Challenges and Limitations in Implementing University Autonomy Policy in Vietnam

The data were collected through a structured questionnaire comprising seven groups of independent variables and one dependent variable:
(1) Group 1: Institutional and Policy Factors (coded as IV_IP_1 – IV_IP_5)
(2) Group 2: University Governance Model (coded as IV_GM_1 – IV_GM_5)
(3) Group 3: Financial Capacity and Resource Allocation (coded as IV_FR_1 – IV_FR_5)
(4) Group 4: Human Factors (coded as IV_HF_1 – IV_HF_5)
(5) Group 5: Organizational Culture and Social Perceptions (coded as IV_OC_1 – IV_OC_5)
(6) Group 6: Quality Assurance and Evaluation (coded as IV_QA_1 – IV_QA_5)
(7) Group 7: Inequality Among Institutions (coded as IV_IN_1 – IV_IN_5)
(8) Dependent Variable: Effectiveness of University Autonomy Implementation (coded as DV_EI_1 – DV_EI_6)
All questionnaire items were measured using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Prior to official deployment, the questionnaire was reviewed and revised with expert consultation and pre-tested for clarity and validity.
The research targets university administrators, faculty members, and professional staff currently working at public higher education institutions in Vietnam—individuals either directly or indirectly involved in the implementation of university autonomy policies. To enhance representativeness and diversity, stratified sampling was applied based on three key criteria: (1) geographical region (North – Central – South), (2) institutional size (large – medium – small), and (3) respondent role (administration – teaching – support services).
A total of 721 questionnaires were distributed, and 583 valid responses were collected, yielding a response rate of 80.9%. Among the respondents, 371 were male (63.6%), and the rest were female. Notably, all participants held at least a Master’s degree, ensuring qualified and informed input on complex higher education policy issues.