FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS - RESEARCH PROPOSAL THE EFFECTS OF GRADE POINT AVERAGE ON THE STARTING SALARY OF ECONOMICS GRADUATES AT FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY FROM Group number: Instructor: Dr Phạm Thị Cẩm Anh Class: KTEE206(GĐ1-HK1-2022-2023).1 Hanoi, 10/2022 2016 TO 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION LITERATURE REVIEW Overview of determinants of starting salaries 2 Published related research Research gap RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS Research objectives Research questions RESEARCH DESIGN AND DATA COLLECTION Objective and approach to number method Data collection 2.1 Outline 2.2 Data requirement table a) First mixed method questionnaire proposal b) Second mixed method questionnaire proposal 12 2.3 Testing for reliability of questionnaire 14 2.4 Data analysis 14 a) Quantitative analysis 14 b) Qualitative analysis 15 Ethics considerations 15 Threats 16 TIMESCALE AND DISSEMINATION 17 Timescale 17 Dissemination 18 REFERENCES 20 INTRODUCTION During the school years, students are often very concerned about their grades, as only with good scores will they be able to pass crucial examinations and continue their pursuit of higher education However, in university, it seems that grades are no longer the top priority It has been established (Potter, 2017) that Grade Point Average (GPA) reflects average academic performance and progress, and is considered when assessing students’ eligibility for passing courses and programmes at university Generally, GPA is measured on a scale to a maximum score of 4.0, and is calculated by dividing quality points on a 4.0 scale (convertible from various types of grades), with total amount of course credits For the majority of institutions, a GPA of 3.0 to 3.5 is decent, and above 3.5 is considered remarkable When asked about students' preferences during the college years, most not prioritize study or GPA, but focus more on practical experience, professional skills, internships, etc Such a pattern has been consistent in a dynamic environment like Foreign Trade University, at which students always want to explore and experience new challenges Nonetheless, time is always limited, and it is difficult to balance and master everything simultaneously This means that more emphasis on practical experience would result in less time for studies, which in turn directly affects GPA, diploma quality, and starting salary later on For those reasons, we decided to choose the topic: “GPA effects on the starting salary of economics graduates at Foreign Trade University from 2016-2020” This study aims to analyze the influence of GPA on the starting salaries of Economics graduates at Foreign Trade University from 2016 to 2020 Through statistical data processing and analysis, the results are hoped to provide Foreign Trade University students with a deeper insight into the importance of GPA, thereby helping them have better orientations to improve their scores LITERATURE REVIEW Overview of determinants of starting salaries Many people dream of a high starting salary, particularly graduates from elite and prestigious universities Considering the gap between starting salaries of graduates, it has been determined to be different factors, including the level of education, years of experience, specific training, organizational pay system, workplace, and other starting compensation (Milano, 2008) Analyzing and understanding these determinants is of utmost importance as it helps graduates to know what factors to consider when choosing a job, and to help explain student starting salary disparities Published related research Among all the factors mentioned above, the level of education (or GPA, to be more specific) is always catching the interest of researchers The topic was analyzed (Johnson, 2003) and came the conclusion that GPA does not affect the income of some groups, which was later further supported (Fan E, Meng X, Wei Z, Zhao G., 2018) It was also believed that GPA affects starting salaries both negatively and insignificantly (Johnson, 2006) The aforementioned researcher supports his theory by explaining a phenomenon called “GPA inflation” which implies “the sustainable growth of GPA all over the world in the last decades.” This has eliminated the difference between gifted and ordinary students; and as a result, the signaling role of GPA is decreasing From an examination of the correlation between GPA and earnings of graduates at a top Russian university in 2019 (Rudakov V, Roshchin S., 2019), it is concluded that GPA significantly positively affects the salaries of BA graduates (9–12% wage premium for an additional GPA point), whereas the inverse happens to MA programs ones (7–8% wage penalty for an extra GPA point) In addition, there was a demonstration that the educational system significantly influenced wages, considering the case of a Taiwan university (Tao-Ming Cheng; Hsing-Yu Hou; Agrawal, Dinesh Chandra; Long-Sheng Chen; Ching-Jung Chi, 2019) In a report published in 2010, a higher GPA was argued to directly lead to higher starting earnings (Arcidiacono, Peter; Patrick Bayer and Aurel Hizmo, 2010) To be more specific, the CVs of university graduates offer a wide range of information, including grades, results of different tests, etc, which enables job-seekers to reveal their abilities and confirm them to employers The theory of cultural capital was used to explain the relationship between GPA and starting wages (Kingston, P W., 1981) The author wrote in his report: “Employers who hire graduates for particularly highly privileged and well-paid positions may value specific cultural resources and reward the amount of accumulated cultural capital Higher academic achievement, which can be reflected by a degree from a prestigious university or diploma cum laude, is one of the standardized forms of cultural capital and may provide higher returns” In a study, the effect of GPA on graduating students’ wages was researched using a data set from an elite university in China (Zou, T., Zhang, Y., & Zhou, B., 2022) The authors found out that as GPA increases by unit, the starting monthly wage increases by 29.6 percent on average Theoretically, the GPA matters for wages due to both the human capital and signaling effect Research gap The data sample of some studies is not complete and uniform; some research periods are not long enough Therefore, there are still some shortcomings, and the accuracy is not entirely accurate for scientific applications Besides, some research was conducted a long time ago so the results can be outdated Furthermore, among the previous studies presented, none of them examined the case of Vietnamese graduates Things can happen differently in various countries, so we cannot make any conclusion concerning Vietnamese economics graduates based on the research results mentioned earlier In this research, we would like to apply the theories of former reports and include surveys to examine the impact of GPA on starting salaries of economics graduates However, our data have some limitations and may not represent the whole population of university graduates Also, almost all people are homogenous regarding professional skills and knowledge and even similar in personality traits Thus, the report is prone to flaws RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS Research objectives Due to limitations on research and literature on GPA as a factor in job application and employment in general in Vietnam as a whole, we believe that it is imperative to set related objectives in order to give more coverage and raise public awareness about the issue Therefore, the study serves to: Compare the number of excellent, very good, good, and average degrees and research the relationship between diploma quality/GPA and starting salary, rank, or position in the company Gather opinions of Foreign Trade University graduates about the application of GPA into the future career Compare GPA with other criteria in the recruitment process of businesses and enterprises Research questions In the light of the above discussion my work aims to provide Foreign Trade University students with a deeper insight into the importance of GPA, thereby helping them have better orientations to improve their scores In summary, there is a need for a better understanding of factors that affect economics graduates starting salary More specifically, the following research questions need to be addressed: What is the average graduation rate of excellent, very good, good and average students majoring in Economics and International Economics at Foreign Trade University in the past five years? What is the percentage of students working outside their majors when they graduate? How can the knowledge learned in school be applied in the working environment? Does GPA still remain a top priority for students? What are the factors that businesses and enterprises put on top of their recruitment process? RESEARCH DESIGN AND DATA COLLECTION Objective and approach to number method We consider the combination of quantitative and qualitative data, as well as the mixed methods research approach according to our research objective, which is to gain large-scale statistical insights into the correlation between GPA and starting salary ⮚ Quantitative data is data value that comes in the forms of counts or numbers, constituting specific datasets with unique numerical value (Questionpro, 2018) Essentially, questions such as “How many?”, “How often?”, “How much”, are used to collect quantitative data As far as our research topic is concerned, we make use of quantitative data to gather statistics such as amounts of starting salary or the number of applicants of a business who were Foreign Trade University’s graduates Afterwards, several techniques would be considered to form analysis of such quantitative data With such scope of analysis, quantitative data is conducive to detailed research with minimized bias ⮚ Qualitative data, by definition, is not numerical (Questionpro, 2018), and can approximate and characterize Statistically, qualitative data can be categorized based on characteristics of the subject Likewise, qualitative data is of great significance to insightful research, since this data form involves much less restricted answers For our research, qualitative data can be noticed in questions related to opinions and evaluations of aspects of GPA and employment ⮚ Mixed methods enable researchers to utilize both quantitative and qualitative data (Shorten and Smith, 2017) It is apparent from the nature of our research, that either quantitative or qualitative data is insufficient for wide and clear results, so the mixed methods approach would better equip us with a diverse research viewpoint and potentially resulting in more comprehensive insights We will make use of the Foreign Trade University's alumni in Economics from 2016-2020 with details about graduates’ overall GPA and diploma quality, after asking for permission from the university department (Political & Student Affairs department), and propose self-made questionnaires for data collection, whose proposal would be presented later in this paper 2.1 Data collection Outline ● Population: Graduates majoring in Economics and International Economics from 2016 to 2020 ⮚ 2016: 2019 graduates ⮚ 2017: 1885 graduates ⮚ 2018: 1632 graduates ⮚ 2019: 1830 graduates ⮚ 2020: 1355 graduates ⮚ Total: 8721 graduates ● Sample: 368 Foreign Trade University graduates majoring in Economics and International Economics (according to sample size calculator) (This means 368 or more measurements/surveys are needed to have a confidence level of 95% that the real value is within ±5% of the measured/surveyed value.) ● Duration: 2016-2020 (longitudinal/ panel data, which includes observations about different time cross sections (Erica, 2019) Longitudinal or panel data is advantageous in a way that allows more information, variability and efficiency compared to pure times series or cross-sectional data.) ● Approach: ● Inductive reasoning: Inductive reasoning involves the foundation of conclusions through already available or confirmed evidence (Sauce and Matzel, 2017) Therefore, it is worth collecting and analyzing strong and related evidence to the point that conclusions drawn afterwards will be as certain as possible Considering the relatively insufficient coverage on GPA-and-employment-related issues in Vietnam, we are compelled to carry out inductive reasoning We expect that through questionnaires, the questions involved and analysis afterwards will have been refined enough to collect strong background for fresh insights into the issue ● Collecting both quantitative and qualitative data through survey research using questionnaires (Google Forms): Survey research, by definition, is the process of gathering information from individual samples through their responses to questions (Check & Schutt, 2011) In fact, in survey research, a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research strategies could be facilitated, hence our selection of the approach Particularly, questionnaires allow for a wider range of forms including email, Internetbased programs or a mixture of both (Check and Schutt, 2011) It is then expected that survey research would help us arrive at solid statistical findings that would be properly representative of a population We decided to propose Google Forms as a channel for our questionnaires, an online data collection tool that gives users significant freedom regarding the choice of templates, answer customization and interaction From Google Forms, it is simple to use and straightforward to understand for both researchers and participants, and questionnaires could be converted into links that are readily available to be sent to a large number of participants Multiple platforms, including mobile and web browsers, could be used to access Google Forms, making the tool really convenient and versatile; special software is not necessarily required for it as well In addition, Google Forms enables researchers to obtain immediate results and replies as they arrive It can also use charts and graphs to summarize and report the survey output Independently administered Internet-based questionnaires as such would save time, efforts and budget (Check & Schutt, 2011) Because we will carry out our survey by distributing questionnaires to our respondents, the data we collect will be entirely primary data ● Using simple random sampling as our sampling technique: In this research, we investigate the effect of GPA on the starting salary of economics graduates from Foreign Trade University from 2016 to 2020 Since our research draws on a quantitative research design, the ideal would be to use a probability sampling technique because this allows us to make statistical inferences (i.e., generalizations) from our sample of all Foreign Trade University graduates from 2016 to 2020 Such a probability sampling technique would provide greater external validity for our findings We want to select a sample that can be a representative subset of the population where every participant has an equal probability of being selected to minimize sampling bias Furthermore, the sampling frame of our research is the whole population, there is no need to divide the population into subgroups based on relevant characteristics Therefore, a simple random sampling method is the most feasible one to generate a reliable and generalized result This study uses primary data from questionnaire survey data among graduates The questionnaire survey is conducted for a duration of three months We selected the sample size of 368 graduates, which was based on the expected confidence level of the result and the practicalities of cost and time Afterwards, we randomly sent an online questionnaire to 495 graduates (with an expected response rate of 75%) who graduated from 2016 to 2020 495 graduates are randomly selected from FTU's graduate database On the other hand, the most and least successful graduates are less likely to respond to the survey because they are either too busy to fill in the survey form or reluctant to report their embarrassment This may result in some bias, but due to data constraints, we are unable to investigate further Duration: months, from October to December, presumably the busier period for fresh graduates with full-time employment ● Time to conduct research: We choose to distribute question forms and carry out the survey within three months, notably the duration from October to December, as this is likely to be a busy time for fresh university graduates with full-time employment ● Procedures: ⮚ Asking for permission from the university’s major department (Political & Student Affairs department) for the list of targeted graduates’ personal information and contacts ⮚ Looking for contacts of targeted businesses and enterprises’ heads of the Human Resources Department ⮚ Creating sets of survey questions ⮚ Informing the public of the purpose and benefits of the survey, as well as the absolute guarantee of information privacy for the participants ⮚ Directing to the Google Forms link with the survey and delivering questionnaires to graduated students and directors of enterprises’ Human Resources Department ⮚ After gathering a significant number of replies from our respondents, we will summarize and visualize the data using Google Forms’ matrix tables, charts and graphs Then, based on the statistics acquired, we will make reasonable interpretations and draw conclusions 2.2 Data requirement table In order to address the confusion around the relevance of data collected, a suggested way is to create a data requirement table (Saunders et al., 2019), which the specifications as follows: ● Investigative questions: questions needing to be answered for each research question to be addressed properly and for each objective to be met Types of investigative questions range in between facts/demographics, attitudes/opinions or behaviors/events, which are influenced by theory, key concepts, discussions and pilot studies ● Variable(s) required: sources for data collection, and could also be suggested by literature review and relevant research ● Detail in which data measured: basically, summaries of possible answers or approaches to answering investigative questions ● Relation to theory and key concepts in literature: assessment of investigative questions’ association with theory and literature, either “Yes” or “No” ● Check included in questionnaire: evaluation of whether or not the question has been deemed suitable to be included in the final questionnaire a) First mixed method questionnaire proposal ● Questionnaire subject(s): Foreign Trade University alumni in Economics majors from 2016-2020, specifically International Trade, Economics and International Development, International Economics, International Business Economics and Economics-International Business Economics with Colorado State University ● Introduce the questionnaire Greetings! We are a group of Foreign Trade University students doing research to determine the influence of GPA on the beginning salary of Foreign Trade University graduates Here is a list of questions to help us gain insights of the issue The questions we would like to ask will only take about minutes Please fill in all of the questions provided Try to complete the questions at a time when you are unlikely to be interrupted Also, not spend too much time on any one question Your initial thoughts are usually your best! Even if you feel the items covered may not directly pertain to your expertise, please not ignore them Your response to this survey will be a valuable contribution as it allows us and university to better assess the impact of GPA on the starting wage and assist undergraduates in landing desirable jobs Please notice that every information you provide will be kept strictly confidential Your participation in this study is totally voluntary If any of your information is revealed, we will immediately resolve the problem and recompense you 10 Research objective: Research the relationship between diploma quality and starting salary and rank/position in the company, as well as opinions about the application of GPA in university into the future job Type of research: Descriptive research N o Investigative questions Variable(s) required Detail in which data is measured Relation to theory and key concepts in literature Check included in questionnaire The minimum wage in Vietnam ✓ The minimum wage in Vietnam ✓ No ✓ A: Under 3.5 million VND What was your starting salary (per month)? (Factual) B: 3.5 million - under 5.5 million VND Starting salary per month C: 5.5 million - under 7.5 million VND D: 7.5 million - under 10 million VND E: Over 10 million VND A: Under 3.5 million VND What is your current salary (per month)? (Factual) B: 3.5 million - under 5.5 million VND Current salary per month C: 5.5 million - under 7.5 million VND D: 7.5 million - under 10 million VND E: Over 10 million VND Are you working in a position related to economics major? Relevance of current job to economics major A: Yes B: No 11 A: Always (100%) How often have you mostly or only used your diploma for job applications? (Factual) The number of times diploma was the main factor in job application B: Usually (80%) C: Often (70%) No ✓ No ✓ No ✓ B: No No ✓ A: Yes No ✓ D: Sometimes (50%) E: Rarely (20%) F: Never (0%) How much confidence did you think your diploma gave you during your first job applications after graduation? (Opinion) Reflection of mental impact of diploma On the scale from 110, how applicable in your job was your knowledge and experience during the years in FTU? (Opinion) Opinion of application of knowledge and experience in university Do you think the diploma is a reliable indicator of competency at work in general? (Opinion) Opinion of diploma’s relevance to work Do you rank diploma quality as the most important factor in the early stages of job application? If not, then what is more Assessment of the significance of diploma compared to other factors in job application A: A lot B: Moderate C: A little D: Zero From to 10 A: Yes B: No + short answer 12 important? (Opinion) Do you consider decent diploma quality an advantage over peers in the early stages of job application? (Opinion) Opinion of advantageous potential of diploma 10 Did you work parttime or have extracurricular activities in general during college years? If so, then was such experience beneficial to your job application after? Evaluation of extracurricular activities’ benefits to job application 11 If given the chance to go back in time, would you rather focus on improving your GPAs or other activities for future job prospects? (Opinion) Reevaluation of GPA’s priority over other aspects in university A: Yes B: No No ✓ No ✓ No ✓ A: Yes + Yes B: Yes + No C: No A: Yes B: No 13 ● Closing the questionnaire We hope you will be willing to complete and submit the questionnaire and thank you for your time If you have any further queries, feel free to contact us via email hoanglongftuk60@gmail.com or mobile phone +84 866 463 454 We shall be happy to answer them Thank you for your contribution Members of the group: Nguyen Thai Anh Bui Thi Ngoc Bich Hoang Nhat Giang Hoang Van Long Hoang Quynh Nga Foreign Trade University b) Second mixed method questionnaire proposal ● Questionnaire subject: The selected partner businesses of Foreign Trade University, namely Unilever, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Lotte, Samsung… ● Questionnaire Enquiry email template Subject line: Enquiry about assessment of Foreign Trade University’s graduates and GPA scores Email template: Dear Mr/Ms/Mrs [Name + Position of Human Resource Department], We are a group of Foreign Trade University students doing research to determine the influence of GPA on the beginning salary of Foreign Trade University graduates Therefore, we would like to ask for your assessment of several related issues The questions we would like to ask will only take about minutes Any response will be greatly appreciated, as it will allow our research team to better assess the impact of GPA on the starting wage and assist undergraduates in landing desirable jobs Please notice that every piece of information you provide will be kept strictly confidential If any of your information is revealed, we will immediately and completely hold legal and moral accountability If you have any further questions, please not hesitate to contact us via email: hoanglongftuk60@gmail.com or mobile number: + 84866463454 Best regards, 14 Hoang Van Long ● Questionnaire Research objective: Research the relationship between diploma quality and starting salary and rank/position in the company and GPA’s significance compared to other criteria in the recruitment process of businesses Type of research: Descriptive research Numbe r Investigative questions Variable(s) required Detail in which data is measured How many FTU graduates you estimate to have applied for employment in your company every year? (Factual) Number of applicants An estimated number of applicants No ✓ On the scale from 1-10, please assess the overall quality of FTU graduates who applied for employment in your company (Opinion) Assessment of FTU applicants From to 10 No ✓ Do you consider diploma quality, or GPA, the most important factor in the early stages of job application If not, then what is the most important factor? (Opinion) Significance of GPA compared to other factors in job application A: Yes No ✓ On the scale from 1-10, generally how accurate you think FTU Opinion of relevance of diploma quality to No ✓ Relation to Check theory and included in key concepts questionnaire in literature B: No + short answer From to 10 15 graduates’ diploma quality has reflected their work competency? (Opinion) work competency In the future, how would your opinion of diploma quality/GPAs importance in the job application process change? (Opinion) Expectation of diploma quality/GPA in the future 2.3 A: Higher ✓ No B: Unchanged C: Lower Testing for reliability of questionnaire ● Test retest: In order to consolidate the validity of the research questionnaires, our team will ask the respondents to fill in the same questionnaire a second time The interval between two phases will be around weeks Reliability is defined as the capacity to recognize and show differences between respondents when measured twice under unchanged conditions (Berchtold, 2016) ● Internal consistency: Cronbach's alpha value is used to assess the internal consistency of our study Cronbach’s alpha is indicative of internal consistency, or in other words, the closeness of an item set, thus being considered a measure of scale reliability (UCLA, 2021) ● Alternative form: Some important questions might appear repeatedly (but in different formats) so that we can derive a solid conclusion from participant responses ● Pilot testing: Before launching the project, our group will ask an expert or group of experts to comment on the suitability of your questions (preferably school mentors, lecturers, consultants, or ex-researchers having expertise in the field) In addition, we will invite several acquaintances to partake in the survey (these acquaintances include members of family and friends; about 10 people will take the sample survey) This task is designed to gather preliminary feedback, which helps us ensure that our intended participants have no difficulty comprehending or responding to questions and have followed all of the steps properly 2.4 Data analysis a) ● Quantitative analysis Definition and selection of cases: o “We defined a case as an individual unit for which data have been collected” (Saunders et al., 2019) o Our data set would comprise the data collected from the respondents 16 ● Data types involved: Continuous data, Dichotomous data, Ordinal data, Nominal data, Quantitative data ● Data coding o Since the majority of our questions are single-answer, we can easily ● gather and count the responses using Google Forms’ helping tool, thus data coding is unneeded Data entry and checking o Specifically, online questionnaires generated by Google Form can ● automatically enter and store data to a computer file These data may then be exported in a variety of formats In our study, we will convert the obtained data into Excel file format for analysis Hence, we will be able to create simple data matrixes for questionnaire forms Organizing data o With the aid of Google form assisting tool, it can automatically generate b) charts or graphs that are appropriate to the collected data Qualitative analysis As suggested by previous research (O’Connor & Gibson, 2003), we would take the following actions for the analysis of qualitative data ● Clarifying the differences between the original questions and topics Afterwards, identify other new ideas and themes that emerged from data collected, and relate them back to the initial questions and topics ● Identifying patterns in answers, both in terms of idea and language, in order to accurately interpret and make appropriate inferences Subsequently, code and categorize the newly discovered ideas and concepts ● Establishing overarching themes in the data ● Taking measures to guarantee validity and reliability by sending findings and hypotheses through tests, looking into researchers’ personal influence on participants and other uncontrollable factors, confirming findings by means of triangulation from various sources, methods and researchers, asking for feedbacks from participants and colleagues ● Comparing the findings to the initial literature and documents, looking for surprises and differences, and considering further implications and communication channels from here Ethics considerations In order to protect the rights of participants and promote research validity and scientific integrity, we take into consideration a number of measures to guarantee research ethics 17 ● Participation: Participants will engage in questionnaires without any obligation, and no explanation or any further step will be required if participants decide to opt out ● Consent: Participants are fully and clearly informed of the purpose, benefits and format of the study and questionnaires before deciding to engage ● Anonymity: Participants’ recognizable data will not be collected by any means ● Confidentiality: Participants’ answers in the questionnaires could only be revealed to researchers and not linked or revealed to other participants or the public ● Potential for harm: We guarantee not to use collected data for gains or publications that compromise participants or result in controversy The participants have their data collected under pleasant conditions, including a welcoming introduction, detailed and interactive instructions, as well as appreciation towards the end Furthermore, there will be no subjective reactions or opinions regarding participants’ answers throughout the data collection process ● Plagiarism: Details of the research and questionnaires will be confirmed to be original, while detailed and exact citations will be given for external sources ● Research misconduct: Data and details of the research is actually gathered and reported rather than fabricated or falsified Threats During our research, we will be facing multiple threats to validity and reliability Therefore, we come up with the following solutions to some considerable problems Validity: History and maturation are the unexpected/natural changes to the subjects that occur during the research, but our short experimenting time, just around months, nullifies most of these issues Another threat, selection bias, is solved by utilizing simple random sampling which helps us select a population representative of the population Social interaction threat, which is the Interaction between participants from different groups that influences the outcome, is negligible in our research because our data is collected through an online method and the participants’ identities are kept anonymous Reliability: Participant bias can be solved by keeping the tone of our questions neutral so we not interfere with or influence the participants' answers Moreover, the participants may want to fake their answers, but our participants' identities are kept anonymous, so we hope that helps minimize this problem Research bias can be minimized by getting multiple personnel to assess the same data Therefore, we can have an objective view of the interpretation of the data One of the pressing concerns is confusing the participants' answers This problem can be resolved by asking them to double-check their answers, and showing them the result to know whether we have interpreted their intentions correctly All the record of the data is maintained so we can double-check, and triple-check them to prevent some of the misinterpreting issues 18 TIMESCALE AND DISSEMINATION Timescale Stage Research design and Planning Literature review Data collection Data analysis Writing up Activity - Identify research topic - - Finalize sampling plan - Prepare data for analysis - Write final draft - Analyze data - Finalizing the writing Prepare - Develop data collection instrument draft literature review - Carry out data collection Duration Output - Formulate research strategy, design, and data collection method - Prepare research Search and synthesize relevant literature - Proposal – week - Draw conclusions/ interpretations - Proofread draft - Write up data collection (Research topic) - weeks (literature) - weeks (strategy, design, method and proposal) - week (literature review) - days (sampling plan) - days - weeks (Data for analysis) (Final draft) - days (instrument) - weeks - days (finalizing the writing) (Analyze data) - week (proofread) - weeks - week (carrying out (conclusions/in data collection) terpretations) - week (writing up data collection) - Formulate research problem/questions - Draft research design section for final report - Write research proposal to submit to the school's counselor - Notes and other output from the review process - Draft literature review section for final report - Sampling plan - Draft data collection instruments - Raw data - Draft data collection - Clean the data for analysis - Final draft - Final application - Notes and other output from analysis - Draw answers to the research 19 section for final report questions hypotheses 20 Dissemination The research generally strives to research the correlation between GPA and students starting wages Hence, the four main target audiences of our research are the academic community, FTU students in particular and university students in general, and the general public The research accessed by the researching community will cultivate the researching interest and mindset within the communities, involving the academic community and university students in Vietnam This is crucial as Vietnamese people still seem to not give the practice of researching its fair share of appreciation, and their researching skills are still relatively limited Therefore, we would like to propose the following plan to reach the following target audiences Target audience Academic community Universities Students General public Clarification Researchers from various technical fields working on different topics related to the project The students who are not sure about the significance of the GPA in their first job, and whether their knowledge is applicable in the real world People who are generally interested in reading news and absorbing information 21 Dissemination method Disseminating channel Target audience Websites Acamedia.edu Academic community General social networks Twitter Facebook General public Universities’ students Specialized social networks LinkedIn Academic community Universities’ students Published e-documents Project documents Academic community Academic dissemination Journal publications Meetings Conferences Academic community Press releases Newspaper articles Academic community General public 22 REFERENCES Arcidiacono, P., Bayer, P and Hizmo, A., 2010 Beyond Signaling and Human Capital: Education and the Revelation of Ability American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2(4), pp.76-104 Berchtold, A (2016) Test–retest: Agreement or reliability? Methodological Innovations, 9, p.205979911667287 doi:10.1177/2059799116672875 Check, J and Schutt, R.K (2011) Research Methods in Education [online] Google Books SAGE Publications Available at: https://books.google.com.vn/books? hl=vi&lr=&id=nSWYAAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&ots=U9ktNY1Kkj&sig=hKdXnsV xhDXM6_SciC9K6hpJtOU&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false [Accessed 10 Oct 2022] Erica (2019) Introduction to the Fundamentals of Panel Data [online] Aptech Available at: https://www.aptech.com/blog/introduction-to-the-fundamentals-of-panel-data/ Fan, E., Meng, X., Wei, Z and Zhao, G., 2018 Rates of Return to Four Year University Education: An Application of Regression Discontinuity Design The Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 120(4), pp.1011-1042 Johnson, V., 2003 Grade inflation New York: Springer Kingston, P., 1981 The Credential Elite and the Credential Route to Success Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education, 82(4), pp.589–600 Milano, S., 2008 Factors That Affect Starting Salary [online] Work - Chron.com Available at: [Accessed October 2022] O'Connor, H & Gibson, Nancy (2003) A Step-By-Step Guide To Qualitative Data Analysis Pimatisiwin: A Journal of Aboriginal and Indigenous Community Health 10 Potter, K., 2017 [online] MastersPortal.com Available at: [Accessed October 2022] 11 QuestionPro 2018 Quantitative Data: What it is, Types & Examples | QuestionPro [online] Available at: [Accessed October 2022] 12 Rudakov, V and Roshchin, S., 2019 The impact of student academic achievement on graduate salaries: the case of a leading Russian university Journal of Education and Work, 32(2), pp.156-180 13 Sauce, B and Matzel, L.D (2017) Inductive Reasoning Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior, pp.1–8 doi:10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1045-1 14 Saunders, M and Lewis, P and Thornhill, A (2019) Research Methods for Business Students Pearson 15 Shorten, A and Smith, J., 2017 Mixed methods research: expanding the evidence base Evidence Based Nursing, 20(3), pp.74-75 16 Tao-Ming Cheng; Hsing-Yu Hou; Agrawal, Dinesh Chandra; Long-Sheng Chen; ChingJung Chi, Journal of Institutional Research South East Asia May/Jun2020, Vol 18 Issue 1, p132-150 19p 17 UCLA (2021) What does Cronbach’s alpha mean? | SPSS FAQ [online] stats.oarc.ucla.edu Available at: https://stats.oarc.ucla.edu/spss/faq/what-does-cronbachsalpha-mean/ 18 Zou T, Zhang Y, Zhou B (2022) Does GPA matter for university graduates’ wages? New evidence revisited PLoS ONE 17(4): e0266981 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266981 23 ... quality, and starting salary later on For those reasons, we decided to choose the topic: “GPA effects on the starting salary of economics graduates at Foreign Trade University from 2016- 2020? ?? This... study aims to analyze the influence of GPA on the starting salaries of Economics graduates at Foreign Trade University from 2016 to 2020 Through statistical data processing and analysis, the results... from 2016 to 2020 ⮚ 2016: 2019 graduates ⮚ 2017: 1885 graduates ⮚ 2018: 1632 graduates ⮚ 2019: 1830 graduates ⮚ 2020: 1355 graduates ⮚ Total: 8721 graduates ● Sample: 368 Foreign Trade University