Academic Staffs’ Participation in University Governance Towards Autonomy: Practice at Two University Models in Vietnam

Abstract

Vietnamese universities are now in a state of “diverse governing bodies” and the Ministry of Education and Training is responsible for their expertise. This model can cause overlapping or loosened management by many agencies simultaneously managing. Vietnamese universities need to promote autonomy and accountability in management. This study was conducted in 2018-2019 with 322 lecturers and educational managers working at two Vietnamese public universities governed by different autonomy policies. This research analyses the academic staff’s participation in university governance toward autonomy. The research results show that (i) there is no difference between the two universities in the level of participation in governance activities; (ii) The academic staff’s participation levels are positively correlated from low to moderate levels according to the effectiveness of participating in activities; (iii) The higher the participation level, the higher the scientific research results are for domestic publication. However, it is not a significant case for international publication.