Research Question 2 35

4.3 Results for Research Question 3 36

4.4 Discussion of research questions 40

5 CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 43

5.1 Overview of the research 43

5.2 Review of the methodology 44

5.3 Results of research questions 44

5.4 Suggestions 45

REFERENCES 46

APPENDIX 56

LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1 Breakdown of Student Gender at VNU-HCM Member Universities 8

Table 3.1 Factor Analysis Result of the Four Elements Constructing Students’ Problem-Solving Efficacy in the Study 20

Table 3.2 Questionnaire Items and Coding Schemes for Independent Variables 22

Table 3.3 The Results of Means and Standard Deviations of Background 24

Table 3.4 The Results of Means and Standard Deviations of Teaching Approach 24

Table 3.5 The Results of Means and Standard Deviations of Curriculum Emphasis 25

Table 3.6 The Results of Means and Standard Deviations of Learning Engagement 26

Table 3.7 Student Number and Gender Proportion of the Population and Sample 27

Table 3.8 Stage 1 of Preliminary Survey’s Participant Information 31

Table 3.9 The Size of Preliminary Sample 33

Table 4.1 Means and Standard Deviations of University Students’ Problem-Solving Efficacy among Five Universities 34

Table 4.2 ANOVA Results of Students’ Problem-Solving Efficacy among Five Universities 36

Table 4.3 Regression Analysis Results among the Dependent Variable and Independent Variables at the Whole Sample and Each University 39

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 3-1 The Influences of Independent Variables on Dependent Variable 23

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

I-E-O Input-Environment-Outcome

MOET Ministry of Education and Training

UEL University of Economics and Law

UIT University of Information Technology

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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter introduces the background of the study, purpose of the study, research questions, theoretical perspective, signification of the study, and limitations of the study

1.1 Background of the study

Higher education in Vietnam has greatly expanded in the past two decades There were 101 universities and colleges in the country in 1987, as compared to 376 in 2009 The number of students enrolled in higher education increased from 133,000 in 1987 to over 1.7 million in 2009, an increase of 13 times of student enrollment within the interval of 22 years The number of faculty has increased over 3 times, from 20,000 in 1987 to over 61,000 in

2009 In 2009, among the 63 provinces in Vietnam, 35 provinces have new universities established (Ministry of Education and Training in Vietnam, 2009; abbreviated as MOET from here)

Higher education in Vietnam has gradually improved in terms of size, types of

institutions and forms of training, meeting the demand of the socio-economic development However, higher education is facing big challenges: Government loses authority controlling higher education institutions and does not facilitate or promote the improvement of training quality of the whole system

Historically, authority and management of Vietnamese government over universities and colleges has been scattered The higher education system in Vietnam has five regional universities The five universities are Vietnam National University of Ha Noi, Vietnam

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National University of Ho Chi Minh City, Thai Nguyen University, Hue University, Da Nang University Of the total 376 universities and colleges throughout the country, MOET

manages 54 (14.4 %) institutions, other governmental sectors manage 116 (30.8 %)

institutions, People's Committee of City and Provides manage 125 (33.2 %) institutions, and the remaining 81 (21.5 %) institutions are private (MOET, 2009)

While the MOET is the only legal agency which is promulgated the legal documents

on the management level of education, the monitoring of those documents at the university, college of ministries and other sectors and the People's Committee is the governing body and

is still limited, some other ministries are overlapping on the function of MOET There are no regulations on the coordination of MOET, the ministries, branches and other Committees of provinces and cities on the management of these institutions Furthermore, until 2007, MOET has no guidelines that universities and colleges have announced professional output standard

on capacities of graduates at college (requiring what knowledge, what skills, how to behave, what position they would have in society), thus the schools have no announcement of

standards of the school graduates themselves Therefore, there are no sufficient bases to evaluate the quality of education objectively and comprehensively (MOET, 2009)

In 2004, MOET established the Department of Testing and Educational Quality Evaluation and it has functioned to support universities and colleges to establish

responsibilities for higher education quality assurance These responsibilities include

standardizing the quality of enrolled students, improving teaching methods, and enhancing the quality of college and university curricula (MOET, 2009)

For student quality of higher education, some studies saw that graduates have jobs in accordance with their trained specialty is less than 20% (Pham, nd), or graduate

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unemployment (Oliver, 2002) University of Pedagogy– Ho Chi Minh City showed that 50%

of graduates from universities (Luong, 2010) and 60% of graduates from vocational education and colleges (Tran, 2009) have to be retrained The researchers saw that the main reason is professional skills do not meet the standards of recruiters Recruiters responded that students must be retrained in all-around skills

According to Vallely & Wilkinson (2008), Vietnamese and international investors cite the lack of skilled workers and managers as a major barrier to expansion Vietnamese

university students are weak at problem-solving skills, presentation skills, verbal skills, interpersonal skills, teamwork, the ability to apply knowledge to practical situations, and professionalism Students from universities in Ho Chi Minh City, when surveyed, also

expressed that they only have 25% of required skills, 54% self-assessed that they can work in

a group setting, and 45% said they have communication skills The proportion of students who acquired other skills is very low, mostly under 30% (Luong, 2010)

One of the objectives of higher education in Vietnam is to cultivate students’

practical competencies (Law of Education, 2005) Student competence development has been increasingly emphasized in the process of setting educational objectives as well as designing curriculum and learning materials in higher education in Vietnam (Nguyen, 2009)

Problem-solving is such an important competence that it focuses on its students becoming effective problem solvers by applying logical, critical and creative thinking to a range of problems (Wilson, 1993) Problem-solvingwill be a new competence which you have acquired and can be used at university, home and in the workplace Thus, success has been an issue broadly discussed and defined by different approaches What skills or

competences make success easier to achieve? The literature encouraged that the development

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of problem-solving competenceare necessary for career success (Gustin, 2001) At Lone Star College, located in the Central Texas State College District, surveyed 450 students asking the following question: “Given that a student who leaves this college should be a contributing member of society, what do you think are the important skills, abilities and awareness critical

to your college education?” Students should possess problem-solving to survive a tough and competitive “real” world (Hamza & Griffith, 2006) There has not yet been much research into the problem-solving efficacy of Vietnamese university students

1.2 Purpose of the Study

This study aims to explore the relationship between academic learning and solving efficacy of Vietnamese university students

problem-1.3 Research Questions

The study is designed to answer three questions:

Q1 How is Vietnamese university students’ problem-solving efficacy in general?

Q2 Do significant differences of problem-solving efficacy exist among students at different universities?

Q3 How are Vietnamese university students’ problem-solving efficacy affected by their backgrounds and academic learning experiences?

1.4 Theoretical Perspective

Astin (1970, 1991) proposed the input-environment-outcome (I-E-O) model, one of the most durable and influential university impact models This model views university outcomes as functions of three sets of elements including:

faculty involvement, involvement with student peers, and involvement in work and other areas (Astin, 1993)

The I-E-O model “is a useful tool for identifying and estimating the effects of those university experiences over which institutions have some programmatic or policy control, such as student experiences, which can be shaped into educational advantage through an institution’s programmatic or policy concerns”(Upcraft, Chrissman Ishler, & Swing, 2005) Using the I-E-O model allows the researcher to account for student background characteristics that otherwise exert influence on outcomes, thereby isolating the environmental variables of interest in order to measure their educational impact (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991) Thus,

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this study is designed based on the concept of the I-E-O model to explain the effect of inputs and environment influences on university students’ problem-solving efficacy

1.5 Signification of the Study

Conducting this study is significant in two ways Firstly, the findings of the study can

be useful to administrators and faculty in Vietnamese higher education The results of this study may help administrators design curricula and training programs to improve student’ problem-solving efficacy The results of this study may also inform faculty of effective

teaching methods to improve problem-solving efficacy of students Secondly, there is scant literature on university students’ problem-solving efficacy in Vietnam This study therefore contributes to fill in the literature gap of Vietnamese university students’ problem-solving efficacy development

1.6 Limitations of the Study

Applications of the result of this study are limited due to fact that the outcome variable

in this study, student problem-solving efficacy, is measured with student self-perceived report) problem-solving efficacy, which may be argued for its subjectivity However, many studies (Bisiacchi, 2010; Focht et al., 2005; Goddard, 2001; Tabassam & Grainger, 2002) have demonstrated a strong linkage between student’s efficacy and their actual performance According to Bandura’s (1997) social cognitive theory, students’ feelings regarding their ability to perform certain tasks predict their ability to achieve the tasks In other words, self-perception of task-specific capabilities is a key mechanism of behavioral change for

(self-individual

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CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter includes four parts: (1) the system of Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City, (2) the Input-Environment-Outcome model in studying how the university affects students, (3) problem-solving efficacy, and (4) academic learning at the university 2.1 The System of Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City

2.1.1 The introduction of Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) was established by merging several existing universities in Ho Chi Minh City in 1995 to become a national multi-disciplinary university including: University of Ho Chi Minh City, Thu Duc Technology Training University, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City

University of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Economics, University of Accounting and Finance, Ho Chi Minh City Pedagogical University, Ho Chi Minh City Architecture University, Branch of Law University of Hanoi, which became eight members and was officially declared on 6 February 1996 (VNU-HCM, 2009)

In 2001, the Vietnamese government reorganized VNU-HCM into six member

universities: the University of Technology, the University of Science, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the International University, the University of Information

Technology, and the University of Economics and Law (see Table 2.1) The reorganized VNU-HCM has had specific internal organization and activities (unlike the one applicable for other Vietnamese universities), has given priority to education of postgraduate and scientific

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research of various spheres of technologies, to be a pioneer in education and science, to

contribute significantly to the country's economic and scientific development Also in this

decision, some previous member universities were separated from VNU-HCM and came

under the management of the Ministry of Education and Training VNU-HCM has over

50,000 full-time students (VNU-HCM, 2009)

Table 2.1

No VNU-HCM members students Total students Male students Female

3 University of Social Sciences & Humanities 11,517 3,113 8,404

5 University of Information Technology 2,336 2,190 146

6 University of Economics and Law 6,899 2,469 4,430

(Source: VNU-HCM, 2009) Recognized by the Government, VNU-HCM’s main mission is to play the role of

Vietnam’s premier institution of higher education Its specific missions are: (1) to achieve the

national and international levels of excellence in education, research, and technology

application and transfer, (2) to be a center of education and research, playing the key role in

Vietnamese higher education system, and (3) the ultimate target: to contribute to the

socio-economic development of the whole country (VNU-HCM, 2009)

VNU-HCM’s students, whose mental and material life are carefully cared for, are studying in the best academic environment and encouraged to improve their creativity and innovation so that they would be the young, dynamic and creative intellectuals with political and moral maturity With the vision of becoming a prominent university in this region and beyond, VNU-HCM primarily concerns itself with the issue of how to maximize the students’ competencies, preparing them well for the requirements of a global economy (VNU-HCM, 2009)

2.1.2 Academic learning at the Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City

A system of leading Vietnamese universities, VNU-HCM has been firmly set up with

a pool of reputable scientists and faculty members, good students and modern campus HCM is a comprehensive university, into 120 Bachelor, 90 Master and 90 Doctorate programs,

VNU-in technology, natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, economics, and

environmental science, including some top priority disciplines, such as information

technology, bio-technology, automation and materials science (VNU-HCM, 2009)

There are three undergraduate programs of VNU-HCM, which successfully meet the ASEAN standards, including: the information technology programs at the University of

Science and International University, and the electronic and telecommunication program at

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the University of Technology In addition, VNU-HCM offers bachelor training programs for the gifted in information technology, manufacturing engineering, informatics and

mathematics, physics, English literature, history and oriental studies There are a lot of

programs at VNU-HCM aiming at connecting education and social demands, creating a close link between learners, training institutions and employers, and contributing to the increased training effectiveness (VNU-HCM, 2010)

VNU-HCM offers not only a journey of creation and transfer of knowledge but also a route for the application of theoretical knowledge to real life situations Passionate about study and research, VNU-HCM students have overcome hardships and challenges to gain many great achievements in the national and international contests Those achievements help enhance not only the students’ personal academic competence but also VNU-HCM’s

reputation and position Moreover, VNU-HCM is committed to providing the society with students who possess good knowledge, excellent skills, and critical thinking to meet the needs

of highly capable human resource for the social development and global economic integration

As such, career consultancy for students is considered to be one of the main tasks for

providing the society with high-quality human resources (VNU-HCM, 2010)

2.2 The Input-Environment-Outcome Model in Studying How the University Affects Students

The I-E-O model has been influential university impact studies (Pascarella &

Terenzini, 1991, 2005) In the I-E-O model, input refers to student characteristics at time of university entry; environment refers to institutional interventions, including educational

programs and student experiences; and outcome refers to student achievement, development,

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or growth (Astin, 1991; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991, 2005) The student’s outcome

performance can be affected by a number of other input characteristics besides the pretest performance Since in many of the environments to which students are exposed, the

possibility remains that any observed correlation between an environment and an outcome measure may reflect the effect of some input characteristics rather than the effect to the

university environment (Feldman & Newcomb, 1969; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991) The focus of I-E-O model is on understanding the impact of educational interventions on

outcomes (Astin, 1991), and the asset of the I-E-O model is the ability to measure the

relationship between the institutional environment and the educational outcome, while

controlling for differences in students’ input characteristics (Astin, 1991; Pascarella &

Terenzini, 1991) In other words, using the I-E-O model allows the researcher to account for student input characteristics that otherwise exert influence on outcomes, thereby isolating the environmental variables of interest in order to measure their educational impact

Pace (1979) believed that the university contributed to students’ breadth of knowledge, interpersonal skills, values, and critical thinking University graduates were less stereotyped and prejudiced in their judgments, more critical in their thinking, and more tolerant, flexible, and autonomous in attitude What noteworthy is that, rather than directly affecting the student changes, the university may facilitate student changes that have predisposed to students

(Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991; Trent & Medsker, 1968) University impacts on students are conditioned by the background and personality of the student (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005)

This study is built upon Astin’s Input-Environment-Outcome model to analysis how student experiences during the university affect their problem-solving efficacy

According to Chapman (1997), problem-solving means different things to different people, having been viewed as a goal, process, basic skill, mode of inquiry, thinking and teaching approach However, most research in the area seems to regard problem-solving as the process of achieving a solution (Chapman, 1997; Blum & Niss, 1991; Boekaerts, Seegers, & Vermeer, 1995)

Woods et al., (1997) asserted that students who are problem solvers exhibit the

following attributes: (1) are willing to spend time reading, gathering information and defining the problem, (2) use a process, as well as a variety of tactics and heuristics to tackle problems, (3) monitor their problem-solving process and reflect upon its effectiveness, (4) emphasize accuracy rather than speed, (5) write down ideas and create charts / figures, while solving a problem, (6) are organized and systematic, (7) are flexible (keep options open, can view a situation from different perspectives / points of view), (8) draw on the pertinent subject knowledge and objectively and critically assess the quality, accuracy, and pertinence of that knowledge/data, (9) are willing to risk and cope with ambiguity, welcoming change and

solution, implementation and evaluation of the plan According to Bjorkland (2000), solving involves having a goal, overcoming obstacles to that goal, strategies for overcoming the obstacles, and an evaluation of the results

problem-Stokic et al., (2003) contends that innovation and problem-solving are two processes with common issues and linked by a strong information flow that (1) problems may arise during the innovation process, and (2) innovations can be used to solve and eliminate

problems Besides these intersection information flows, there is a parallel path in the analysis

of both ideas about innovations and problems to their solutions

2.3.2 The importance of problem-solving efficacy for university students

Educators do not only focus on teaching students what established knowledge to learn, but also teaching students how to think and solve new problems The development of problem-solving competence is therefore an important mission for faculty to develop for

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their students (Pajares & Kranzler, 1995) According to Adesoji (2008) all aspects of

scientific study could be said to be problem-solving In order to develop scientific reasoning

by solving quantitative problems, students must learn to exploit problem-solving competences and strategies to acquire knowledge and skills (Kilpatrick, Swafford, & Findell, 2001)

The development and the use of problem-solving efficacy also improve learning Rossman (1993) suggests that when students use problem-solving competence, the role of the student changes from a passive recipient of information to a participant in the creation of understanding The problem should captivate students' attention, be meaningful, and allow a wide range of individual responses According to Schommer-Aikins et al., (2005) problem-solving competence is considered as the heart of learning because it is not only for learning the subject but it emphasizes the development of thinking skill method as well Thus, students can apply their knowledge and skills, which are very useful in daily life since the processes of solving the problem in their studies are similar to those of general problem-solving

Problem-solving is also a cognitive process Educational systems from elementary schools to professional institutions impart knowledge and teach cognitive skills of which problem-solving competence is considered one of the most important (Frederiksen, 1984) Breiter & Clements (1996); & Pavesic (1991) emphasized the importance of problem-solving competenceas the key focus of future curriculum Education at all institutions must address the diverse demands placed on graduates because competencies and skills needed for effective functioning in a global society and in workplaces may be changing Problem-solving

competence is essential in the work force as we begin the 21st century (Zekeri, 2004)

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2.3.3 How can problem-solving efficacy be learned at the university?

Problem-solving is enhanced when students have opportunities to solve problems themselves and to see problems being solved The problem-solving competence focused

on within this study clearly targets those aspects that are modifiable by learning (Reeff, Zabal,

& Blech, 2006) However, different learning styles have different effects on student’s

acquirement of problem-solving competence Sirin & Güzel (2006) showed that it was found that problem-solving competence had a positive relationship with reflective observation learning style and a negative relationship with abstract conceptualization learning style The problem-solving competence levels of the students were observed as lower than expected This shows that there is necessity for developing problem-solving programs in teacher

training programs

Little & Hefferan (2000) provided clear strategies on how to develop students’

development of legal problem-solving competence: questioning skills, their ability focus on relevant issues, and the precision and depth of their analysis As a result, students were less likely to jump to conclusions, and they stated that they understood much better the methodical nature of the legal reasoning process

Students could perform well in solving problems if exposed to problem-solving competence learning Effective problem-solving competence are best learned in an

environment in which the student is free to test thinking skills, explore alternatives, and discover solutions that may or may not match the instructor’s solution (May &

Newman,1980)

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Bossert (1988) showed that teachers constructed problem-solving teaching strategies

by uniting and nurturing the following elements: 1) classroom climate; 2) teacher character traits; 3) classroom management; 4) teacher’s passion and attitude toward students, subject, and teaching; 5) teaching style: what and how; 6) teacher’s knowledge; 7) teacher-student interaction; and 8) students’ attitudes

Despite the elaboration of the importance of problem-solving efficacy to university students in previously stated research, there has not yet been much research into the problem-solving efficacy of Vietnameseuniversity students

2.4 The relationship of academic learning and university students’ problem-solving efficacy

According to Sadler (1983), academic learning is a process Academic learning occurs when a student knows what is to be achieved, works toward ways of doing it, and can tell when progress is being made If academic learning is to take place, this state of affairs implies

a dual role for the teacher: helping the student develop a concept of excellence, skills, and strategies to achieve it There are therefore three components: the directional (attending to goals), the algorithmic (devising strategies and making moves), and the evaluative

(monitoring the discrepancy between current status and the desired end)

Academic learning also involves more complex activities, including problem solving, reasoning, and the understanding of complex intellectual and scientific principles (Geary, 200l) As education has come under criticism from many sectors, educators have looked for ways to reform teaching, learning, and the curriculum Many have argued that the divorce of content from application has adversely affected our educational system (Hiebert et al., 1996)

In order to increase the usefulness of students’ knowledge, some schools have adopted the model of problem-based learning or case-based instruction (Shulman, 1992) As

described by Boud and Feletti (1991), problem-based learning “is not simply the addition of problem-solving activities to otherwise discipline-centered curriculum, but a way of

conceiving of the curriculum which is centered around key problems in professional practice” Real-life problems are proposed as appropriate contexts for learning (Lesh & Lamon, 1992; Romberg, 1992)

Developing students’ problem-solving competence has long been a major objective of science instruction Since the early 1960s a major emphasis in science curriculum

development has been on the problem-solving competence (Shaw, 1983) In quality assurance terms the learning outcomes and theoretical knowledge in the curriculum need to be

demonstrably connected to practice competences including problem-solving competence (Shakespeare & Hutchison, 2007)

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In general, curriculum is a sequence of learning opportunities provided to students in their study and contributes to the development of student’s competence However, there is a lack of the literature on university students’ problem-solving competence and academic learning in Vietnam

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CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY

This chapter includes the variables of the study, sample, data gathering procedure design, data analysis method, and pilot study This study employed questionnaire survey to obtain data from the respondents

3.1 Variables of the Study

Problem-solving efficacy is the dependent variable in this study It consists of four items, namely data analysis competence, critical thinking competence, present solution

competence, and generate innovation competence In this study, factor analysis and internal consistency analysis (Cronbach's alpha) were conducted to assess the validity and reliability

of this constructed measurement for student competence Factor loading, cumulative

explanation, item-to-total correlation, and internal consistency analysis (Cronbach's alpha) are identified to verify the dimensionality and reliability of the research constructs using

purification process of the study The selected criterions are: (1) factor loading ≥ 0.6,

eigenvalues ≥ 1, cumulative explanation ≥ 0.6 (60%), item-total correlation ≥ 0.5, and

coefficient alpha ≥ 0.6 (Hair et al., 2006) Factor analysis was performed to ensure the validity

of the construct (dependent variable) Table 3.1 shows the result of factor analysis

Eigen-Cumulative explanation

total correlation

Item-to-Cronbach's Alpha

1 Data analysis: Question: How is

the data analysis competence of your

problem? On 5-points scale, where 1

= very low and 5 = very high

0.734

2.560 63.991

0.547

0.810

2 Critical thinking: Question: How

is the critical thinking competence

of your problem? On 5-points scale,

where 1 = very low and 5 = very

high

3 Present solution: Question: How

is the present solution competence

of your problem? On 5-points scale,

where 1 = very low and 5 = very

high

4 Generate innovation: Question:

How is the generate innovation

competence of your problem? On

5-points scale, where 1 = very low and

5 = very high

Note Data were analyzed with principle component analysis

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All four items were identified to measure the variable of problem-solving efficacy which is the dependent variable of this study Table 3.1 shows that factor analysis values are from 0.734 to 0.855, which is greater than the threshold level of 0.5 (Hair et al., 2006) in five universities at VNU-HCM, showing that the four elementswere all suitable for constructing competence of student An eigenvalue of 2.560 is higher than 1 as principal and a cumulative explanation of 63.991 percent, which is above the principal 60 percent Also, item-to-total correlation value is significant at 0.547 to 0.710, which is above the guideline of 0.5.The internal consistency analysis yielded Cronbach's alpha coefficients 0.810, which is

significantly higher than the 0.6 principal guideline and indicating satisfactory reliability for this student competence measurement Hence, based on the validation of construct reliability which is concluded that research construct of problem-solving efficacy is reliable

The independent variables of this study include four blocks of student academic learning experiences (see Table 3.2) The first block is student backgrounds, including gender, class ranking, and family income The second block is teaching approach, including one-way instruction, group discussion, and multimedia The third block is curriculum emphasis,

including memory emphasis, integration emphasis, and application emphasis The fourth block is learning engagement, including frequency of going to library, time spent on course work per week, levels of involvement in class activities, and frequency of consulting teacher

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Table 3.2

Questionnaire Items and Coding Schemes for Independent Variables

Questionnaire items Coding schemes Background

Class ranking At university, have you ever stood on the top third of your class? On a 2-point scale, where 0 = no, 1 = yes

Family income How much is your annual family income?

On a 6-point scale, where 1 = under 20,000,000VND and 6

= over 60,000,000VND (1USD is roughly equivalent

to 20,000VND) Teaching approach

One-way instruction How often does your teacher use the one-way instruction? On a 5-point scale, where 1 = never and 5 = always Group discussion How often does your teacher use the group discussion method? On a 5-point scale, where 1 = never and 5 = always Multimedia How often does your teacher use multimedia in teaching? On a 5-point scale, where 1 = never and 5 = always Curriculum emphasis

Memory emphasis How do the academic subjects emphasize your memory capacity? On a 5-point scale, where 1 = very weak and 5 = very

strong Integration emphasis How do the academic subjects emphasize your integration capacity? On a 5-point scale, where 1 = very weak and 5 = very

strong Application emphasis How do the academic subjects emphasize your application capacity? On a 5-point scale, where 1 = very weak and 5 = very

strong Learning engagement

On a 5-point scale, where 1 = very weak and 5 = very strong

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The influences of independent variables on dependent variable can be seen in Figure

3.1 below

Figure 3.1 The influences of independent variables on dependent variable

The results of descriptive analysis were done to report on the respondents including

backgrounds, teaching approach, curriculum emphasis, and learning engagement Descriptive

statistical analysis involved determining the mean and standard deviation of students’

problem-solving efficacy among five universities at VNU-HCM

3.1.1 Descriptive analysis results of background

As shown in Table 3.1, Vietnamese university students’ backgrounds were classified

into three categories: gender, class ranking and family income This study was slightly more

males (54 %) than females (46%) in the VNU-HCM The gender composition of the sample

should be able to represent the gender composition of student population in the five

universities at VNU-HCM (61% for males and 39% for females) Only 141 out of 700

solving efficacy

Regression Backgrounds

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students in the study were ranked in the top three of their classes, accounting for about 20% of

all the students in the sample Vietnamese university students’ family annual incomes were

within the range of VND$ 31 - 50 million

3.1.2 Descriptive analysis results of teaching approach

The frequency of the teaching approaches applied ranged from “sometimes” to “often”

levels Table 3-4 shows that application of multimedia in teaching was used the most (M =

3.61, SD = 0.78) while one-way instruction was used the least (M = 3.38, SD = 0.78) in this

study Among multimedia and one-way instruction, group discussion was used the average (M

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3.1.3 Descriptive analysis results of curriculum emphasis

The results of Table 3.5 indicate thatthe academic subjects were within the range of

“average” to “high” on student’s capacity (M scores ranged from 3.17 to 3.43 and SD from

0.86 to 0.96) Curriculum emphasizing application was underlined the most on student’s

capacity (M = 3.43, SD = 0.96) while curriculum emphasizing memory was underlined the

least in this study (M = 3.17, SD = 0.86) Curriculum emphasizing integration scored between

curriculum emphasizing application and curriculum emphasizing memory (M = 3.30, SD =

3.1.4 Descriptive analysis results of learning engagement

The results of Table 3.6 indicate that frequency of going to library of Vietnamese

university students ranged from “seldom” to “sometimes” response (M = 2.85, SD = 0.87)

Time spent on course work per week accounted for over fourteen hours weekly (M = 14.89,

SD = 8.81) Levels of involvement in class activities scored within the range of “sometimes”

to “often” response (M = 3.35, SD = 0.88) Frequency of consulting teacher was within the

range of “average” to “strong” response (M = 3.01, SD = 0.98)