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VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES NGUYEN THI THU MANAGEMENT OF LIFE SKILLS EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR VOCATIONAL COLLEGE STUDENTS IN HO CHI MINH CITY Major: Educational Management Code: 14 01 14 SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL DISSERTATION HA NOI - 2020 The dissertation has been completed at GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Nguyen Khac Hung Examiner 1: Assoc Pro Dr PHAN TRONG NGO Examiner 2: Assoc Pro Dr TRAN HUU HOAN Examiner 3: Assoc Pro Dr NGUYEN KHAC BINH This doctoral dissertation will be defended before the Panel of Examiners, at Graduate Academy of Social Sciences At…… on…… 2020 This doctoral dissertation can be found at: National Library of Vietnam Library of Graduate Academy of Social Sciences INTRODUCTION Rationale for the study Life skills educational activities and the management of life skills educational activities have become an important educational content of schools at all levels, especially of vocational colleges Ho Chi Minh City is a vibrant place with the strong development of the market economy and international integration, which requires every person, including students, to equip themselves with necessary life skills for their work, study and daily activities; to adapt and develop; and to meet the requirements of educational innovation in the context of market economy and international integration For the past many years, the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City has not been paid much attention to in terms of awareness and actions of management subjects The schools have only been concerned about developing professional skills, and the curriculum of life skills educational activities for students has not been paid attention to Therefore, after graduating, many students have failed to succeed, to find suitable jobs or to meet recruitement requirements although they have good academic results From the above reasons, we conduct the research on the topic: "Management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City" Aims and objectives of the study 2.1 Aims Based on theoretical research, analysis, and assessment on the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City and the factors that affect the management of this activity, the dissertation proposes solutions for managing life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City 2.2 Objectives To provide an verview of existing research on the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students; To research on theory and build a theoretical basis for life skills education and the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students; To conduct a survey, an analysis and assessment on the current situation of the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City; To propose solutions and organize testing solutions for managing life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City Subject and scope of the study 3.1 Subject of the study Solutions for managing life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City 3.2 Scope of the study 3.2.1 Limitations of the scope of the study Within the scope of the dissertation, we study three groups of life skills, including 09 component skills Specifically: (1) Individual skills, including: (i) Coping with stress, (ii) Professional ethics, (iii) Self-responsibility, (2) Social skills, including: (iv) Communication skills, (v) Teamwork, (vi) Cultural adaptation; and (3) Methodological skills, including: (vii) Continuous improvement, (viii) Creative thinking, and (ix) Problem-solving 3.2.2 Limitations of the study area This study was conducted at vocational colleges in Ho Chi Minh City Research Methodology and Research Methods 4.1 Research approaches The dissertation uses the following approaches: Historical perspective approach, case study perspective approach, activity-based approach, personality-based approach, functional approach to management, and process-based approach 4.2 Research methods The dissertation uses the following methods: Theoretical research method, Observation method, In-depth interview method, Questionnaire method, and Statistical method 4.3 Scientific hypothesis In recent years, vocational colleges in Ho Chi Minh City have not paid much attention to the management of life skills educational activities for students Schools have paid more attention to managing professional activities, so they not attach much importance to managing life skills educational activities On the other hand, there is no uniformity and consistency in managing these activites As a result, students experience a severe shortage of life skills after graduation The synchronous implementation of proposed solutions in the dissertation to managing life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City can help contribute to the implementation of life skills education activities and the improvement of life skills for students 4.4 Research questions The dissertation aims to answer the following research questions: (i) In the context of a dynamic city like Ho Chi Minh city, what life skills are essential for vocational college students so that students can adapt and develop? (ii) How are life skills educational activities and the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City implemented? What factors affect the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City? (iii) What measures are to be taken to improve the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City? New contributions of the dissertation The dissertation has systematized and built a theoretical basis for life skills education and the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students The dissertation identifies a framework of three important life skills groups which include component life skills that are necessary for vocational college students The dissertation also provides an overview of the current situation of life skills, life skills educational acttivities, the management of life skills educational activities, as well as the factors that affect the management of life skills educational activities, and proposes solutions to managing life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City This is also an issue that has been little studied from the perspective of educational management science in our country today Theoretical and practical significance of the study: 6.1 Theoretical significance: The dissertation contributes to the theoretical basis for educational managers at all levels in managing the implementation of life skills educational activities The dissertation can also act as a reference for researchers in educational management, particularly in the management of life skills educational activities for students in providing an important theoretical framework for life skills educational activities and the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students 6.2 Practical significance: The dissertation provides an overview of life skills, life skills educational activities, and the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City The dissertation analyzes the achievements and limitations, and proposes necessary solutions to improve the management of life skills educational activities for students at vocational colleges in Ho Chi Minh City The research is, therefore, a practical reference for educators, business leaders, parents and vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City in particular and in the whole country in general in improving the quality of life skills education, which contributes to improving the quality of comprehensive education and training for vocational college students today Structure of the thesis Besides the introduction, conclusion, recommendations, thesis-related publications, tables and figures, references and annex, the dissertation has chapters Chapter AN OVERVIEW OF EXISTING RESEARCH ON THE MANAGEMENT OF LIFE SKILLS EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR VOCATIONAL COLLEGE STUDENTS The domestic and international researches on life skills education and the management of life skills educational activities for students of vocational colleges can be divided into three main directions: - Research on life skills (LS); - Research on life skills educational activities (LSE); - Research on the management of life skills educational activities An analysis of the above studies can draw some points as follows: An overview of the research situation in the world and in Vietnam shows that the issues of LSE and the management of LSE have attracted much attention from many researchers The studies bring about a diverse view of LS and LSE with many different angles Some studies have shown that LSE for students should focus on educating skills that are necessary for their careers to prepare them to adapt to different situations, know how to communicate effectively, and be positive and willing to accept challenges or difficulties at work and in life There are many studies on the management of LSE, especially those from an educational management science perspective Existing research focuses on completing concepts of LS, LSE, and the management of LSE Those studies also point out many inadequacies in program management, planning, teacher training, and evaluation In particular, the management of the examination and evaluation seems to be neglected or implemented ineffectively For the time being, there is no study or research project on managing LSE for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City Meanwhile, the management of LSE for vocational college students plays an important role in the development of the country because students are the main human resources Therefore, the research on the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City is very significant Chapter RATIONALE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF LIFE SKILLS EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR VOCATIONAL COLLEGE STUDENTS 2.1 Life skills of vocational college students 2.1.1 Definition of vocational college students Vocational college students are those who are studying college-level training programs at vocational colleges to be prepared for joining the labor force of a certain career field 2.1.2 Essential life skills for vocational college students (i)Definition of skills A skill is the application of knowledge and experience to perform an action effectively (ii) Definition of life skills A life skill is the application of knowledge and experience to help a subject respond effectively to the demands and challenges of everyday life, personal development, and workplace success (iii) Definition of life skills for vocational college students Life skills for vocational college students are the application of knowledge and experience to help students respond effectively to the demands and challenges of everyday life, personal development, and workplace success 2.2 Life skills educational activities for vocational college students 2.2.1 Education Education is the purposeful, planned impact of schools, families, society, collectives, and individuals on the process of teaching and training people, especially at colleges and universities, in order to improve knowledge and impart capacity and skills, to prepare them for adult life, and to meet the needs of the society in which they live 2.2.2 Life skills educational activities for vocational college students Life skills educational activities for vocational colleges students is a purposeful, planned impact of schools, families, society, collectives and individuals on the process of teaching and training students at vocational colleges to improve knowledge and impart capacity and skills, to apply the knowledge and experience to help students respond effectively to the demands and challenges of everyday life, personal development, and workplace success 2.2.3 The aim of educating life skills for vocational college students The aim is to educate healthy lifestyles for students at vocational colleges to help them improve and complete their personalities Besides that, LSE helps students develop psychosocial skills, have the right attitude and behavior in life and at work, know how to communicate properly with people around them, be able to think creatively, solve problems in life, and control emotions in stressful situations 2.2.4 The content of life skills educational activities for vocational college students The contents of LSE are specifically identified as follows: (i) Identifying the targets of educating LS for vocational colleges students; (ii) Determining the content of the LS education program for vocational college students; (iii) Identifying activities of LS lecturers for vocational college students; (iv) Identifying LS learning activities of vocational college students; (v) Coordinating among educational partners in LS education for vocational college students; (vi) Examining and assessing LSE for vocational college students 2.2.5 Methods and forms of organizing life skills education for vocational college students We use the integrated method, especially through creative experience activities The above method is implemented through different forms of activities: short courses, seminars and experiments, etc In order to effectively implement these forms, the specific methods include practical experience, case studies, projects, role-playing, business games, discussion, brainstorming, etc 2.3 Managing life skills educational activities for vocational collge students 2.3.1 Concept of managing life skills educational activities for vocational college students 2.3.1.1 Managment Management is the oriented, purposeful impact of management subjects on the management objects so that individuals work together with the best efforts in planning, organizing, commanding and controlling for the organization to operate effectively and achieve its goals with the highest results 2.3.1.2 Educational management Educational management is a directed, intentional and planned impact of the management subjects on all educational partners so that everyone participates in order to achieve the school's educational goals and to meet socio-economic development demand 2.3.1.3 Management of life skills educational activities The management LSE is understood as an “oriented, intentional and planned pedagogical impact of management subjects on all educational partners so that everyone participates in all aspects of LSE in schools, in order to improve knowledge and develop capacity, skills, and ability to apply knowledge and experience to help students effectively respond to demands and challenges of everyday life, personal development and workplace success.” 2.3.1.4 Management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students The management of LSE for vocational college students is an oriented, intentional, planned pedagogical impact of management subjects on all educational partners so that everyone can participate in all aspects of LSE in schools, in order to improve knowledge and develop capacity, skills, and ability to apply the knowledge and experience to help vocational college students effectively respond to demands and challenges of everyday life, personal development and workplace success 2.3.2 Management subjects in the decentralization of life skills educational activities for vocational college students In vocational colleges, the management subjects according to the hierarchy include the Board of Directors; managers of functional Departments; managers of specialized Departments; members of Youth Union and Student Union; lecturers and faculty staff Off-campus management entities include local government officials; social organizations; business leaders; alumni; and parents 2.3.3 The management content of life skills educational activities for vocational college students 2.3.3.1 Managing objectives of life skills education for vocational college students The Board of Directors should identify the goal of LS education for vocational college students, which is to help them improve their personalities in order to fully acquire morals, knowledge, good health, and aesthetic sense; and at the same time to help students develop psychosocial skills, have the right attitude and behavior in life and at work, know how to communicate properly with people around them, be able to think creatively and to solve problems in life 2.3.3.2 Managing the life skills curriculum for vocational college students Managing the LS curriculum for vocational college students is based on the goal of LS education for students to identify important and essential LS groups to teach students, and most importantly, suitability with the personality traits of vocational college students 2.3.3.3 Managing activities of life skills lecturers at vocational colleges Managing the activities of lecturers is considered a particularly important content because “No guide, no realization” Lecturers play an important role in guiding and imparting LS knowledge to students This management content includes managing activities such as the planning and implementation of the curriculum content as specified, the lecturer's qualifications, teaching methods, and remuneration for lecturers participating in LSE 2.3.3.4 Managing life skills learning of vocational college students The effectiveness of LSE in vocational colleges is assessed by the quality of LS learning of students because the ultimate goal of LSE in vocational colleges is students and their learning results Managing LS learning of students is therefore a content which is as important as managing teaching activities of lecturers 2.3.3.5 Managing the coordination among educational partners in life skills education for vocational college students The two environments that have profound effects on a student's personality, behavior, attitude, and academic performance are the school and the family However, in this context, involving only family and school is not enough Organizations and agencies in the community, especially businesses, play a very important supporting role in setting the goals and in implementing them And all have the responsibility to work together for students’ LS education 2.3.3.6 Managing the examination and assessment of life skills education for vocational college students Assessment is an indispensable content in any activity, and for LSE, it is not an exception The effectiveness of the teaching, learning, and coordination processes are demonstrated through the assessment process 2.4 Factors that affect the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students There are factors affecting the management of LSE for vocational college students - Awareness of educational partners on the importance of LSE for vocational college students; - Management manner and capacity of management subjects; - Teaching methods, knowledge, capacity of lecturers teaching LS to students; - The self-discipline of students for life skills; - Directives of all levels and school administrators on LSE; - The impact of Youth Union; - the influence of technology and mass media; - The impact of cultural trends Chapter CURRENT SITUATION OF THE MANAGEMENT OF LIFE SKILLS EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR VOCATIONAL COLLEGE STUDENTS IN HO CHI MINH CITY 3.1 An overview of vocational colleges in Ho Chi Minh city 3.1.1 Scale and structure As of 2016, the city has 435 training institutions, including 19 vocational colleges, and 16 colleges Most schools offer multi-disciplinary, multi-vocational, and multi-level training courses from short-term vocational training to linkage and transfer programs from college to university The number of students in those training institutions ranges from 300 to tens of thousands of students 3.1.2 Education quality Vocational colleges currently focus on innovating teaching methods which are student-oriented, closely linking vocational training and practice of businesses At the same time, schools pay more attention to equipping LS for students to meet the increasingly stringent demands of the domestic and international labor markets 3.1.3 Admissions and graduation results The number of college enrollments in 2016 increased by nearly 6% compared to 2015 This rate in 2017 was approximately 7% The graduation rate increased by 5% in 2016 and 2017 (Source: General Department of Vocational Training) 3.1.4 Employment after graduation - Students are introduced to labor export, or joining big economic groups and businesses associated with the school - The employment rate of vocational college graduates is 79% - Income level: on average from 5-6 million VND/ month Occupations with toxic exposure can be up to 7-8 million VND/ month 3.2 Research organization and research methods on the current situation of management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City 3.2.1 Research organization 3.2.1.1 Research participant and study area a Research participant: The total number of research participants in the dissertation includes: 533 people, as follows: 1) Survey participants (i) Managers at vocational colleges in Ho Chi Minh City: 67 people; (ii) lecturers & staff of vocational colleges: 139 people; (iii) Students: 208 people, (iv) Business leaders: 38 people; (v) Alumni: 61 people; (vi) Parents and local social organizations: 20 people 2) In-depth interview participants include 30 people Specifically, managers, teachers and staff of vocational colleges; students; business managers; alumni; parents and local social organizations b Study area: The study was conducted at vocational colleges in Ho Chi Minh City, as follows: (i) Ho Chi Minh City Vocational College; (ii) Central Transport College No 3; (iii) Vocational College No 7; (iv) Ho Chi Minh Electric Power College; (v) Saigon College; and (vi) Ho Chi Minh Vocational College of Technology 3.2.1.2 Phases of practical research *Phase 1: Research tool design: - Aim: Develop the research toolkit (questionnaire and in-depth interview form) - Content: (i) Designing 01 questionnaire for managers, lecturers & staff; 01 questionnaire for students, and 01 questionnaire for business managers, parents and social organizations; (ii) Designing 01 in-depth interview form for managers, teachers staff; business managers; parents, and social organizations; and 01 in-depth interview form for students; (iii) Designing 01 observation form for LSE and management of LSE for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City *Phase 2: Pilot survey: - Aim: Determine the suitability and reliability of the questionnaire to make necessary corrections - Method: To investigate, we use the individual questionnaire along with mathematical- statistical method to calculate the reliability of the scale - Data processing: After the questionnaires are gathered, the results are processed by the SPSS program version 20.0 At this stage, the dissertation only focuses on the reliability of the questionnaire, i.e analyzing the reliability of the scales in the questionnaire by calculating Cronbach’s alpha coefficient The results show that the scales are highly reliable enough to be used in official surveys *Phase 3: Official investigation: - Aim: Find out the current situation of LSE, the management of LSE, the factors affecting the management of LSE, as well as information about social and demographic characteristics such as academic level, job title, college name, and contact information The scale scores for the current status of LS, LSE, the management of LSE, and the factors affecting the management of LSE are shown in the following table: Table 3.1 Scale scores Importan- Implement- Frequency Effective Affective- Score Average ce level ation level level -ness ness level score (AS) level (Intervals) Very Very good Very Very Very From 3.25 important frequent effective affective to 4.0 Important Good Frequent Effective Affective From 2.5 to less than 3.25 Slightly Average Occasionally Slightly Slightly From 1.75 important effective affective to less than 2.5 Not Not good Never Not Not From to important effective affective less than 1.75 3.2.2.2 In-depth survey method - Aim: Collect, complete and clarify information obtained from a large-scale survey to better understand the current situation of LSE and the management of LSE for vocational college students - Content: The interview content includes: information about the LSE and the management of LSE for vocational college students Explain the reasons for the actual situation and specific recommendations on the management of LSE for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City 3.2.2.3 Observation method - Aim: The observation method is used during the in-situ fieldwork as well as in conducting trial activities from the proposed models to complete the information to the topic as comprehensively and accurately as possible - Content: Observe the frequency of different forms LSE, comment on the results and recommend what needs to be done - Research tool: Observation form (See Appendix 6) - Evaluating method: The information collected will be analyzed by qualitative methods 3.2.2.4 Mathematical statistics method - Aim: Create and systematize result tables as the basis for data analysis - Quantitive analysis method: + Processing of in-depth interviews and observations: Results of in-depth interviews and observations are processed according to each specific content (LSE and management of LSE for vocational college students) - Qualitative analysis method: The data collected after the official survey is processed by SPSS statistical program version 20.0 Statistical indices in the analysis use descriptive statistics: percentages and average scores The index used in the analysis uses inference statistics: binary correlation analysis 10 3.3 Current situation of life skills and life skills educational activities of vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh city 3.3.1 Current situation of life skills of vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City Through the analysis and evaluation, the LS of vocational college students are at an average level with the average score of 2.10 to 2.40 A number of skills such as professional ethics, self-responsibility, communication (including foreign language skills), and problem-solving are very important and necessary but they are the weakest skills among students with the average score of 2.07 to 2.24 3.3.2 Current situation of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh city 3.3.2.1 Survey results about the importance of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City Survey results show that most respondents evaluate LS at the important and very important levels In particular, over 50% of managers, lecturers & staff, and about 60% of vocational college students and business officials rated LS at an important level About 36% of business officials think that LS are very important, and this figure in managers, lecturers and staff is 43.2% In particular, the survey results show that no individual assesses LS at the average and unimportant levels 3.3.2.2 Current situation of educating life skills for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City In general, there is not much difference between the evaluation of school managers, teachers and staff versus students on the frequency of educating LS Specifically, teamwork skills are most often educated with the average score of 2.67 for managers, lecturers & staff, and 2.75 for students The skill that is least focused on is Coping with stress with the average score of 2.31 and 2.39 3.3.2.3 Current situation of the realization of objectives in life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City The survey results show that all objectives in LSE are evaluated at a good level by school managers, lecturers, staff and students with the average score ranging from 2.56 to 2.88, except objective 1, which is following educational renovation objective, training at universities and colleges is equipping knowledge and capacity for students with the lowest average score of 2.54 for managers, lecturers and staff; and 2.47 for students 3.3.2.4 Current situation of implementing the life skills curriculum for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City The research results show that the implementation of the LS curriculum achieved average-to-good results Specifically, the two lowest-rated contents are the contents of life skills education program is suitable to the psychology of vocational college students (2.41 for managers, lecturers & staff, and 2.15 for students) and the LS curriculum has been implemented synchronously (2.39 for managers, lecturers & staff, and 2.66 for students) 3.3.2.5 Current situation of implementing forms of life skills education for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City The two highest evaluated forms are form 5: Through extracurricular activities, picnics, fine arts, volunteer work, charitable activities and form 1: Life 11 skills education through main courses at college with the average score ranging from 2.59 to 2.62 3.3.2.6 Current situation of using different methods in educating life skills for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City Through the results of the analysis and evaluation, it can be seen that the methods have not been diverse and most still use many traditional methods such as presentation, illustrative explanations, debate, or brainstorming Methods such as actual experience, case study, project, role-playing, business games, besides brainstorming and debate which are essential methods in teaching LS are not used regularly 3.3.2.7 Current situation of life skills learning among vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City The research results show that the two contents that managers, lecturers & staff most highly evaluate are the “Awareness of students about the importance of LSE” and “Implementing the LS curriculum for students” with the average score of 2.56 and 2.53 Meanwhile, the “students' learning attitudes”, “results of the final exam”, and “the ability to apply LS to learning and working” are only assessed at average levels with the average scores ranging from 2.31 to 2.44 3.3.2.8 Current situation of the coordination among educational partners in life skills education for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City Although there is no significant difference in the ranking of coordination contents between schools and businesses, the average scores for the contents much vary While the school rated most of the contents at good level with the average score of 2.54 to 2.80 and the ratio of a "good" and "very good" level is also very high, ranging from 54.3% to 74 2%, businesses all rated at the "average" level, with the average score of 1.91 to 2.46, and the ratio of “good” and “very good” levels ranges only from 16.1% to 49.2% 3.3.2.9 Current situation of examining and assessing life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City The survey results show that the current status of examination and assessment is only at average level with the lowest average score of 2.10 and the highest of 2.50 The content of examination and assessment is based only on the learning contents and the conditions of each school, so it does not really go closely with the needs of businesses Most colleges report that they are still confused about formulating assessment criteria as well as assessment methods Policies on emulation and commendation have not been given adequate attention 3.4 Current situation of the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City 3.4.1 Awareness of the importance of managing life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City Research results show that the colleges have identified the importance of the management contents, of which the two most important ones are “Managing the coordination among educational partners in LS education for students” and “Managing the examination and assessment of LS learning of students” with the average score of 3.34 and 3.11 However, management contents related to lecturers 12 does not seem to be fully clarified among managers, lecturers and staff The average score for the content of “Managing activities of LS lecturers” only reaches 2.50 3.4.2 Specific manifestations of the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City 3.4.2.1 Current situation of implementing the content of life skills education for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City Managing the implementation of LS education objectives is done quite often and quite effectively Specifically, “Identifying basic activities to implement LS education objectives” is most often done with the average score of 2.75 and the second most effective with the average score of 2.66 The colleges also “organize many activities to implement LS education objectives to meet the requirements of the labor market” very often and achieve the highest efficiency with the average score of 2.68 3.4.2.2 Current situation of managing the life skills curriculum for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City In terms of regularity, the average scores range from 2.16 to 2.77, which shows that managing the LS curriculum is performed occasionally or frequently In terms of effectiveness, the average scores range from slightly effective to very effective, with the average scores of 2.39 to 2.73 The adjustment of the LS education in accordance with the requirements of the labor market, as well as managing the assessment of the curriculum are not performed frequently, with the average scores of 2.16 and 2.46, and slightly effective with the average scores of 2.39 and 2.43 3.4.2.3 Current situation of managing activities of life skills lecturers at vocational colleges in Ho Chi Minh City This content is not frequently implemented and slightly effective The highest average score is only 2.50 and the lowest is 2.15 The criteria ranked according to the frequency and effectiveness are as follows: Management of methods for teaching LS of lecturers (2.50); Examining and assessing the implementation of activities of improving knowledge and carrying out plans in specialized departments (2.46 for frequency and 2.41 for effectiveness); 3.4.2.4 Current situation of managing life skills learning of vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City Criteria for Building plans, directing the implementation of life skills learning activities; Managing student outputs; and Examining and assessing the results learning activities are regularly implemented (Average scores ranging from 2.66 to 2.77) and achieve good results, but the effectiveness of the examination and assessment is not high 2.51) 3.4.2.5 Current situation of managing the coordination among educational partners in life skills education for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City Managing the coordination among educational partners is highly evaluated And there is almost no difference among the assessment of managers, lecturers & staff Specifically, the criterion that is evaluated most frequently and most effectively is Determining the responsibility of each educational partner, with the average scores of 2.92 and 2.66 13 3.4.2.6 Current situation of managing the examination and assessment of life skills education for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City The overall assessment of managers, lecturers and staff shows that all criteria in this management content are implemented less frequently and less effectively The implementation of evaluation criteria is considered to be most frequent (2.49) and second-most effective (2.48) 3.5 Current situation of factors that affect the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City In general, all factors are evaluated as “affective” Specifically, the four factors that are assessed to much affect to LS education are: Technology and mass media (3.08 and 2.95); Teaching methods and knowledge, capacity of life skills teachers (3.03 and 3.04); and Cultural trends (3.02 and 2.95) 3.6 General assessment on the current situation of managing life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City 3.6.1 Strengths In terms of life skills educational activities for vocational college students Basically, most of the educational partners, including managers, lecturers, staff, business managers, alumni, and vocational college students are aware of the importance of LSE This is an important premise contributing to the success of LSE for students Vocational colleges have implemented the objectives of LSE quite well The curriculum is also implemented regularly In terms of managing life skills educational activities for vocational college students In general, all managers, lecturers and school staff are fully aware of the importance of managing LSE The Board of Directors of the colleges have paid much attention to the activities of planning and implementing management contents and achieved good results The content, methods, and forms of teaching are also disseminated to lecturers In particular, schools receive enthusiastic support from businesses, parents, as well as local social organizations in the management of LSE 3.6.2 Weaknesses Students’ life skills are generally assessed at the average level Especially, some skills which are considered as important and taught most frequently but the results are not that high including Professional ethics, Communication, or Problem-solving The method of teaching LS as a subject is not effective because of the small amount of time, large classes, and also because lecturers not have much experience in teaching LS The LS curriculum is considered incompatible with the personality and psychology of vocational college students New methods that are needed for teaching LS such as practical experience, case study, project, role-playing, business game, and brainstorming are not used much The coordination among educational partners, especially with businesses, has not been effective The schools not look closely enough at the needs of businesses to ask for help in developing the curriculum, and there is no connection with businesses and alumni to give feedback on LSE Although considered as important, the management of LSE still faces many difficulties, partly in organizing funding, and mostly from the Board of Directors The Board of Directors does not really consider life skills education as a professional skill education activity, so that explains the negligence in management, especially 14 managing the activities of LS lecturers Lecturers not apply diverse methods in teaching LS The lecturers themselves are still not willing to teach because they are afraid of having more jobs to when integrating the LS curriculum into the subject Managing the curriculum is still inadequate when there is no discussion with businesses about the educational content of LS that enterprises need in students Schools have not gone deep into the implementation and assessment of this content 3.6.3 Reasons 3.6.3.1 Subjective reasons A small number of students not have proper awareness of LS and the importance of LS Therefore, they are not really interested in learning to practice life skills The examination and assessment are also not so heavy, so the students have the mentality that they not necessarily study because they are not afraid of having the scores affected Some managers, lecturers and staff are not really aware of the needs to teach LS for students, so they are negligent in management and are afraid to participate There is no consistency in the awareness of LS, so there are many different understandings about LS among managers, lecturers and staff, so the development of the content and the implementation methods are still inadequate The objectives of LSE are considered to be appropriate with the needs of the labor market from the perspective of vocational colleges, but for businesses, it is not enough and has not met businesses’ needs In reality, today’s families often have few children, so they have the mentality of embracing their children Families not train children to be independent, to be self-responsible, to solve their own problems, and to interact with others Some wealthy families only let their children go to school just to have degrees as other people, not to have a job, so their children not strive to study and self-train 3.6.3.2 Objective reasons The development of society, especially technology, has significantly affected students’ morality, lifestyle and skills They become increasingly dependent on technology and this limits their ability to communicate Schools not follow certain LS curricuclum Some schools such as Ho Chi Minh City Vocational College work under overseas projects; some schools such as Central Transport College No follow the General Department of Vocational Training's curriculum, and some have their own curriculum There are also schools like Saigon College that not have specific curriculum to teach They teach LS through extracurricular activities instead This leads to a lack of uniformity in assessing the results of LSE at schools There is not really close coordination among educational partners, especially between schools and businesses Vocational colleges not have many associated activities with businesses to ask for the support of LS training, but mainly focuses on internships and professional training Associated activities with families in teaching LS for students also seem not to be paid much attention 15 Chapter SOLUTIONS TO THE MANAGEMENT OF LIFE SKILLS EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR VOCATIONAL COLLEGE STUDENTS IN HO CHI MINH CITY 4.1 Principles of proposing solutions for the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City The dissertation uses the following principles: Ensure training objectives, Ensure practicality, Ensure systematicity, Ensure feasibility, and Ensure conformity between supply and demand in a market economy 4.2 Solutions for the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City and conditions to implement the solutions 4.2.1 Solutions for the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City 4.2.1.1 Managing the objectives, the life skills curriculum in line with the needs of the labor market (i) Aim: This solution not only helps the college to set the objectives and the LS curriculum systematically but also meets the requirements of businesses in the time of integration (ii) Content: The Board of Directors must base on the objectives of vocational colleges and tasks of the school year to give directions Besides, they need to understand the requirements of the labor market on LS for employees as well as the expectations of parents and knowledge and ability of students to build appropriate LS curriculum 4.2.1.2 Organizing a variety of life skills educational activities for students (i) Aim:The purpose of this solution is to provide important content to help the Board of Directors manage the implementation of LSE systematically and appropriately (ii) Content: The content of the solution is to propose teaching methods through training programs, professional exchanges with LS experts, identify various forms of LSE to attract students to participate, and suggest ways to examine and assess LSE as well as to manage the implementation to ensure effectiveness (iii)Method: Direct on the innovation of methods to improve the quality of teaching; Direct to diversify forms of LSE to create excitement and attract students to participate; Manage the implementation progress of the LS curriculum, ensuring that students learn all the content and within the time frame 4.2.1.3 Managing activities of life skills lecturers 16 (i) Aim: This solution aims to manage the activities of lecturers to improve the competency of lecturers by equipping them with the necessary knowledge, skills, and effective teaching methods and techniques to fulfill their duties of teaching LS for students (ii) Content: Activities to raise awareness and knowledge of LS for lecturers as well as exchange activities on teaching are proposed In addition, the dissertation proposes exchange activities to learn about LS teaching among vocational colleges to improve the capacity of lecturers and create consistency on methods of implementing LSE for students at vocational colleges (iii) Method: Direct faculties and departments to organize periodical seminars on LS; Exchange lecturers to study from experienced lecturers of other vocational colleges; Focus on remuneration for lecturers 4.2.1.4 Strictly managing the life skills learning of students (i) Aim: This solution is to ensure the goals and contents of the LS curriculum to be implemented properly, sufficiently and effectively, bringing practical benefits to students and further to the school and society (ii) Content: Determine the time frame and the LS curriculum of students, improve students' awareness of LSE, propose effective ways to improve LS learning of students by getting to understand the aspirations of students and help them know the requirements of businesses about LS to help students study LS better (iii) Method: Manage the time and learning content of students; Direct the organization of seminars, training sessions, extra-curricular activities to raise students' awareness and attract students to learn LS; Organize discussions between managers & lecturers, staff and students to understand the feeling and aspirations of students, thereby organize better teaching 4.2.1.5 Managing the coordination among educational partners of life skills education (i) Aim: The aim of the solution is to ensure LSE to be implemented properly through the smooth coordination among partners (ii) Content: The Board of Directors of vocational colleges needs to promote cooperation among the above-mentioned educational partners to ensure effective LSE for students; Develop plans and coordination mechanisms among partners; Organize associated activities with businesses in organizing visits, training, and internships for students (iii) Method: Develop plans for coordinating among educational partners in LSE; Build coordination mechanism among partners; Organize joint activities among partners 4.2.1.6 Managing the examination and assessment of life skills educational activities for students (i) Aim: This solution aims to point out the strengths and weaknesses of the management of LSE, the causes of success or failure so that the Board of Directors can have a better overview and practical assessment of management activities to find appropriate direction for the management of these activities (ii) Content: The basic contents of this solution are to formulate an assessment plan with the assessment criteria, time, methods, and assessment tools in order to organize evaluating the outputs and satisfaction level of LS educational partners 17 (iii) Method: Develop examination and assessment plans; Assign tasks of assessing the output quality; Organize and direct evaluating satisfaction level of LS educational partners; Summarize, draw lessons, commend and reward 4.2.2 Conditions to implement the solutions -For the Board of Directors Must be exemplary; Be at the forefront of activities; develop specific plans for training programs; Develop training topics for managers, lecturers, staff, and students; Build mechanisms and ways to coordinate among educational partners At the same time, there must be specific instruction documents on developing the curriculum; Build specific examination and assessment plans Supervise the implementation of activities and direct necessary adjustments to ensure the LSE to be implemented in the right direction; Develop policies on rewards and discipline to encourage individuals and collectives -For departments, faculties, and specialized departments The Department of Business Relations, the Committee of Life Education, and school’s faculties and specialized departments must be really active and work effectively to be able to plan and implement effective training programs and seminars; Assign officials to undertake activities, evaluate and timely report to have appropriate adjustments in accordance with the conditions of the vocational college, as well as the requirements of the labor market -For lecturers Raise awareness of ever learning and creative exploration in compiling the curriculum as well as in the teaching process Enthusiastically participate in training activities and seminars of the college with a high sense of responsibility -For businesses, parents and local social organizations Raise awareness of the importance of the coordination among the partners in LSE, thereby enthusiastically support in developing objectives and LS curriculum; Create conditions for students to practice LS through visiting, internships, and practicum at businesses -For students Raise the awareness of learning LS, participate in class activities in class as well as extracurricular activities, internships in businesses in a positive way 4.3 Testing the necessity and feasibility of solutions for managing life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City + Results of the necessity test Survey results show that most of the proposed solutions are considered essential In particular, there are solutions that are evaluated over 80% The highest-rated solution with the score of 87.1% is Directing developing the objectives and life skills curriculum compatible with the needs of the labor market + Results of the feasibility test There is a correlation between the results of the necessity test and the feasibility test of the solutions Organizing a variety of LSE for vocational college students; and Strengthening examination and assessment of LSE for students are highly appreciated with the score of over 80% Therefore, these are considered to be the most necessary and highly feasible solutions, which can be implemented very effectively 18 4.4 Piloting solutions for managing life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City 4.4.1 The basis for selecting the testing solution All solutions are necessary and highly feasible The author only chooses one of the solutions to test, i.e solution 2: Organizing a variety of LSE for vocational college students, because this solution is one of the key solutions that determines the effectiveness of LSE 4.4.2 Aim of the test The aim is to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of solutions to the management of LSE for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City 4.4.3 Testing hypothesis The results of LSE for vocational college students will be enhanced when diversifying LSE 4.4.4 Participants, study areas and time frame Participants include managers and 20 lecturers, as well as 56 students of the class C17CK2 and class C17OTO The test is carried out at Ho Chi Minh City Vocational College The test includes phases: Phase from Feb 25 th to March th, 2019 Phase 2: from March th to July 30 th, 2019 4.4.5 Testing form The author uses the comparison method This test means that two objects are the same but one object is affected and one object is not It will then compare results to see the effect of the impact 4.4.6 Testing phases 4.4.6.1 Phase 1: Survey managers, lecturers & staff, and conduct class observation before the test Step 1: Choosing a test sample The college chosen is Ho Chi Minh City Vocational College Step 2: Conducting class observation - Class: C17CK2, No of students: 25 (pre-test class) - Lecturer: Mr Nguyen V H - Time: March th, 2019 - Assess the lesson and survey students (Will be compared to the test class in section 4.4.8.4.) Step 3: Preparing questionnaire ( See Appendix 10) The content of the survey on managers, lecturers & staff focuses on the necessity and feasibility of solution and the results of the implementation of educating the LS that students are weak at Step 4: Conducting the survey The survey was conducted on 25 managers, lecturers and staff Through the survey results, the author realized that what managers, lecturers, staff, and students need is to strengthen the diversification of methods and forms of LSE to ensure the effectiveness of LSE, and train more communication skills and problem-solving skills for students In order to organize a variety of LSE for students, administrators must have experience in organizing a variety of LSE and lecturers must be equipped with essential knowledge and skills, especially new methods to teach 19 more effectively Therefore, we conduct a training session on "Organizing a variety of life skills educational activities for students of Ho Chi Minh City Vocational College," which focuses primarily on sharing organizational experiences for managers and fostering new teaching methods for lecturers 4.4.6.2 Phase 2: Conducting training courses on diversifying life skills educational activities for managers and lecturers of Ho Chi Minh City Vocational College Step 1: Working with the Committee of Life Skills Educational Activities Step 2: Conducting method The Committee hold a meeting to finalize and decide on the plan Step 3: Implementing In order to organize the above activities, the Committee will invite the Director of Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Legal Education and Psychology, and an expert from the Department of Educational Psychology of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities to train at the college The specific training content is as follows: TRAINING PROGRAM FOR MANAGERS AND LECTURERS Topic: TRAINING ON DIVERSIFYING LIFE SKILLS EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR STUDENTS OF HO CHI MINH CITY VOCATIONAL COLLEGE (Please see Appendix 11) 4.4.7 Assessing the feasibility and effectiveness of the test - Surveying managers, lecturers, and officials of Union and Association - Conducting class observation - Surveying students of the testing class 4.4.8 Testing results and discussion 4.4.8.1 Fostering experience in organizing life skills educational activities for the Committee of Life Skills Education The Director of Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Psychology and Legal Edu cation shared with the Committee about experiences in managing LSE 4.4.8.2 Fostering new teaching methods for life skills education During the training program, the expert lecturer from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities shared new methods for teaching communication and problem-solving skills Through games like Bingo, World Cafe, Shark Tank, ThinkPair-Share, business games, or models like MUSIC (Empowerment, Usefulness, Success, Internet, and Caring), 5E (Engage-Explore- Explain-Extend-Evaluation), lecturers have learned a lot of methods to apply in teaching these two skills 4.4.8.3 Lecturers practicing writing lesson plan and teaching Under the guidance of the expert, the lecturers who participate in the training have applied new methods to integrate teaching the two communication and problemsolving skills professional subjects The rehearsal lesson took place very excitingly and most of the groups applied well the methods they learned The lecturers were all pleased with the groups’lessons 4.4.8.4 Assessing the lesson before and after applying the test - Pre-test class: C17CK2, No of students: 25, Lecturer: Mr Nguyen V.H 20 - Testing class: C17OTO, No of students: 31, Lecturer: Mr Nguyen V.H (i) Results of theoretical study of essential skills of pre-test class and testing class (Please see appendices 15 and 16) Through the research results, we see that students of the two classes have the same theoretical level of essential skills (ii) Results of class observation before and after the test + Assessment results of lecturers attending in the class observation (See Appendix 17) - Students’ awareness before and after the test The survey results show that the students' awareness is assessed to be significantly improved after the test - The skills students gain before and after the test The two skills that were highly evaluated after the test were Skill to identify problems and to solve problems by communication, and Skill to evaluate good communicators and good problem solvers with the average scores of respectively 2.17 and 2.00 before the test, and 2.83 and 2.50 after the test - Students’ attitudes before and after the test The attitude of students after the test was assessed as having a remarkable change with the lowest pre-test average score of 1.83 and the highest post-test average score of 2.83 This shows that the application of new methods in teaching has really worked - Comments on the lecturer before and after the test Research results show that most of the comments have a big difference Among them, opinion about the diversity of lecture content has the highest difference (2.50 and 1.33) This proves that the members highly appreciate the combination of methods to integrate LS into the lecture content so that the lecture is diverse and exciting + Results of students’ survey (See Appendix 18) - Students’ awareness before and after the test There is a clear difference in students' awareness of the importance of communication and problem-solving skills Understanding of these two life skills, and identifying in which situations the problems should be solved have the average scores ranging from 2.08 to 2.52 before the test and from 2.68 to 2.81 after the test - Skills students gain before and after the test Students also commented that they had a clear improvement in skills after the test Specifically, they know how to identify a problem and solve it through different ways of communication (2.12 vs 2.71) and they can identify who can solve the problem and have good communication (1.84 vs 2.58) - Students’ attitude before and after the test The results showed a significant difference in all three contents Specifically, students were very excited about the lecture content, participating in the class very enthusiastically and showing interest in the methods that the lecturer used The difference in the average score before and after the test is approximately 0.8 (2.08 vs 2.90) - Comments on the lecturer before and after the test 21 Students evaluate using diverse and attractive methods of lecturers highest of all (1.88 before the test and 2.87 after the test) This shows that the application of new methods has a very positive effect 4.4.8.5 Assessment + Training course In general, the training course has brought positive effects for both managers, lecturers, and students in the college Experts have helped managers, lecturers & staff have more experience in organizing LSE with new teaching methods to make the lesson more attractive to learners Students in the testing class are more interested in learning, more confident in communicating and know how to analyze and solve problems + Results of lecturers’ survey School leaders have directed the integration of these two LS into the curriculum and this has created a positive effect on students The school also organized two seminars about these two LS with the psychologist Le V H, conducted class observation after the training to evaluate the effectiveness of the training, conducted extensive surveys in students to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and learning these two LS Lecturers have more learning activities to integrate teaching two LS in teaching their subjects and increase students' excitement in learning, improve students’ communication and problem-solving skills, raise students’ awareness of life skills CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusion Educating life skills for students, especially vocational college students - the core workforce of society - is a very important task An overview of research on the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students shows that the researches in the world and in Vietnam are approached in three main directions: (1) On life skills, (2) On life skills educational activities and (3) On the management of life skills educational activities The studies focus on completing and refining concepts of life skills, life skills educational activities, and the management of life skills educational activities The studies also point out many inadequacies in program management, planning, teacher training, examination and assessment, thereby proposing solutions for effective management of life skills educational activities at all levels This study has refined a theoretical basis for life skills, life skills educational activities, and the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students.The dissertation identifies a framework of three life skills groups which include 09 essential life skills to educate students of vocational colleges Also, the dissertation analyzes 06 contents of the management of life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City Life skills educational activities for vocational college students in Ho Chi Minh City have achieved certain results Most educational partners and students are aware of the importance of life skills educational activities Schools have implemented life skills educational activities through forms such as integrating life skills teaching with main subjects, sightseeing, field trips, internships, and practicum, 22 etc These activities help students foster a lot of the skills needed in work and in life and create cohesion among family, school, society, and especially the business Lecturers of vocational colleges also participate in training courses to improve knowledge and diversify techniques for teaching life skills to create excitement in learning life skills among students However, life skills educational activities for students still have several limitations The schools have not diversified forms of life skills educational activities In addition, there is no agreement on the content of the life skills curriculum between schools and the curriculum is not really consistent with the needs of society and the psychology of students The methods of teaching life skills are limited in traditional methods without promoting creativity and thinking to solve problems The level of coordination among the educational partners is not high, especially the connection with businesses to ask for their support Regarding the management, in general, all managers, lecturers and school staff are fully aware of the importance of managing life skills educational activities The content, methods, and forms of teaching are also widely disseminated to lecturers In particular, vocational colleges receive enthusiastic support from businesses, parents, as well as local social organizations in managing life skills education al activities Although considered as important, the management of life skills educational activities still faces many difficulties, partly in organizing funding, and mostly from the Board of Directors The Board of Directors does not really consider life skills educational activities as important as professional skills educational activitties, so that explains the negligence in management, especially managing the activities of life skills lecturers Lecturers have not applied diverse methods in teaching life skills and the colleges have not effectively managed these activities as well Managing the life skills curriculum is still inadequate when there is no discussion with businesses about the educational content of life skills needed in students The management of the examination and assessment on life skills learning is not done regularly and does not achieve good results In order to manage life skills educational activities effectively, it is necessary to have practical and highly feasible solutions Six solutions has been proposed, showing that these solutions are really necessary to ensure the management of life skills educational activities for students to achieve the desired results Solution has been tested to verify the neccessity and feasibility The results of the test have proved that solution is really necessary and highly feasible because it brings practical benefits to both lecturers and learners, specifically the students of Ho Chi Minh City Vocational College Recommendations 2.1 To General Department of Vocational Education Direct building plans for developing the life skills curriculum for vocational college students throughout the country; Assign specific tasks for the units in charge of developing the program framework; The study promulgates regulations on qualification standards for life skills educational managers as well as skill standards for life skills lecturers and popularizes them to vocational colleges; Develops a plan for training managers and lecturers periodically in order to improve the effectiveness of life skills educational activities; 23 Require schools to propose different forms of life skills assessment for students, synthesize and agree on a common assessment form for the whole system; Promulgate regulations on assessment for vocational colleges across the country; Develop policies on remuneration and reward for managers, lecturers, and staff in charge of life skills educational activities, as well as regulations on funding and budget for management activities to ensure effectiveness; Examine, assess, and closely monitor the activities of the collges 2.2 To vocational colleges Implement a plan of the life skills curriculum to suit the school's geographical and economic conditions; Work closely with businesses to understand their needs before developing the curriculum; Implement regulations on qualifications of life skills managers and lecturers to have a proper plan for recruiting, retraining and organizing training courses to improve their qualifications to meet requirements; Propose forms of assessing life skills of students, which is the basis for the General Department of Vocational Training to synthesize and agree on a common form of assessment for the whole system; Propose policies on remuneration and reward for managers, lecturers, and staff in charge of life skills educational activities; Estimate the budget for the management activities to ensure the effectiveness of the activities Those provide a basis for the General Department of Vocational Training to develop regulations; Actively coordinate with parents, businesses and social organizations to seek support in life skills educational activities for students; Report to the authorities any difficulties and problems to be promptly addressed 2.3 To vocational college students Constantly raise students’ awareness of the importance of life skills and life skills educational activities to help them have a better attitude in learning and practicing life skills; Enthusiastically participate in activities organized by the school, the Youth Union or the Student Association to improve such life skills as Communication, Teamwork, Problem-solving, Cultural adaptation, etc Take advantage of opportunities to practice life skills in a real working environment through visiting activities, internships and practicum in businesses; Boldly express aspirations and ideas about life skills educational activities in schools to help make these activities more practical 24 ... vocational colleges in Ho Chi Minh City have not paid much attention to the management of life skills educational activities for students Schools have paid more attention to managing professional... their ability to communicate Schools not follow certain LS curricuclum Some schools such as Ho Chi Minh City Vocational College work under overseas projects; some schools such as Central Transport... above activities, the Committee will invite the Director of Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Legal Education and Psychology, and an expert from the Department of Educational Psychology of the University