Research on Factors of Quality Culture Affecting Internal Education

Quality Assurance of Universities in Vietnam

NGUYEN ANH TUAN

University of Education Vietnam National University,

144 Xuan Thuy Street, Cau Giay, Hanoi,

VIETNAM

NGUYEN TRUNG KIEN

University of Education Vietnam National University,

144 Xuan Thuy Street, Cau Giay, Hanoi,

VIETNAM

NGUYEN NGOC TRANG

Nguyen Tat Thanh University,

300A – Nguyen Tat Thanh, Ward 13, District 4, City. Ho Chi Minh,

VIETNAM

NGUYEN THANH TU

University of Education Vietnam National University,

144 Xuan Thuy Street, Cau Giay, Hanoi,

VIETNAM

NGUYEN THI HUE

University of Education Vietnam National University,

144 Xuan Thuy Street, Cau Giay, Hanoi,

VIETNAM

Abstract: - This research aimed to identify and evaluate the factors of quality culture affecting the formation,

operation, and effectiveness of internal education quality assurance in Vietnamese universities. From that point

of view, the authors proposed and recommended specific solutions to establish and develop education quality

culture in Vietnamese universities. This research used both qualitative and quantitative research methods. To be

more specific, the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and regression model were used to determine the level of

impact of each factor on internal education quality assurance in universities. At the same time, the researchers

administered a survey of over 30 universities representing different types of universities in Vietnam. The

findings revealed that the factors of quality culture which have impacts on internal quality assurance include

those in the field of academics, social sciences, humanities, culture, and environment.

Key words: - Quality culture, Internal education quality assurance, universities, quality of organisation,

organisational structure, Strategic Management in Higher Education.

Received: September 12, 2022. Revised: January 17, 2023. Accepted: February 18, 2023. Published: March 10, 2023.

1 Introduction

In the general development trend of education in

the region and around the world at present,

Vietnamese education has been changing gradually

and has had certain achievements. The

development trend of higher education in Vietnam

cannot be separated from that in the world as this is

an inevitable phenomenon requiring universities to

make various changes, including the one in the

quality assurance system, [1]. Quality assurance

refers to the inspection of the quality of procedures

or results, depending on how quality is defined, [2].

Quality is not a unique and absolute concept in

higher education, which therefore leads to different

definitions of quality over time. Quality is a

multidimensional concept with many meanings and

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2023.19.19

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Trung Kien,

Nguyen Ngoc Trang, Nguyen Thanh Tu,

Nguyen Thi Hue

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

218

Volume 19, 2023

interrelations that can be distinguished but not

completely separated, [2], [3], [4], [5].

According to Cardoso and his colleagues,

[6], approaches to quality and quality assurance can

be classified based on three different perspectives

on quality in higher education: culture, compliance,

and consistency. These perspectives can be said to

exist side by side as proxies for quality, [6]. The

quality of higher education is becoming a key area

of concern for governments and all other

stakeholders in education. Higher education

stakeholders call for the enhancement of quality

assurance in the higher education system to fulfill

their expectations for quality, [7]. In [8] the authors

pointed out that the concept of quality assurance in

the higher education system was first practiced by

HEIs in developed countries, and gradually gained

support and favour in African universities.

[9], argued that the greater autonomy

granted to universities and the market as a

moderator of change are prerequisite for driving

institutions’ development and allowing them to

compete in the education market. The emergence of

the quality improvement trend where the

responsibility for assuring quality is transferred to

organisations has also promoted the development

of an internal education quality assurance system,

while external vigilance has been increasingly

limited for quality assessment, [10]. Conceptually,

internal quality assurance is a system of policies

and mechanisms to operate a university model or

an educational program to fully meet the objectives

and standards being applied by organisations.

Education quality assurance includes

internal quality assurance and internal and external

quality assurance, which plays an important role in

the management, supervision, evaluation, and

improvement of education quality. In [11] the

authors consider internal quality assurance as a

process with the view to preparing an organisation

or a program for external audit (i.e. preparing a

self-assessment process) or supervising assigned

tasks. Therefore, the internal quality assurance

process is considered the one that prepares an

organisation or a program for an external audit, in

which the supervising task is assigned to a special

quality unit. This means that internal quality

assurance has a close relationship with external

quality assurance, [12]. The external quality

assurance system can only work effectively if it is

related to the internal quality assurance one, [13].

Internal quality assurance (IQA) has been

established and implemented in Vietnamese higher

education for nearly 20 years, [14]. According to

statistics from the Ministry of Education and

Training, more than 90% of universities have

established a unit or department dedicated to

quality assurance, making an important

contribution to the establishment and development

of the quality assurance system of Vietnamese

universities. According to [15], [16] establishing or

developing a “quality culture” is important for

organisations where attention to quality across all

aspects is a top priority to successfully implement

quality assurance. To clarify the relationship and

interaction between quality culture and internal

quality assurance of universities, the research was

conducted to identify factors of quality culture

affecting internal education quality assurance of

universities in Vietnam. The authors assumed this

to be of great scientific importance and practicality.

This provides insights into the internal quality

assurance of the international higher education

system and its implementation in Vietnam, thereby

helping universities to establish and develop a

quality culture towards comprehensive quality

management, and to build society's trust in

education quality.

2 Theory Basis

2.1 Research on Quality Culture

The concept of "quality culture" dates back to the

early 20th century in some universities in the

United States; however, so far it has been difficult

to find a unified definition of the concept, [17].

According to [18] “quality culture is a type of

organisational culture in which quality

improvement is considered as a regular activity

consisting of two separate factors, which are,

cultural/mental factors (set of values, beliefs,

expectations) and administrative/structural factors

(quality assurance process, collaborative effort).”

Approaching from the value aspect, quality

culture is an expression and a part of organisational

culture, “a system of values of an organisation that

creates an environment that encourages the

establishment and continuous improvement of

quality”, [19]. This implies that, in order to be able

to establish and develop a quality culture according

to this approach, universities need to focus on the

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2023.19.19

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Trung Kien,

Nguyen Ngoc Trang, Nguyen Thanh Tu,

Nguyen Thi Hue

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

219

Volume 19, 2023

following issues: operational philosophy,

management methods, problem-solving methods,

relationship-building methods, and quality

improvement methods. Universities need to have

orientations, strategies and plans to create quality

transformation as a premise to establish a quality

culture within themselves. Therefore, it is

necessary to have consistent leadership and

directions from top to bottom, consensus, and

commitment to change the ways of thinking, habits,

and behaviours of all members of the organisations.

In addition, there are other definitions of a

quality culture that are introduced and used quite

commonly. According to [20] quality culture of a

higher education institution is the organisational

culture with quality criteria built from the internal

and external quality assurance system and agreed

on and implemented in order to continuously

improve activities assuring the quality of that

higher education institution. In [21] the author's

quality culture is understood as a special type of

organisational culture containing beliefs, values,

expectations, and commitments of actualization

based on the efforts of each individual in an

organisation. Quality culture is also a component of

the quality management system with tools and

criteria for quality measurement and assurance.

Thus, it can be simply understood that

quality culture is a system of values, standards, and

habits established based on the consensus of all

members of an organisation towards quality.

Quality culture cannot be formed rapidly, instead, it

is likely a prolonged and sustainable process. More

importantly, it must have originated from the inside

or the core of an organisation or a university and its

members. Quality culture, as well as internal

quality assurance, can be compared to an endless

cycle with a starting point but no end.

2.2 Theory of Research Model

Quality culture and internal quality assurance

systems have an organic relationship and

interdependence. In other words, an internal quality

assurance structure will hardly create sustainable

quality without a quality culture, [22]. Quality

culture is one of the key elements of the quality

assurance system inside an organisation, and it

determines the sustainability of quality assurance

activities, [23].

The quality culture of an organisation is a

multi-storey building consisting of a set of artifacts,

values, and assumptions that arise from the

interactions among members of the organisation.

Organisational culture is also formed with beliefs,

behaviours, norms, dominant values, rules, and

environment in the organisation, [24]. In [25] the

authors have pointed out four aspects and features

of quality culture to internal education quality

assurance of an organisation: 1) Be open to

criticism, free from suspicion among its members,

and willing to make judgments or criticism from

each other, 2) Evaluate for development, take

personal self-reflection and take initiatives to

develop, evaluate and assess the research processes

based on existing quality standards, and use

informative feedback to review quality policies

consistent with the organisation’s vision and

mission, 3) Have support, fully-led infrastructure,

and organisational environment, operate a robust

system with high values and standards of

performance, and be recognized by academics and

managers for the necessity of quality monitoring

systems to ensure accountability and facilitate

quality improvement.

According to [6] the faculty and staff’s

consensus on the processes to improve quality

culture is also critical to the internal education

quality assurance system. In this view, quality

assurance is the responsibility of all members of an

organisation, which means everyone must make

efforts to ensure that the right things are done in the

right ways. Furthermore, quality is based on an

organisation's ability to meet, first and foremost,

the requirements of the academic environment, [5].

Based on the model of quality culture in

universities proposed by EUA, [19], quality culture

includes 1) structure (representing the university's

quality system), 2) competence (representing

individuals and collectives integrating quality

mechanisms into culture), 3) quality culture

(representing expressions, appearances and

behaviours of organisation), and 4) linking

elements (linking elements through participation,

communication, and trust) and shapes some of

quality culture values in the context of the

organisational culture.

From the perspective of total quality

management (TQM), quality culture is also

understood as all members of an organisation

sharing the same beliefs, values, and behaviours. It

unites the members and creates internal motivation

that helps everyone to develop. As a result, it can

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2023.19.19

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Trung Kien,

Nguyen Ngoc Trang, Nguyen Thanh Tu,

Nguyen Thi Hue

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

220

Volume 19, 2023

be seen that quality culture has six core values

including 1) unity among stakeholders, 2) respect

for equality, 3) open communication, honesty

upholding, 4) universal access to information, 5)

emphasis on process, and 6) no success or failure,

only experiences worth learning, [26].

Numerous studies have pioneered to build

and establish a quality culture associated with the

development of the internal quality assurance

system. However, for higher education in Vietnam,

the authors share a relatively similar approach. In

[27] the authors proposed a structural model of

university quality culture including five quality

environmental components corresponding to 5

standards, which are used as the basis to build 19

criteria. The model has the connotation of

expressing an organisation's quality culture and

internal quality assurance activities, which should

be implemented and serves as the basis for clearly

evaluating the quality culture level in an

educational institution. Specifically, the proposed

model includes five factors: academic environment,

social environment, humanistic environment,

cultural and natural environment.

In general, there are different factors of

quality culture affecting internal education quality

depending on the characteristics of each country

and each region. However, in this research, the

author selected and, from practical experiences,

adjusted and supplemented the experimental

research model in accordance with the purpose of

the topic in Vietnam.

3 Research Methods

3.1 Research Hypotheses

Based on a theoretical basis previously developed

and completed by various authors in the world and

Vietnam, along with the characteristics of

universities in Vietnam, the authors proposed five

research hypotheses corresponding to the five

factors of quality culture (Figure 1) affecting

internal education quality assurance of universities

in Vietnam (Table 1).

Table 1. Proposed hypotheses in the research based on a theoretical basis

Hypotheses

Hypothetical content

References

Teaching activities, research, educational

perspectives and methods, cutting-edge

research, and respect for professional ethics

affecting the internal quality assurance of the

university.

[5], [6], [25], [27], [29]

Social relationships including organisational

framework and guidelines, policies, and

regulations that contribute to the development

of internal quality assurance of universities.

[6], [18], [26], [27], [29]

Rights and obligations of university members

and stakeholders which are established and

complied with contribute to the improvement of

internal quality assurance.

[18], [26], [27], [29]

Establishing a system of standards, values,

beliefs, and codes of conduct which are widely

accepted and voluntarily implemented,

affecting the internal quality assurance of

universities.

[24], [25], [26], [27], [29]

Landscape, environment, and facilities that

ensure and improve the quality of activities of

higher education institutions.

[25], [27], [29]

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2023.19.19

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Trung Kien,

Nguyen Ngoc Trang, Nguyen Thanh Tu,

Nguyen Thi Hue

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

221

Volume 19, 2023

Fig. 1: Model of factors affecting decision to choose university

Source: Authors’ compilation

3.2 Research Model and Scale

Based on theoretical models and experimental

research hypotheses, the authors proposed a model

to explore the factors of quality culture affecting

the internal quality assurance of universities in

Vietnam as follows:

(HT) Factors in the field of academics

(four observed variables):

• (HT1) Scientific research and products

published to ensure academic ethics

• (HT2) Appreciation for the

implementation of academic transmission in higher

education institutions

• (HT3) Continuous encouragement of

active cooperation, connection, and sharing in

teaching and research

• (HT4) Delight in creativity, research

development, and teaching activities

(XH) Social factors (four observed

variables):

• (XH1) School always upholds autonomy

and social responsibility

• (XH2) School has a mechanism to

evaluate the work quality of individuals and

organisations

• (XH3) All information and activities in

financial management are public and transparent

• (XH4) School focuses on cultural

exchange and community integration activities

domestically and abroad

(NV) Humanity factors (three observed

variables):

• (NV1) Schools’ activities show

democracy in management and administration

• (NV2) Schools always ensure the benefits

based on the policy regime for officials, lecturers,

employees, and learners.

• (NV3) Responsibility of officials,

lecturers, staff, and learners towards school and

society is emphasised.

(VH) Cultural factors (five observed

variables):

• (VH1) School has established vision,

mission, and core values

• (VH2) Values established in an

organisation are actively maintained by everyone

• (VH3) Everyone in a unit always

complies with the codes of conduct, cooperation,

and respects and creates a cultured lifestyle

• (VH4) Everyone in a unit always honours

the good tradition of the school, as well as a

national cultural identity.

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2023.19.19

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Trung Kien,

Nguyen Ngoc Trang, Nguyen Thanh Tu,

Nguyen Thi Hue

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

222

Volume 19, 2023

• (VH5) Spirit of solidarity and reciprocity

in the organisation, stakeholders, and society is

always upheld.

(MT) Environmental factors (four observed

variables):

• (MT1) Modern and clean school

landscape and architecture

• (MT2) Facilities for teaching and research

activities

• (MT3) Pedagogical culture which is

guaranteed and promoted

• (MT4) Landscape and facilities are taken

care of, maintained, and upgraded regularly.

(CC) The degree of responsiveness of

quality culture to internal quality assurance at an

establishment (three observed variables):

• (CC1) I realise that quality culture has

become a key element of the school's quality

assurance

• (CC2) I realise that quality culture is

contributing to maintaining, consolidating, and

developing the school's quality assurance

• (CC3) I am satisfied with the quality

culture and quality assurance system at the

university where I work.

Fig. 2: Distribution of surveyed subjects

3.3 Data Collection

The research team conducted a survey to collect

data from May to August 2022. An online random

and convenient interview method was used. A total

of 300 officials and lecturers from over 30

universities representing different types of

universities in Vietnam participated in the

interview (Figure 2). To be more specific, there

were 13 universities from the North of Vietnam, 6

from the Central, and 1,113 from the South. The

number of universities in this research was

proportioned to the number of universities across

Vietnam in reality, which indicated the

appropriateness and reliability of the sampling

method. In the survey questionnaire, there are a

total of 23 questions classified into 6 groups related

to the (1) factors in the field of academics, (2)

factors in the field of social sciences, (3) factors in

the field of humanities, (4) factors in the field of

culture, (5) factors in the field of environment, (6)

level of responsiveness, and (7) personal

information. Groups from 1 to 5 used a Likert scale

with a range of values from 1 to 5 to measure the

perceived level of the surveyed subjects by level:

strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, and

strongly agree.

3.4 Methods of Collecting, Processing and

Analysing Data

SPSS 25 software was used to characterise the

surveyed sample, factor discovery analysis, and

regression analysis. The purpose of factor

discovery analysis was to identify the important

and reliable variables to determine a group of

factors for the regression analysis.

Step 1: Evaluation of the scale quality by

Cronbach's Alpha coefficient

Cronbach's Alpha coefficient is a statistical

test of the closeness of variables in a scale that is

correlated with each other. This method allows

analysts to eliminate inappropriate variables and

limit junk variables in the research process and

evaluate the reliability of the scale. Variables with

Item-total correlation < 0.3 were excluded. The

Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.6 or more could be

used in case the concept was newly researched.

Normally, the Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.7 -

0.8 could be used. Many researchers believe that

when the scale has a reliability of 0.8 or more

which is close to 1, it is a good scale, [28].

Step 2: EFA exploratory factor analysis

Exploratory factor analysis is a technique

used to limit and summarise data (grouping all

variables into a number of factors). This method is

very useful for determining a set of variables

needed for the research issues and used to find the

relationship among the variables.

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2023.19.19

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Trung Kien,

Nguyen Ngoc Trang, Nguyen Thanh Tu,

Nguyen Thi Hue

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

223

Volume 19, 2023

In exploratory factor analysis, the KMO

(Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin) value is an index used to

consider the appropriateness of factor analysis. The

KMO value must be between 0.5 and 1 for the

analysis to be appropriate; and if it is less than 0.5,

the factor analysis is likely to be inappropriate for

the data.

The Eigenvalue represents the amount of

variation that is explained by a factor greater than 1

to be retained in the model and Variance explained

criteria that the total variance explained criteria

must be greater than 50%. This research uses the

method of factor extraction as the Principal

component with Varimax rotation and removes

variables with factor loading less than 0.5.

Step 3: Regression analysis and hypothesis

testing In [30] the authors show that the general

regression model adjusted after factor discovery

analysis has the following form:

CC = 𝑓(X1, X2, X3, X4, X5)

The empirical model (linear regression) of

the factors with the overall influence has the

following form:

CC = β0 + β1X1 + β2X2 + β3X3 + β4X4 + β5X5

To be more specific, variables in the linear

regression model were explained in Table 3. There

were 05 scales of independent factors (20 observed

variables) and one scale of dependent factors (three

observed variables).

3.5 Measurement Scale System Adjustment

After removing five unsuitable observed variables,

the research team carried out a factor discovery

analysis with 15 observed variables. The details of

the variable names and codes were presented in

Table 2.

Table 2. Questionnaire system after testing

Explanation of factors (independent variable)

Code

Factor 1

Factors in the field of academic

Scientific research and products published to ensure academic ethics

HT1

Appreciate the implementation of academic transmission in higher education institutions

HT2

Always encouraged to actively cooperate, connect and share in teaching and research

HT3

Delight in creativity, research development, and teaching activities

HT4

Factor 2

Factors in the field of social

School has a mechanism to evaluate the work quality of individuals and organisations

XH2

All information and activities in financial management are public and transparent

XH3

School has a clearly established vision, mission, and core values

VH1

Factor 3

Factors in the field of humanities

School's activities show democracy in management and administration

NV1

School always ensures the benefits according to policy regime for officials, lecturers, employees,

and learners.

NV2

Spirit of solidarity and reciprocity in the organisation, stakeholders, and society is always upheld.

VH5

Factor 4

Factors in the field of culture

Everyone in the unit always complies with the rules of conduct, cooperation, and respects and

creates a cultured lifestyle

VH3

Everyone in the unit always honours the good tradition of school combined with national cultural

identity

VH4

School focuses on cultural exchange and community integration activities domestically and

abroad

XH4

Factor 5

Factors in the field of environment

Modern and clean school landscape and architecture

MT1

Landscapes and facilities are taken care of, maintained, and upgraded regularly.

MT4

Source: Authors’ compilation

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2023.19.19

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Trung Kien,

Nguyen Ngoc Trang, Nguyen Thanh Tu,

Nguyen Thi Hue

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

224

Volume 19, 2023

Table 3. Explanation of variables in the model

Names of factors

Code

Observed variables of factors

Expectation

sign

Internal quality assurance

CC1, CC2, CC3

Factors in the field of academic

HT1, HT2, HT3, HT4

Factors in the field of social

XH2, XH3, VH1

Factors in the field of humanities

NV1, NV2, VH5

Factors in the field of culture

VH3, VH4, XH4

Factors in the field of environment

MT1, MT4

4 Research findings

4.1 Survey Sample Characteristics

The authors conducted a survey in 30 universities

in Vietnam. The survey results showed that 40.3%

of survey participants were male and 59.7% were

female. The percentage of lecturers currently

working at universities accounted for the majority

with a rate of 48.0%. In terms of seniority, teachers

with teaching experience of more than 10 years

accounted for 31.7% (n=95) and only 17.7% of the

participating teachers had less than 2 years of

working experience (n=25). The respondents with

doctoral degrees accounted for the largest ratio of

62.3%; whereas those with master degrees only

made up 27.7%. Besides, the respondents who were

professors and associate professors respectively

accounted for 14% and 22.3%. The details of each

feature were shown in Table 4.

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2023.19.19

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Trung Kien,

Nguyen Ngoc Trang, Nguyen Thanh Tu,

Nguyen Thi Hue

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

225

Volume 19, 2023

Table 4. Characteristics of subjects in the interview sample

Type

Northern

Central

Southern

Total

Qty

Ratio (%)

Qty

Ratio (%)

Qty

Ratio (%)

Qty

Ratio (%)

1. Gender

Male

35.0

36.9

47.8

121

40.3

Female

65.0

63.1

52.2

179

59.7

2. Current job position

Managers

25.0

20.0

21.7

22.7

Lecturers

46.7

43.1

52.2

144

48.0

Staffs

28.3

36.9

26.1

29.3

3. Working years

Less than 2 years

15.8

12.3

22.6

17.7

From 2 to 5 years

17.5

26.2

27.8

23.3

From 5 to 10 years

30.8

33.8

20.0

27.3

Over 10 years

35.8

27.7

29.6

31.7

4. Academic rank, academic degree

Professor

16.7

13.8

11.3

14.0

Associate Professor, Ph.D.

26.7

23.1

17.4

22.3

Ph.D.

34.2

43.1

33.9

108

36.0

Master

22.5

20.0

37.4

27.7

Total

120

100

115

100

300

100

Source: Author's compilation

Results of the EFA test for the scales are shown in

Table 5. Results of the EFA test showed that: the

KMO coefficient was 0.964 (0.5<KMO<1);

Bartlett's test was less than 0.05; Factor Loading is

greater than 0.5 and Eigenvalues of all 5 factors are

greater than 1, showing the convergence of factors.

Thus, factor analysis was accepted with the

research data set. The total variance extracted was

60.785%, greater than 50%, showing that the factor

analysis model was appropriate. This result showed

that the above five factors explain 60.785% of the

variability of the data. Analysing the results of the

Cronbach's Alpha test, the components of all scales

were satisfactory with the Cronbach's Alpha within

the range of 0.6 to 0.839, which indicated that the

scale was of a good level.

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2023.19.19

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Trung Kien,

Nguyen Ngoc Trang, Nguyen Thanh Tu,

Nguyen Thi Hue

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

226

Volume 19, 2023

Table 5. Results off Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of components

Observed variables

Factors (components)

HT1

0.700

HT2

0.834

HT3

0.776

HT4

0.770

XH2

0.651

XH3

0.800

VH1

0.709

NV1

0.739

NV2

0.773

VH5

0.637

VH3

0.689

VH4

0.773

XH4

0.637

MT1

0.619

MT4

0.737

Variable

Eigen value

Extracted

Variance

Cronbach’s Alpha

5.507

27.536

0.839

2.740

13.698

0.727

1.592

7.958

0.717

1.285

6.427

0.716

1.033

5.166

0.6

Total

60.785

KMO coefficient

0.964

Bartlett's test

Chi-Square

8164.519

741

Sig.

.000

Source: Author's compilation

4.3 Factors of Quality Culture Affecting to

Internal Quality Assurance of Universities

in Vietnam

Least squares estimation linear regression model

analysis was used to identify the impact of the

factors of quality culture on the internal quality

assurance of universities in Vietnam. In addition,

the normalisation coefficient in the regression

model was used to determine the contribution ratio

of each factor to the satisfaction of the university's

internal quality assurance activities. The detailed

results of the regression model analysis and

calculation of the importance of each factor were

shown in Tables 6 and 7 respectively.

Table 6 showed that in the full model, the P-values

of the variables in the model were all less than 0.05

except for the variable X1. This result showed that

in the model the variable from X2 to X5 was

statistically significant at the 95% to 99%

confidence level. The variable X1 was excluded in

the reduced model, so the results were similar to

four variables X2, X3, X4, and X5 which were

statistically significant at the 95% to 99%

confidence level.

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2023.19.19

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Trung Kien,

Nguyen Ngoc Trang, Nguyen Thanh Tu,

Nguyen Thi Hue

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

227

Volume 19, 2023

Table 6. Model analysis results

Variables

Full model

Lean model

Constant

2.826E-16

1.669E-16

0.080

(0.55)

0.365***

(0.55)

0.365***

(0.55)

0.126**

(0.55)

0.126**

(0.55)

0.402***

(0.55)

0.402***

(0.55)

0.333***

(0.55)

0.333***

(0.55)

Sample

300

R-squared

0.421

0.415

P-value

<0.001

*** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1

Source: Author's estimate using SPSS software 25.00

The normalised regression coefficient

showed the impact of the independent variables as

a percentage. Table 7 showed that variable X4 had

the strongest impact (31.0%). Accordingly, X2

(27.45%), X5 (25.6%), X3 (9.71%), and X1

(6.17%). As expected of the research hypothesis,

the groups of factors affecting the internal quality

assurance of universities according to the levels

from strong to weak were the most important

factors. Table 7 also identified variable X1 as the

one with the least influence among the five

investigated factors (the influence index was only

6.17), followed by X5, X3, and X2.

Table 7. Important position of factors affecting internal quality assurance

Independent

variables

Full model

Lean model

Absolute

value

Ratio

(%)

Rating

Absolute

value

Ratio

(%)

Rating

0.080

6.17

0.356

27.45

0.356

29.26

0.126

9.71

0.126

10.35

0.402

31.0

0.402

33.03

0.333

25.67

0.333

27.36

Total

1.297

100

1.217

100

Source: Author's estimate using SPSS software 25.00

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2023.19.19

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Trung Kien,

Nguyen Ngoc Trang, Nguyen Thanh Tu,

Nguyen Thi Hue

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

228

Volume 19, 2023

4.4 Level of Impact on Internal Education

Quality Assurance

Questionnaires were used to explore the extent to

which each factor of the quality culture affects the

quality assurance of internal education at an

institution. The results of this assessment were

presented in Table 8. Table 8 showed that 23.4% of

the respondents felt that the quality culture had a

great impact on ensuring the quality of education

inside an institution, while 45.3% and 27.3% of

them respectively rated its impact as of a large and

great extent. On average, only 3.2% thought that

the quality culture hardly had any impact on

internal quality assurance, and 0.8% saw no

impacts at all. The average assessment of the levels

of impact was quite large 3.9/5.0 points. In other

words, most people were satisfied with their choice

of university.

Table 8. Level of impact on internal education quality assurance in universities

Area

Rate of assessment of the impact of factors on

internal education quality assurance by level (%)

Average

Level of

impact

Northern

1.5

4.0

16.0

42.5

36.0

4.08

Satisfactory

Central

0.16

2.24

31.7

56.1

9.8

3.73

Southern

0.63

3.14

33.96

37.11

25.16

3.83

Total

0.8

3.2

27.3

45.3

23.4

3.9

Source: Authors’ compilation

5 Conclusion

From investigating the factors of the quality culture

that affect internal education quality assurance of

universities in Vietnam, it is fair to say that the

quality culture is of great importance and serves as

the basis to help improve the quality of an

organisation. This research aims to build and test a

model showing the relationship between the factors

of quality culture and internal education quality

assurance of universities in Vietnam. After using

the exploratory factor analysis model and

identifying 5 factors including: (1) factors in the

field of academics, (2) factors in the field of social

sciences, (3) factors in the field of humanities, (4)

factors in the field of culture, (5) factors in the field

of environment. The analysis results have shown

that the members of higher education institutions

agreed that the quality culture at the institutions had

a large impact on internal education quality

assurance.

Building a quality culture and developing the

quality assurance system inside the university are

two activities that are closely related, support and

interact with each other, and create the educational

culture of higher education institutions. In the

complicated context of COVID-19 which has

caused many obstacles to quality assurance

activities of educational institutions, this research is

even more meaningful for universities to keep pace

with the general recovery of society. Although

Vietnamese universities are fully aware of quality

assurance, there is still much confusion in

implementing activities, especially in building and

developing a quality culture. Currently, one of the

biggest challenges for universities in Vietnam in

quality culture is that conditions for quality

assurance have not really lived up to the

requirements and they are still formal, not to

mention the fact that the accountability to improve

quality has not been focused. To overcome those

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2023.19.19

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Trung Kien,

Nguyen Ngoc Trang, Nguyen Thanh Tu,

Nguyen Thi Hue

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

229

Volume 19, 2023

shortcomings requires time, high effort, a

consensus of all members of the school, and a

stronger commitment to quality assurance

activities.

The findings from this research could act as the

foundation to establish and adjust the quality

culture and internal quality assurance for the 30

universities participating in this research and other

higher education institutions across the country.

These also provide references for the Ministry of

Education and Training in issuing macro policies

related to education quality administration and

accreditation. Last but not least, university

students, post-graduate students, and master

students could refer to this research for their study

objectives and scientific research.

In detail, based on the research results, the

authors would like to propose some

recommendations for universities to improve their

quality culture to enhance the internal quality

assurance activities as follows:

Firstly, strengthening close connections

between quality assurance activities and quality

culture formation in school will be systematic,

interacting with the internal environment (codes of

conduct, cooperation, respect, and cultural lifestyle)

and cultural exchange with integration will change

capacity and perception of quality of individuals

and groups in the university. Awareness and

capacity of quality of individuals and groups will

be strengthened and enhanced along with newly

formed quality cultural values, which will not only

positively affect quality assurance activities but

also other activities.

Secondly, establishing and perfecting the

internal education quality assurance system in unit,

including a system of management and operating

documents, strategies, policies, and quality

assurance plans, internal education quality

assurance system such as organisational structure,

personnel, functions, tasks, organisational and

training plans for staffs, database system on quality

evaluation and comparison, simultaneously

implementing, reviewing, evaluating, and

improving quality assurance activities.

Thirdly, when implementing establishing a

quality culture, the first activity that needs to be

implemented is to propagate and widely

disseminate to stakeholders the regulations on

quality assurance of education and quality culture

in a unit such as discussion, organising

conferences, seminars, and meetings to disseminate

the work of quality assessment and quality survey

to cadres, civil servants and students of the school.

This propaganda and dissemination need to be

carried out regularly, with effective evaluation after

each implementation, to have practical

significance.

Fourthly, focus on quality inspection of

educational institutions and training programs

towards quality improvement, gradually forming

and building school quality culture. Accordingly,

universities also need to pay attention to investment

in upgrading landscape and physical facilities to

build the best learning, working, and research

environment and create an internal quality culture

in school.

Lastly, the factors affecting the quality

culture and internal quality assurance of

universities in Vietnam should be taken into

consideration within the context of the strong

promotion of university autonomy in Vietnam.

When universities are more autonomous, quality

culture formation and internal quality assurance are

the rights and responsibilities of the university

council and Rector. More importantly, only when

universities are granted greater autonomy can

quality culture and internal quality assurance show

their strengths, which leads to the improvement in

the quality and effectiveness of training, scientific

research, and social services.

In accordance with the theories and reality

of university education, there are several factors

affecting internal quality assurance. In the scope of

this research, the authors have not been able to

study the relations among the factors of quality

cultures and other factors in influencing the internal

quality assurance of universities and to make clear

its formation and development. These are the

approaches that the authors will follow in further

studies in the future.

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2023.19.19

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Trung Kien,

Nguyen Ngoc Trang, Nguyen Thanh Tu,

Nguyen Thi Hue

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

230

Volume 19, 2023

References:

[1] Mursidi, A., Murdani, E., Ting, I. H., & Wu,

J. C. (2019). Development of internal quality

assurance models in higher education

institutions. In Proceedings of the 10th

International Conference on E-Education, E-

Business, E-Management and E-

Learning (pp. 264-269).Harvey, L., & Green,

D. (1993). Defining quality. Assessment &

evaluation in higher education, 18(1), 9-34.

[2] Harvey, L., & Green, D. (1993). Defining

Quality. Assessment and Evaluation in

Higher Education, 18, 9-34.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0260293930180102

[3] Green, D. (1994). What is quality in higher

education? Concepts, policy and

practice. What is quality in higher

education, 8.

[4] Westerheijden, D., B. Stensaker, and M. J.

Rosa. (2007). Introduction in Quality

Assurance in Higher Education. Edited by D.

Westerheijden, B. Stensaker, and M.J. Rosa,

1–11. Dordrecht: Springer.

[5] Kleijnen, J., Dolmans, D., Willems, J., &

Hout, H. V. (2013). Teachers’ conceptions of

quality and organisational values in higher

education: compliance or

enhancement?. Assessment & Evaluation in

higher education, 38(2), 152-166.

[6] Cardoso, S., Rosa, M. J., & Stensaker, B.

(2016). Why is quality in higher education

not achieved? The view of

academics. Assessment & evaluation in

higher education, 41(6), 950-965.

[7] Essel, H. B., Boakye-Yiadom, M., &

Kyeremeh, F. A. (2018). Assessing students’

experiences of internal quality assurance

practices in selected private higher education

institutions. International Journal of Science

and Research, 7(2), 804-809.

[8] Yong, J., & Wilkinson, A. (2002). The long

and winding road: The evolution of quality

management. Total Quality

Management, 13(1), 101-121.

[9] Amaral, A., & Teixeira, P. (2016). An

Economic View of Higher Education

Theory. Valuing Higher Education. An

Appreciation of the Work of Gareth Williams,

23-41.

[10] Filippakou, O., & Tapper, T. (2008). Quality

assurance and quality enhancement in higher

education: contested territories? Higher

Education Quarterly, 62(1‐2), 84-100.

[11] Loukkola, T., & Zhang, T.

(2010). Examining quality culture: Part 1-

Quality assurance processes in higher

education institutions. Brussels: European

University Association.

[12] Bollaert, Lucien, S. Brus, B. Curvale, L.

Harvey, E. Helle, H.T. Jensen, J.

Komljenovič, A. Orphanides, and A. Sursock

(2007). Embedding Quality Culture in

Higher Education. A Selection of Papers

From The 1st European Forum.

[13] D.J. Cooper (2003). Leadership for Follower

Commitment. First, Oxford: Butterworth-

Heineman.

[14] Ta Thi Thu Hien, Nguyen Thi Thu Huong

(2022). Quality culture: Quality assurance

factors inside universities. VNU Journal of

Science: Education Research, Vol. 38, No. 1

(2022), 50-59.

[15] Gavrea, C., Ilies, L., & Stegerean, R. (2011).

Determinants of organisational performance:

The case of Romania. Management &

Marketing, 6(2).

[16] Zaied, R. M. B., Louati, H., & Affes, H.

(2015). The relationship between

organisational innovations, internal sources

of knowledge and organisational

performance. International Journal of

Managing Value and Supply Chains, 6(1),

53-67.

[17] Tran Minh Tu (2018). Developing internal

quality culture and quality assurance system

inside Tan Trao University. Scientific

Journal Of University, 4(7), 85-90.

[18] EUA (2006). Quality Culture in European

Universities: A Bottom-up Approach. Report

on the three rounds of Quality Culture

Project, European University Association,

Belgium.

[19] M. A. Syed (2008). Quality Culture, College

of Engineering and Computing: Florida

International University, Miami, Florida.

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2023.19.19

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Trung Kien,

Nguyen Ngoc Trang, Nguyen Thanh Tu,

Nguyen Thi Hue

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

231

Volume 19, 2023

[20] Berings, D., Beerten, Z., Hulpiau, V., &

Verhesschen, P. (2010). Quality culture in

higher education: from theory to practice.

In European Quality Assurance Forum

(EQAF), Date: 2010/11/18-2010/11/20,

Location: Lyon, France.

[21] Le Thi Phuong (2018). Building and

developing quality culture at the University

of Information Technology - Vietnam

National University, Ho Chi Minh City.

Education Magazine, August special issue,

pp. 77-81.

[22] Vu Thi Phuong Anh (2011). Challenges in

building quality culture in Vietnamese

universities. Journal of Education (2022),

22(2), 17-22.

[23] Le Van Hao (2012). Building internal quality

assurance system and quality culture at the

University of Social Sciences and

Humanities, Vietnam National University,

Ho Chi Minh: some observations and

recommendations. Quality Assurance

Workshop, University of Social Sciences and

Humanities, VNU-HCM, June 2012.

[24] Naranjo-Valencia, J. C., Jiménez-Jiménez,

D., & Sanz-Valle, R. (2016). Studying the

links between organisational culture,

innovation, and performance in Spanish

companies. Revista Latinoamericana de

Psicología, 48(1), 30-41.

[25] Rifa’i, A. A., Permana, J., Komariah, A., &

Sudarsyah, A. (2019, March). The influence

of internal quality assurance and quality

culture on performance of higher education

institutions. In the 2nd International

Conference on Research of Educational

Administration and Management (ICREAM

2018) (pp. 274-278). Atlantis Press.

[26] W. John (1996). The Six Values of a Quality

Culture (accessed on March 6th 2023).

[27] Le Duc Ngoc, Trinh Thi Vu Le and Nguyen

Thi Ngoc Xuan. (2012). Discuss the VHCL

model of higher education institutions.

Journal of Educational Management, (34),

13-15.

[28] Hoang Trong, Chu Nguyen Mong Ngoc

(2005). Analyse research data with SPSS.

Statistical Publishing House.

[29] Nguyen Thi Ngoc Xuan (2017). Standard

framework for assessing university quality

culture according to the value approach.

Education Journal, (408), 26-28.

[30] Cooper, D. R., Schindler, P. S., & Sun, J.

(2006). Business research methods (Vol. 9,

pp. 1-744). New York: Mcgraw-hill.

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ENVIRONMENT and DEVELOPMENT

DOI: 10.37394/232015.2023.19.19

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Nguyen Trung Kien,

Nguyen Ngoc Trang, Nguyen Thanh Tu,

Nguyen Thi Hue

E-ISSN: 2224-3496

232

Volume 19, 2023

Contribution of Individual Authors to the

Creation of a Scientific Article (Ghostwriting

Policy)

The authors equally contributed in the present

research, at all stages from the formulation of the

problem to the final findings and solution.

Sources of Funding for Research Presented in a

Scientific Article or Scientific Article Itself

No funding was received for conducting this study.

Conflict of Interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare

that are relevant to the content of this article.

Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

(Attribution 4.0 International, CC BY 4.0)

This article is published under the terms of the

Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en

_US