Exploring Vietnamese University Students' Acquisition and Development of Graduate Employability Capital
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study reports on the extent to which Vietnamese higher education students perceived employability capital. Drawing on the theory of Tomlinson (2017) [1], we investigated their levels of capital by using two primary sources of quantitative and qualitative data, thus informing the students’ lived experiences and voices behind their preparation for the future career. Findings showed that the students perceived forms of capital very differently and acknowledged all forms of capital are crucial and supporting each other for the sake of work readiness. Conclusions and implications are also presented at the end of the manuscript.
Keywords:
Employability capital, human capital, social capital, cultural capital, psychological capital, identity capital.
References
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[25] B. Ahmad, S. Latif, A. Raza Bilal, M. Hai, The Mediating Role of Career Resilience on The Relationship Between Career Competency and Career Success, Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, Vol. 11, 2019, pp. 209-231, https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-04-2019-0079.
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[27] K. V. Bruss, M. Kopala, Graduate School Training in Psychology: Its Impact Upon The Development of Professional Identity, Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, Vol. 30, 1993, pp. 685-691,
https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-3204.30.4.685.
[28] J. W. Creswell, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 3rd ed, Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications, 2009.
[29] J. D. Lisle, The Benefits and Challenges of Mixing Methods and Methodologies: Lessons Learnt From Implementing Qualitatively Led Mixed Methods Research Designs in Trinidad and Tobago, Caribbean Curriculum, 2011, https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Benefits-and-Challenges-of-Mixing-Methods-and-Lisle/f72659af59d346ae461951ab1ef4307588e746ad/, 2023 (accessed on: March 7th, 2023).
[30] B. G. Tabachnick, L. S. Fidell, J. B. Ullman, Using Multivariate Statistics, Seventh Edition, NY, NY: Pearson, 2019.
[31] OECD, The Role of The National Qualifications System in Promoting Lifelong Learning: Report From Thematic Group 2-Standards and Quality Assurance in Qualifications With Special Reference to The Recognition of Non-formal and Informal Learning, 2005, https://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/theroleofnationalqualificationssystemsinpromotinglifelonglearning.htm/, 2023 (accessed on: March 7th, 2023).
[32] N. T. Vu, Analyzing Capital to be Developed in Language Learning Among Graduates: A Case Study to Employ Bourdieusian Stances, Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, Vol. 8, No. 4, 2021, https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/780.
[33] N. T. Vu, H. Do, Developing Capital in Language Learning: A Mixed-Method Study on Vietnamese English Learners, Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, Vol. 8, p. 17, 2021, https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/779.
[34] A. M. Bathmaker, N. Ingram, R. Waller, Higher Education, Social Class, and The Mobilisation
of Capitals: Recognising and Playing the Game, British Journal of Sociology of Education, Vol. 34, 2013, pp. 723-743, https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2013.816041.
[35] J. Hillage, E. Pollard, Employability: Developing A Framework For Policy Analysis, Labour Market Trends, Vol. 107, 1998, pp. 83-84.
[36] C. M. V. Der Heijde, B. I. J. M. V. Der Heijden, A Competence-Based and Multidimensional Operationalization and Measurement of Employability, Human Resource Management, Vol. 45, 2006, pp. 449-476, https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.20119.
[37] N. Arranz, M. F. Arroyabe, V. Sena, C. F. A. Arranz, J. C. Fernandez de Arroyabe., University-Enterprise Cooperation For the Employability of Higher Education Graduates: A Social Capital Approach, Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 47, No. 5, 2022.
[38] L. T. Tran, N. T. H. Ngo, H. T. M. Nguyen, T. T. T. Le, T. T. H. Ho, Employability in Context: Graduate Employability Attributes Expected by Employers in Regional Vietnam and Implications For Career Guidance, Int J Educ Vocat Guid, 2022, pp. 1-21, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-022-09560-0.
[2] J. Zhang, Educational Diversity and Ethnic Cultural Heritage in The Process of Globalization, International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology, Vol. 3, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1186/s41257-019-0022-x.
[3] C. Segal., 6 Ways the Internet Will Power The Future of Education, https://www.coxblue.com/6-ways-the-internet-will-power-the-future-of-education/, 2023 (accessed on: March 6th, 2023).
[4] G. Paviotti, Higher Education and Employability, in Regional Universities and Pedagogy: Graduate Employability in Rural Labour Markets, G. Paviotti, Ed. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2020, pp. 55-66,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53680-0_4.
[5] T. McCowan, Should Universities Promote Employability?, Theory and Research in Education, Vol. 13, 2015,
https://doi.org/10.1177/1477878515598060.
[6] H. Bui, H. Nguyen, D. Cole, Eds, Innovate Higher Education to Enhance Graduate Employability: Rethinking the Possibilities, London: Routledge, 2019, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429058899.
[7] N. T. Vu, T. T. T. Nguyen, H. Hoang, English-Majoring Student Teacher Response to Employability in Light of a Transition to Online Learning, International Journal of Teacher Education and Professional Development, 2022, Accessed: Mar. 07, 2023, https://doi.org/10.4018/IJTEPD.2022010105.
[8] D. T. T. Nguyen., English Language Teacher Education in Vietnam: A Case Study of Localised Approaches to the Concept of Method at A Rural Vietnamese College, Thesis, 2018. https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/handle/10453/127966.
[9] A. Rothwell, J. Arnold., Self-perceived Employability: Development and Validation of a Scale, Personnel Review, Vol. 36, 2007, pp. 23-41, https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480710716704.
[10] T. T. Tran, Vietnamese Higher Education and The Issue of Enhancing Graduate Employability, Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, Vol. 3, 2012, pp. 2-16, https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2012vol3no1art554.
[11] N. T. Vu, H. Hoang, T. Nguyen., Vietnamese Pre-service Teachers Perceived Development of Employability Capital in Synchronous Learning Amidst the Pandemic, in Emergency Remote Teaching and Beyond: Voices From World Language Teachers and Researchers, J. Chen, Ed. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021, pp. 133-150, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84067-9_7.
[12] P. Knight, M. Yorke., Learning, Curriculum and Employability in Higher Education. London: Routledge, 2003,
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203465271.
[13] P. Brown, A. Hesketh, S. Williams., The Mismanagement of Talent: Employability and Jobs in The Knowledge Economy, OUP Oxford, 2004.
[14] T. L. H. Nghia, Building Soft Skills For Employability: Challenges and Practices in Vietnam, London: Routledge, 2019, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429276491.
[15] G. Mason, G. Williams, S. Cranmer, Employability Skills Initiatives in Higher Education: What Effects do they have on Graduate Labour Market Outcomes?, Education Economics, Vol. 17, No. 1, 2009, pp. 1-30, https://doi.org/10.1080/09645290802028315.
[16] M. Clarke, Plodders, Pragmatists, Visionaries and Opportunists: Career Patterns and Employability, Career Development International, Vol. 14, 2009, No. 1, pp. 8-28, https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430910933556.
[17] M. Clarke, Rethinking Graduate Employability: the Role of Capital, Individual Attributes and Context, Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 43, No. 11, 2018, pp. 1923-1937, https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2017.1294152.
[18] M. Fugate, A. J. Kinicki, B. E. Ashforth, Employability: A Psycho-social Construct, Its Dimensions, and Applications, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Vol. 65, No. 1, 2004, pp. 14-38, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2003.10.005.
[19] L. Holmes, Competing Perspectives on Graduate Employability: Possession, Position or Process?, Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 38, No. 4, 2013, pp. 538-554, https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.587140.
[20] G. S. Becker, Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis, With Special Reference to Education, University of Chicago Press, 2009.
[21] J. S. Coleman., Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital, American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 94, 1988, pp. S95-S120.
[22] T. Pham, M. Tomlinson, C. Thompson, Forms of Capital and Agency as Mediations in Negotiating Employability of International Graduate Migrants, Globalisation, Societies and Education, Vol. 17, No. 3, 2019, pp. 394-405, https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2019.1583091.
[23] J. Dietz, C. Joshi, V. M. Esses, L. K. Hamilton, F. Gabarrot, The Skill Paradox: Explaining and Reducing Employment Discrimination Against Skilled Immigrants, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 26, No. 10, 2015, pp. 1318-1334, https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2014.990398.
[24] P. Bourdieu, The Forms of Capital, in the Sociology of Economic Life, 3rd ed., Routledge, 2011.
[25] B. Ahmad, S. Latif, A. Raza Bilal, M. Hai, The Mediating Role of Career Resilience on The Relationship Between Career Competency and Career Success, Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, Vol. 11, 2019, pp. 209-231, https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-04-2019-0079.
[26] D. Jackson, Re-conceptualising Graduate Employability: The Importance of Pre-professional Identity, Higher Education Research and Development, Vol. 35, No. 5, 2016, pp. 925-939, https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2016.1139551.
[27] K. V. Bruss, M. Kopala, Graduate School Training in Psychology: Its Impact Upon The Development of Professional Identity, Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, Vol. 30, 1993, pp. 685-691,
https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-3204.30.4.685.
[28] J. W. Creswell, Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, 3rd ed, Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications, 2009.
[29] J. D. Lisle, The Benefits and Challenges of Mixing Methods and Methodologies: Lessons Learnt From Implementing Qualitatively Led Mixed Methods Research Designs in Trinidad and Tobago, Caribbean Curriculum, 2011, https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Benefits-and-Challenges-of-Mixing-Methods-and-Lisle/f72659af59d346ae461951ab1ef4307588e746ad/, 2023 (accessed on: March 7th, 2023).
[30] B. G. Tabachnick, L. S. Fidell, J. B. Ullman, Using Multivariate Statistics, Seventh Edition, NY, NY: Pearson, 2019.
[31] OECD, The Role of The National Qualifications System in Promoting Lifelong Learning: Report From Thematic Group 2-Standards and Quality Assurance in Qualifications With Special Reference to The Recognition of Non-formal and Informal Learning, 2005, https://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/theroleofnationalqualificationssystemsinpromotinglifelonglearning.htm/, 2023 (accessed on: March 7th, 2023).
[32] N. T. Vu, Analyzing Capital to be Developed in Language Learning Among Graduates: A Case Study to Employ Bourdieusian Stances, Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, Vol. 8, No. 4, 2021, https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/780.
[33] N. T. Vu, H. Do, Developing Capital in Language Learning: A Mixed-Method Study on Vietnamese English Learners, Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, Vol. 8, p. 17, 2021, https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/779.
[34] A. M. Bathmaker, N. Ingram, R. Waller, Higher Education, Social Class, and The Mobilisation
of Capitals: Recognising and Playing the Game, British Journal of Sociology of Education, Vol. 34, 2013, pp. 723-743, https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2013.816041.
[35] J. Hillage, E. Pollard, Employability: Developing A Framework For Policy Analysis, Labour Market Trends, Vol. 107, 1998, pp. 83-84.
[36] C. M. V. Der Heijde, B. I. J. M. V. Der Heijden, A Competence-Based and Multidimensional Operationalization and Measurement of Employability, Human Resource Management, Vol. 45, 2006, pp. 449-476, https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.20119.
[37] N. Arranz, M. F. Arroyabe, V. Sena, C. F. A. Arranz, J. C. Fernandez de Arroyabe., University-Enterprise Cooperation For the Employability of Higher Education Graduates: A Social Capital Approach, Studies in Higher Education, Vol. 47, No. 5, 2022.
[38] L. T. Tran, N. T. H. Ngo, H. T. M. Nguyen, T. T. T. Le, T. T. H. Ho, Employability in Context: Graduate Employability Attributes Expected by Employers in Regional Vietnam and Implications For Career Guidance, Int J Educ Vocat Guid, 2022, pp. 1-21, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-022-09560-0.
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