DEVELOPING A MODEL FOR VIETNAMESE PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION Lessons from China and Korea Ha T. Ngo A thesis in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Education Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences April 2019 i Surname/Family Name : Ngo Given Name/s : Thanh Ha Abbreviation for degree as give in the University calendar : PhD Faculty : Faculty of Arts & Social Sciencs School : School of Education Developing a Model for Vietnamese Private Thesis Title : Higher Education: Lessons from China and Korea Abstract This study aims to establish a model that enables the development of private higher education (PHE) in Vietnam. Such a model must reflect the most relevant factors that impact the establishment and growth of the sector. To determine these, the study utilises two different and distinct approaches to those used by earlier researchers. Firstly, a different conceptual and theoretical approach was developed, consisting of three dimensions, which (1) employs three analytical levels, namely, macro, meso and micro levels; (2) combines Neo-Institutional Theory and Resource Dependence Theory, resulting in three institutional factors, namely institutional isomorphisms, logics and actors; and (3) focuses on three crucial aspects regarding the development of PHE, namely governance, finance and quality assurance. Secondly, a comparative approach was adopted to compare factors and the effect of these factors in enabling and supporting the development of PHE in Korea, China and Vietnam. Guided by this framework, data was collected from the selected cases of a private HE institution of the three countries, using documents and interviews as the major sources. The data reveals the impact of the three institutional factors on enabling and constraining the development of PHE in the three countries, despite the significant differences in PHE practices at both macro and meso levels in governance, finance and quality assurance. In addition, this study highlights the role of actors in shaping the development of PHE and offers critical insights to explain the differences in actors’ agentic behaviours. Consequently, the research concludes a series of implications for developing a more effective model that encourages PHE to grow, focusing on facilitating actors at the macro and meso levels to achieve agreement of the aims, goals, functions and roles of PHE based on a thorough understanding of the internal and external environments. This study offers an in-depth and comparative analysis of the PHE sector in the three countries, thereby significantly contributing to the scholarly understanding of the field of HE. In addition, this study also provides both theoretical and empirical implications for the better application of Neo-Institutional Theory in the field of HE. Finally, research findings and the relevant implications generated in this study are important for the future establishment of strategies and policies to guide the development of PHE in Vientam. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. 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I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project’s design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowleged.’ Signed ………………………………………… Date ……………………………………………. iii COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ‘I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make availabe my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articales or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I aslo authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 words abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). 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Publications can be used in their thesis in lieu of a Chapter if: • The student contributed greater than 50% of the content in the publication and is the “primary author”, ie. the student was responsible primarily for the planning, execution and preparation of the work for publication • The student has approval to include the publication in their thesis in lieu of a Chapter from their supervisor and Postgraduate Coordinator. • The publication is not subject to any obligations or contractual agreements with a third party that would constrain its inclusion in the thesis Please indicate whether this thesis contains published material or not. This thesis contains no publications, either published or submitted for publication (if this box is checked, you may delete all the material on page 2) ☐ Some of the work described in this thesis has been published and it has been documented in the relevant Chapters with acknowledgement (if this ☐ box is checked, you may delete all the material on page 2) This thesis has publications (either published or submitted for publication) incorporated into it in lieu of a chapter and the details are presented below ☐ CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION I declare that: • I have complied with the Thesis Examination Procedure • where I have used a publication in lieu of a Chapter, the listed publication(s) below meet(s) the requirements to be included in the thesis. Name Signature Date (dd/mm/yy) Postgraduate Coordinator’s Declaration (to be filled in where publications are used in lieu of Chapters) I declare that: • the information below is accurate • where listed publication(s) have been used in lieu of Chapter(s), their use complies with the Thesis Examination Procedure • the minimum requirements for the format of the thesis have been met. PGC’s Name PGC’s Signature Date (dd/mm/yy) v CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS RELATING TO SECTION OF THE THESIS Ngo, H. T. (2016). Developing a model for Vietnamese Private Higher Education: Lessons from China and Korea. Paper presented at the 2016 Biennial Conference of the Asian Studies Association of Australia, Canberra, Australia Ngo, H. T. (2017). Factors that Impact the Quality Assurance Implementation Process: A Case Study of a Private University in Vietnam. Paper presented at the 17th Annual Conference of the Southeast Asian Association for Institutional Research, Singapore Ngo, H. T. (2018). Development of Private Higher Education in Vietnam and Korea: Insights from Neo-Institutional Theory. Paper presented at the International Conference on Korea and Vietnam in the Modern and Contemporary Ages. Seoul, South Korea. Ngo, H. T. (2019). Neoliberalism in Contemporary Higher Education of East Asia: What Can We Learn from the Past? Paper presented at the Fulbright University Vietnam Academic Conference, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Ngo, H. T. (2019). Neoliberalism versus Confucianism in Vietnamese Higher Education: Bridging the Missing Link? Paper presented at the 11th Engaging With Vietnam Conference, Leiden University, the Netherlands. vi ABSTRACT This study aims to establish a model that enables the development of private