Ảnh hưởng của việc tham gia các chương trình trao đổI tạI asean đốI vớI độ nhạy cảm văn hoá và sự phát triển cá nhân của sinh viên việt nam

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF LINGUISTICS AND CULTURES OF ENGLISH-SPEAKING
COUNTRIES

GRADUATION PAPER

INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY AND
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT OF VIETNAMESE
STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN SHORT-TERM
EXCHANGE COURSES IN ASEAN COUNTRIES

Supervisor: Đỗ Thị Mai Thanh, M.A
Student: Nguyễn Phúc Cẩm Nhi
Course: QH2015.F1.E1

HANOI – 2019


ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ
KHOA NGƠN NGỮ VÀ VĂN HỐ CÁC NƯỚC NĨI TIẾNG ANH

KHĨA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP

ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA VIỆC THAM GIA CÁC
CHƯƠNG TRÌNH TRAO ĐỔI TẠI ASEAN ĐỐI VỚI
ĐỘ NHẠY CẢM VĂN HOÁ VÀ SỰ PHÁT TRIỂN
CÁ NHÂN CỦA SINH VIÊN VIỆT NAM

Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Th.S. Đỗ Thị Mai

Thanh
Sinh viên: Nguyễn Phúc Cẩm Nhi
Khóa: QH2015.F1.E1


HÀ NỘI – 2019

Signature of Approval:

____________________________________________________________
Supervisor’s Comments & Suggestions
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________


ACCEPTANCE

I hereby state that I: Nguyen Phuc Cam Nhi, class QH.2015.F1.E1, being a
candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts, English Language Teacher
Education, Honors Program, accept the requirements of the College relating to
the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library.
In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the
library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in
accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care,
loan or reproduction of the paper.
Signature

Date


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As a novice researcher, I find writing this research paper a long, arduous, yet
intriguing and rewarding experience. In retrospect, I am extremely thankful for the
abundant assistance that I have received, without which this paper would have
never been completed.
First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my wonderful
supervisor, Ms. Do Thi Mai Thanh. As my teacher and supervisor, through
intriguing lessons and motivational sharing, she has sparked my interest in the field
of intercultural communication, thus motivated me to conduct this research. Her
attentive care, guidance and continuous support have always been tremendous
sources of encouragement for me to overcome all difficulties in completing my
graduation paper.
I also want to send my deepest gratitude to all the participants of this study
including 15 Vietnamese students from different universities and regions. Not only
did they provide valuable information, which acted as crucial source of data for
this paper, but they also shared with me intriguing stories about themselves and
gave me warm wishes for our research.
Last but not least, I have been forever indebted to my family, my friends and my
three endearing cats. They have always been amazing emotional backup, who have
always loved, sympathized and supported me in every stage of doing this research.
Without them, the past couples of months would have been more stressful and
challenging.

i


ABSTRACT

The research aims to seek investigation into two main areas: the manifestation of
intercultural sensitivity and the changes regarding personal growth experienced by
Vietnamese university students doing short-term exchange in ASEAN countries.
In order to achieve the established targets, qualitive approach was adopted for data
collection and analysis. Specifically, the researcher utilized three data collection
instruments namely questionnaire, interview and documents analysis. Data
obtained through these methods were closely examined using content analysis
approach.
In the end, the researcher was able to generate several conclusions based on the
analyzed data. In terms of intercultural sensitivity, students showed a transition
from ethnocentrism to ethnorelativism throughout their exchange as they started
from stereotypes and lack of understanding about host countries to development
of appreciative attitude and willingness to integrate into the host community.
However, despite reaching different stages in the ethnorelative category, the
students still expressed ethnocentric attitude towards certain aspects of host
countries such as food or religious habits. As for personal growth, the data revealed
that after exchange, students experienced improvement regarding emotional
resilience, openness/ flexibility, perceptual acuity and personal autonomy.
Specifically, they were able to handle different emotional issues, became more
acceptant towards cultural differences and attentive to their international friends.
Most importantly, several students reflected on their recognition of their self
identity and increased pride in being an ASEAN citizen after going on exchange.

ii


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ......................................................................... i
Abstract ......................................................................................... ii

Table of contents .......................................................................... iii
List of figures, tables and abbreviations ....................................... v

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1. Background of the study ............................................................... 1
2. Statement of the research problem and research questions ........... 3
3. Scope of the study ......................................................................... 3
4. Significance of the study ............................................................... 4
5. Organization of the study .............................................................. 4

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Literature review ........................................................................... 6
1.1. Intercultural competence – Intercultural sensitivity and
Developmental model of Intercultural sensitivity (Bennett, 1993)
....................................................................................................... 6
1.2. Personal development and Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory
(Kelley & Meyers, 1995) ............................................................... 10
1.3. Impact of short-term study abroad on intercultural competence,
intercultural sensitivity and personal development ....................... 12
2. Research gap ................................................................................. 14

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
1. Research design ............................................................................ 16
2. Participants .................................................................................... 16
2.1. Sampling .................................................................................... 16
iii


2.2. Information about the short-term exchange programs ............... 19
3. Data collection instruments ........................................................... 20

4. Data collection procedure ............................................................. 22
5. Data analysis instruments ............................................................. 23
6. Data analysis procedure ................................................................ 23

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
1. Data analysis ................................................................................. 26
1.1. Intercultural sensitivity of Vietnamese students participating in
short-term exchange in ASEAN countries .................................... 26
1.2. Personal development of Vietnamese students participating in shortterm exchange in ASEAN countries ............................................. 38
2. Major findings and discussion ...................................................... 43

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION
1. Summary ....................................................................................... 46
2. Implications of the study ............................................................... 47
3. Limitations and suggestions for further studies ............................ 48

REFERENCES
APPENDICES

iv


LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Stages of Development in DMIS (Bennett, 1993) .............................. 8

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Description of DMIS (Bennett, 1993) .................................................. 10
Table 2. Description of CCAI scales (Kelley & Meyers, 1995) ......................... 11

Table 3. Participants profile (Questionnaire) ..................................................... 18
Table 4. Students profile (interview and written reflection) .............................. 19
Table 5. Coding matrix of Intercultural sensitivity ............................................ 24
Table 6. Coding matrix of Personal development .............................................. 24
Table 7. Intercultural sensitivity development (questionnaire) ........................... 29
Table 8. Intercultural sensitivity development (interview and written reflection)
............................................................................................................................. 30
Table 9. Personal development of Vietnamese students after exchange ............ 38

v


CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.

Background of the study
It has been nearly two years since my first exchange experience

in Indonesia, yet I still feel the tremendous impacts of it on different
aspects of my life. In 2017, I decided to go on a one semester exchange
under the SHARE scholarship program at Universitas Indonesia,
located in Depok, Jakarta. For me, the whole experience was amazing
and unforgettable. Not only did I have more friends, but I also came to
appreciate and understand the cultural values, traditions and practices
of my host country. Further comprehension of Indonesia and ASEAN
nations, as well as a sense of identity are the main things that the
exchange granted me, which I had no expectation of receiving after my
exchange. Upon returning; however, it was rather difficult for me
initially to readapt to my life in home country, partly due to the
comments from others about my exchange experience: “It was such a

waste of time, you should have gone to a more developed country rather
than Indonesia; How come you chose Indonesia, it is a Muslim country;
…” These comments became great distress and disappointment to me,
which lead to my determination to prove that my short-term exchange
experience in a “less developed nation” is as rewarding as any other
exchange programs in other developed countries.
According to DeGraaf, Slagter, Larsen and Ditta (2013), there
has been a proliferation of short-term study abroad implemented by
higher educational institutions worldwide. Vietnam is not the exception
of this rising trend as an increasing number of students have begun to
engage in short-term exchange programs which last for one semester to
a year, apart from long-term study experiences. Such shift has
“intensified the need for assessment” over the influence of these
programs on their participants (Paras et al, 2019). As a result, a large
number of researches have been conducted on the impacts of short-term
1


study abroad on students, revealing a close connection between
intercultural education experience and intercultural sensitivity.
Specifically, overseas sojourners are reported to demonstrate great
improvements

in

terms

of

intercultural

awareness,

global

interdependence, and personal development, also functional knowledge
(Chieffo & Griffiths, 2004). Similarly, a number of studies using
quantitative methods have emphasized positive changes regarding
global

awareness,

intercultural

sensitivity

and

professional

development experienced by students (Nguyen, 2017; Kurt, Olitsky and
Geis, 2013, as cited in Maharaja, 2018, p.19). On the other hand, besides
the reported positive influence, several researches have reported on the
negative experience of students during and after their overseas study
(McLachlan & Justice, 2009) as they showed tendency to suffer from
reverse cultural shock after their return to home country.
Although the influence of short-term abroad programs is
recognized through a number of studies worldwide, most of these
studies adopt quantitative methods by distributing surveys to a large
number of students (Maharaja, 2018, p. 19). Therefore, there seems to

be a lack of qualitative plus in-depth research focusing on students’ selfreflective reports of their experiences. Furthermore, so far, few research
concerning

impacts

of

international

educational

experience,

particularly short-term study were conducted among Vietnamese
context. These studies also tend to focus on Vietnamese students
studying in European countries, the USA or East Asian nations without
paying attention to ASEAN countries (Dao, 2014; Nguyen, 2012 and
Dong, 2012). Such gaps in research; therefore, prompted the researcher
to enquire into the impacts of short-term study in ASEAN on
Vietnamese students, regarding two aspects namely intercultural
sensitivity and personal development.

2


2.

Statement of the research problem and research questions
This qualitative study aims at exploring the changes regarding

intercultural sensitivity and personal development experienced by
Vietnamese sojourners who returned to Vietnam after their short-term
study in different ASEAN countries, thus highlighting the factors that
lead to these transformations. Based on these findings, the research is
expected to contribute to the existing record of studies on the impacts
of studying abroad in Vietnam. The knowledge drawn from this study
can also serve as useful reference for future studies into the same topic.
In fulfilling these goals, the study seeks answers to the following
questions:
1. What are the changes regarding intercultural sensitivity of
Vietnamese students participating in short-term exchange courses
in ASEAN countries?
2. What are the changes regarding personal development
experienced by Vietnamese students participating in short-term
exchange courses in ASEAN countries?
3.

Scope of the study
This research focuses on exploring the impacts of short-term

exchange program on Vietnamese students as perceived by the
sojourners themselves after returning to their home country, regarding
intercultural sensitivity and personal development. Given the fact that
this is a qualitative research, the participants consisted of 15
Vietnamese undergraduates or graduates who engaged in one-semester
or yearlong study abroad programs, which took place in different
ASEAN countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand).
Furthermore, the students chosen for this research were the ones who
had just completed their exchange within one year then returned to
Vietnam for study or work.

3


4.

Significance of the study
This study hopes to benefit several groups whose concerns are

directly or indirectly related to the international education field. First of
all, the results of this study are expected to contribute to the existing
pool of research on the impacts of international education experience,
thus serve as a source of reference for researchers who aspire to enquire
into the same matter. This research also aims to provide administrators,
educators and researchers with qualitative data that evaluate the
influence of short-term study abroad in ASEAN countries on students’
intercultural sensitivity and personal development. Finally, this study is
expected to be of relevance to students who had experienced short-term
study abroad by providing them with in-depth reflection of their own
experience. Simultaneously, researcher hopes that this research would
act as a source of reference and motivation for those without any
international educational experience before to engage in the
opportunities themselves.
5.

Organization of the study
This research paper consists of 5 chapters with distinctive role as

follows. First of all, chapter 1 provides an overview of the study with
background, statement of the problem, objectives and scope of the

research. In chapter 2, researcher emphasizes the literature review,
which includes the significant definitions and concepts related to the
research subject, as well as pinpoints the research gap. The whole
chapter 3 is spent on elaborating the methodology, particularly research
design, participants and method of selection. Furthermore, this chapter
describes in detail the instruments and procedure utilized in the data
collection and data analysis. The subsequent chapter (chapter 4) is the
most important chapter as it reports the results of the study, thus
provides in-depth discussion to generate several implications. Finally,
the research results are summarized in chapter 5, also certain limitations
4


are reflected to provide suggestions for further study in the same field.

5


CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
In this section, the researcher will provide an overview of certain
concepts related to the research topic.
1. Literature review
1.1. Intercultural competence - Intercultural sensitivity and
Developmental model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) (Bennett,
1993)
1.1.1. Intercultural competence and intercultural sensitivity
In the context of globalization, it is crucial that people possess
intercultural communication competence (Bradford, Allen, & Beisser,
1998). Intercultural communication competence (ICC), according to
Bennett (2004), refers to the ability to adjust and adapt behaviors to

achieve communication goals in intercultural contexts. ICC consists of
three domains namely intercultural awareness (cognitive aspect),
intercultural

sensitivity

(affective

aspect),

and

intercultural

effectiveness (the behavioral aspect) (Chen & Starosta 1996, as cited in
Altan, 2018, p. 4). In details, intercultural awareness refers to the
cognitive ability of a person to understand and explain a culture;
intercultural sensitivity indicates one’s ability to distinguish, appreciate
and respect different cultures while intercultural effectiveness
emphasizes the capacity to adjust one’s behaviors to serve
communicative goals in intercultural communication (Altan, 2018, p.
3)
Among the three dimensions, intercultural sensitivity is believed
to be “a prerequisite for intercultural communication competence”
(Chen & Starosta, 2000, as cited in Altan, 2018, p. 4). In other words,
higher intercultural sensitivity is usually associated with increased level
of intercultural communication competence (Hammer, Bennet &
Wiseman, 2003, as cited in Maharaja, 2018)
6

1.1.2. Measuring intercultural sensitivity
However, one major challenge in measuring intercultural
competence, also intercultural sensitivity is the lack of a universal
framework or instrument (Behrnd and Porzelt, 2012, as cited in
Maharaja, 2018, p. 27). This vacancy has lead to the development of a
number of measuring instruments namely Hammer and Bennet’s (1993)
Intercultural

Development

Inventory

(IDI),

Osland’s

(2008)

Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES), Costa and McCrae‘s Big Five
Personality Inventories (as cited in Nguyen, 2017, p. 110).
Among these frameworks, Bennett’s Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS) (1993) was chosen as framework for
this research judging its suitability to the qualitative design and goals
of the study. With this study, the researcher aims to investigate the
process of developing intercultural sensitivity throughout the whole
exchange experience, rather than the results after the international
experience.
According to this framework, intercultural sensitivity is
considered as a developmental process which consists of six main

stages namely Denial, Defense, Minimization, Acceptance, Adaptation
and Integration. These six stages, according to Bennett (1993), are the
specification of the transition between two contradicting concepts, from
“Ethnocentrism to ethnorelativism”. While Ethnocentrism is defined as
the “lack of acceptance of cultural diversity and outgroups” (Berry &
Kalin, 1993, as cited in Altan, 2018, p. 2), Ethnorelativism refers to the
opposite state of ethnocentrism (Bennett, 2004). In other words, people
who demonstrate an ethnocentric orientation tend to “avoid cultural
difference”. Those in the ethnorelative state, on the other hand, are
more willing to “seek cultural difference” (Bennett, 2004).

7


Figure 1. Stages of development in DMIS (Bennett, 1993)

From the figure, it can be seen that the first three stages: Denial,
Defense and Minimization belong to the ethnocentric end. Denial refers
to the state when people demonstrate ignorance of cultural difference, or
the “inability to perceive or construct data from differing cultural
contexts” (Bennett, 2004, p.150). This stage is followed by Defense,
during which people “experience cultural difference in a polarized way us and them, where one’s own cultures is superior and other cultures are
inferior” (Hammer et al, 2003, p. 4). Also according to Bennett (2004),
people experiencing Defense demonstrate feelings of inferiority towards
other cultures or superiority of one’s own culture, which are later
described under the term “Denigration” and “Superiority”. A variation of
Defense is Reversal, in which the host culture is considered to be superior
to the original culture of the individual. Even though Reversal still
maintains a polarized ‘‘us’’ and ‘‘them’’ worldview, it is unlike Defense
in that people tend to dismisses the threat from other cultures. The third

stage - Minimization is a transition from a polarized view and feelings of
threats in Defense to the recognition of cultural similarities. Such
similarities are portrayed through “Minimization of human similarity” and
“Minimization of values”, defined as “Universal values” (Bennett, 1993).
The last three stages of DMIS (Bennett, 1993): Acceptance,
Adaptation and Integration are parts of the Ethnorelative orientation.
In the Acceptance stage, an individual is able to realize and accept the
behavioral and value differences in distinctive cultural contexts.
However, this is not equal to the feeling of “agreement” as a person
might accept the existence of “alternative value” and still fell that the

8


value is “inappropriate” or threatening (Bennett, 2004, p. 14). Next is
Adaptation, which refers to the stage in which an individual starts to
show adjustment in terms of behaviors based on the shift in worldview.
Bennett (2004) also characterizes the stage with the concept of empathy
- “the ability to take perspective or shift frame of reference vis-à-vis
other cultures”. In other words, people at this stage demonstrate a
capacity to communicate and behave appropriately in other cultures.
The final ethnorelative stage is Integration, it describes the point when
an individual attains a bicultural or multicultural identity, which allows
for flexible intercultural behavior and communication. Bennett (1993)
describes this condition in his research with the term “cultural
marginality”, in which the person’s identity is flexible and not fitted to
any culture frames.
Denial

Signified by the perception that the person’s

culture is the only real culture; the failure to see
cultural differences; self-isolation from the
group and indifference towards other cultures

Defense

Signified by negative stereotypes and critical
attitude towards other cultures

Minimization

Signified by ability to find commonalities
between home and host culture, in other words,
establish “superficial culture”.

Acceptance

Signified by ability to recognize and appreciate
cultural differences through both behaviors and
values. People at this stage also demonstrate
curiosity about other cultures and desire to learn.

Adaptation

Signified by the competence to communicate
with people of other cultures and to incorporate
the world view of others into their own world

9

view.
Integration

Signified by the ability to have other cultural
experiences move in and out of their own
worldview,

also

to

promote

cultural

understanding among others.
Table 1. Description of DMIS (Bennett, 1993)

1.2. Personal development and Cross-Cultural Adaptability
Inventory (CCAI), (Kelley & Meyers, 1995)
According to Heist and Yonge (1968), personal development
refers to “selected dimensions of normal personality functioning and
intellectual activity comprised of attitudes, values and interests though
to be relevant to activities common to the college experience “(as cited
in Kauffman and Kuh, 1984, p.3). Kelly and Meyers (1995) contributed
to this definition by stating that personal development is a “process
involving personal growth, maturity, evolution and expansion of
oneself” (as cited in Maharaji, 2018, p.36)
In order to measure the extent of personal growth in relation to

study abroad, several instruments have been developed. However,
similar to the situation of intercultural competence, it is difficult to
establish a fixed framework to assess personal development. Quite a
number of researchers have already explored this field and proposed
several models namely the Omnibus Personality Inventory (IPO) (Heist
& Yonge, 1968, as cited in Kauffman and Kuh, 1984, p.4); Big Five
Inventory (BFI); the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI)
(Kelly & Meyers, 1995).
For this study, researcher decided to adopt the CCAI framework
developed by Kelley and Meyers (1995) since its effectiveness and
reliability have been confirmed through several studies, both
10


quantitative and qualitative (Nguyen, Biderman & McNary, 2010;
Maharaji, 2018). Furthermore, the dimensions proposed in this model
suit the nature of this study.
The CCAI model is developed to measure cross-cultural
adaptability of an individual, which is defined as the ability to
communicate as well as adapt to other cultures (Nguyen, Biderman, &
McNary, 2010). This framework consists of four dimensions namely:
Emotional resilience, Flexibility/ Openness, Perceptual Acuity and
Personal Autonomy. Descriptions of each dimension can be
summarized in the table below.
Emotional

Measure the ability to deal with stressful

resilience

feelings in a constructive way along with a
positive attitude.

Flexibility/

Measures the ability to listen to others, to

Openness

become acquainted with people of other
cultures and to try to understand their
worldview.

Perceptual

Measures the ability to perceptually be

Acuity

attentive to verbal and non-verbal cues and
the ability to communicate interpersonally

Personal

Measures the ability to deal with cultural

Autonomy

conflict independently and successfully and
to self-directed

Table 2. Description of CCAI scales (Kelley & Meyers, 1995)
1.3.

Impact of short-term study abroad on intercultural
competence,

intercultural

development

11

sensitivity

and

personal


In this section, the researcher will give a brief overview on the
studies conducted on the influence of short-term study abroad on
students’ intercultural sensitivity and personal development.
In general, most of the studies found emphasized the positive
changes experienced by college students engaging in study abroad
programs. To be more specific, studies utilizing different survey
instruments found that “short-term programs, even as short as one
month, are worth-while educational endeavors that have significant
self-perceived impacts on students’ intellectual and personal lives”
(Chieffo & Griffiths, 2004).

A study conducted on a group of American college students
engaging in a four-week exchange program in England and Ireland
indicated that students tend to be more acceptant and tolerant of the
foreign culture, also view the other cultures better than their own
(Anderson, 2006). Jackson (2008)’s attempt to investigate a group of
Chinese students participating a 5-week exchange in England revealed
that the students demonstrated greater empathy and understanding of
other cultures (as cited in Nguyen, 2017, p.111). Both of the studies
employed the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), which is a
framework developed by Bennett (1993). This framework is again
employed in a quantitative research by Pedersen (2010), which points
out that students involving in intercultural activities showed gains
regarding intercultural competence, as compared to those staying at
home or not engage in the experience. Nguyen (2017) also investigated
the effects of short-term study abroad using the Intercultural
Effectiveness Scale in a quantitative study. The results showed that the
students participating in short-term exchange programs “demonstrate
an upward trend in intercultural competency” (Nguyen, 2017, p.117)
Studies adopting DMIS (Bennett, 1993) and CCAI framework
also revealed positive changes regarding students’ intercultural
sensitivity and personal development. A study by Williams (2005)
12


using the CCAI construct confirmed that students with international
experience showed improvements in terms of cross-cultural
adaptability skills compared to those not engaging in any types of studyabroad programs. Marx and Moss (2011) investigated the influence
experienced by a group of students participating in a teacher education
program abroad, using the DMIS framework. The results were that
these

students

demonstrated

increases

level

of

intercultural

competence. Another quantitative study which also adopted DMIS
framework and IDI indicated that the participants demonstrated both
intercultural development and personal growth (Clarke, Flaherty,
Wright & MCMillen, 2009, as cited in Maharaja, 2018, p.27).
Similarly, Maharaja (2018) employed the DMIS and CCAI framework
to investigate the impacts of study abroad experience on intercultural
sensitivity and personality. It was reported that students acquire a better
understanding of one’s own and another culture and gaining a better
appreciation of cultural differences. The results also revealed that
students gained new perceptions of their native culture after their study
abroad experience as well as insights into the host culture.
Studies on personal development and study abroad also
demonstrate positive changes in terms of sojourners’ personal growth.
Mcgourty (2014) conducted a research using the Big Five Inventory
(BFI) to explore the impacts of short-term and long-term study abroad
programs on students. His study revealed that both long-term and shortterm sojourners experienced greater personal growth as they were more
open, emotionally positive, more energetic, etc. Similarly, a research

adopting the CCAI model developed by Kelley and Meyers (2010)
revealed that students engaging in short-term exchange showed several
positive changes namely “increased perseverance, self-sufficient, selfawareness, global-mindedness, etc” (Maharaji, 2018, p.30).
In Vietnamese context, this topic also receives interest; however,
there have been few studies attempted to address the impact of study
13


abroad, particularly short-term exchange on student’s intercultural
sensitivity and personal development. Dong (2012) conducted a study
titled “International experience and Intercultural sensitivity of
American and Vietnamese high school students” which attempts to
explore the impacts of exchange experience on both American and
Vietnamese high school students. The results indicate that the
participants with wider range of international experience reached higher
level of intercultural competence, thus increased level of intercultural
sensitivity. Later Nguyen (2015) also investigates the intercultural
competence of Vietnamese students studying in Western countries and
discovers that the students became more open-minded, respectful and
curious towards other cultures.
2. Research gap
Considering these researches, noticeably there tend to be a dearth
of qualitative research since quantitative studies tend to dominate the
existing pool. Furthermore, as stated by Maharaji (2018), so far, few
studies have attempted to investigate both “the intercultural competence
and personal development in a qualitative study” (p.27). In addition,
several worldwide researches have investigated the relation between
short-term study abroad and students’ intercultural competence;
however, in Vietnam this aspect still receives little attention from the
research body. At the same time, most of the research conducted on this

topic so far only address the exchange programs in Western or East
Asian regions but little attention is given to programs in ASEAN
nations. Such gaps in literature has prompted the researcher to conduct
this study with the aim to investigate the following aspects: (1) The
changes regarding intercultural sensitivity of Vietnamese students who
participated in short-term exchange in ASEAN countries; (2) The
changes

regarding

personal

growth

of

Vietnamese

participating in short-term exchanges in ASEAN countries.
14

students


CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

This chapter provides an overview of this study’s methodology. It
presents research design, participants, data collection tools and
procedure before describing in detail how the data was analyzed.
1. Research design

Considering the specific characteristics and purpose of the study,
which is to generate in-depth information from research targets as well
as supplement the existing studies on similar issues, the researcher
decided to employ qualitative methods. According to Dahlberg and
McCaig (2014), utilising qualitative approach promotes validity and
credibility of the findings. Such approach is also believed to offer indepth data for analysis and a chance to uncover “new issues in the
fieldwork stage” (Dahlberg & McCaig, 2014, p. 115). Unlike
quantitative approach, qualitative approach focuses on a limited
number of participants, allowing researcher to explore further ideas
instead of being constrained to a fixed set of questions.
2. Participants
2.1. Sampling
Judging the qualitative nature of the research, purposive sampling
was utilized to ensure the availability and credibility of the collected
data. Furthermore, the sample size differs in accordance with each data
collection method.
Regarding the questionnaire, the sample consists of 15
Vietnamese students. This number is believed to be both cost-effective
and time-saving; thus, suitable for researchers to generate in-depth
information (Creswell, 2012, as cited in Maharaja, 2018, p. 29).
According to Creswell (2012, as cited in Maharaja, 2018, p. 29), in

15


purposive sampling, researcher intentionally selected participants based
on certain criteria that fits the characteristics of the research. Therefore,
researcher chose participants who satisfied the following criteria:
• Undergraduates or graduates from different universities in
Vietnam

• Students participated in at least one exchange program in an
ASEAN country
• The exchange programs must last for one semester or one year
• Students returned from their study program within one or two
years
From these criteria, the researcher selected and involved 15
students, 8 females and 7 males in the research. Specifically, 6 of the
participants received the Darmasiswa scholarship from the Indonesian
government to study in different universities for one year. The rest of
the sample group included the EU Share scholarship program awardees
who were granted scholarship to study in different ASEAN countries
(Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia) for one semester.
Student

Gender

Place of
exchange

Student 1

Female

Student 2

Male

Student 3

Female

Student 4

Female

Student 5

Male

Student 6

Female

Thailand. EU
Share program
Indonesia.
Darmasiswa
Indonesia,
Darmasiswa
Indonesia,
Darmasiswa
Indonesia,
EU Share
Indonesia,
Darmasiswa

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Duration
of

exchange
1 semester
1 year
1 year
1 year
1 semester
1 year