Stakeholder Perception of Extracurricular Activities at the Tertiary Level in Vietnam

Abstract

The statement of NCES on its website that "extracurricular activities (ECAs) provide a channel for reinforcing the lessons learned in the classroom, offering students the opportunity to apply academic skills in a real-world context, and are thus considered part of a well-rounded education" has further consolidated the significance of this component in a school's curriculum development. No matter how important these activities are, they have seemingly not received due attention and investment from universities in Vietnam. This study was conducted at four universities in Vietnam to examine the perceptions of three stakeholders, namely administrators, teachers, and students about ECAs. Survey questionnaires and informal interviews were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse quantitative data while qualitative data were approached by deductive content analysis. Major findings reveal both matches and mismatches in the perceptions of the participants, and there was an association between the encouragement of extracurricular activities and students' engagement as well as improvement in their academic performance; however, an unwelcome fact remained regarding students' participation rate, teachers’ belief, and administrators' engagement.