Vu Thi Thai Phuong's Project: Truancy in NEU's IBD Program

This project, submitted by Vu Thi Thai Phuong to the National Economics University's Faculty of International Education IBD program in November 2009, investigates the issue of truancy among IBD students. The study explores the real truancy situation, reasons behind it (including boring learning environments and personal factors), and its effects on students' academic performance and future prospects. The methodology involves questionnaires and internet research. Major findings reveal a significant level of truancy, particularly near holidays and among extracurricular classes. The project concludes with recommendations for addressing the problem, emphasizing the responsibilities of the school, faculty, and parents to improve the learning environment and student engagement. The project aims to provide insights into truancy trends and offer possible solutions within the context of the IBD program at NEU.

National Economics University
Faculty of International Education
IBD program
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Project
Submitted to : Le Thi Thu Mai
By : Vu Thi Thai Phuong
Class : I4P – Intake 4 Spring
November 2009
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Acknowledgements
I wish, first of all, to gratefully acknowledge my deep indebtedness to my teacher,
Mrs Le Thi Thu Mai who has always been willing and enthusiastic to give me valuable
advice and instructions, as well as useful lessons, without which this study can hardly have
been well accomplished.
I would like to express particular thanks to all IBD students of National Economics
University (Intake 4) who have helped me to collect the data for this study and supported
me during the completion of this paper.
Lastly, I want to extend the best wishes to my teacher and friends.
Vu Thi Thai Phuong
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Index
 Part I: Abstract.......................................................................................4
 Part II: Introduction...............................................................................5
1. Background information
2. Rationale
3. Scope of the study
4. Research questions
5. Methodology
6. Overview of the outline
 Part III: Literature review......................................................................8
 Part IV: Major findings........................................................................10
 Part V: Conclusion...............................................................................19
 Part VI: Recommendation...................................................................20
 Part VII: Reference..............................................................................21
 Part VIII: Appendix.............................................................................22
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Table of contents
Table of contents...............................................................................................................................4
Part I: Introduction............................................................................................................................5
Background information:...............................................................................................................5
Rationale:......................................................................................................................................6
Scope of the study:........................................................................................................................6
Research questions:......................................................................................................................6
Methodology:................................................................................................................................7
Overview of the outline:................................................................................................................7
Part II: Major findings........................................................................................................................9
Real truancy situation of IBD students:.........................................................................................9
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Part I: Introduction
Background information:
This day, society is very concerned about the changes of the education branch. It is
attached great importance to because the achievements of education in the country are no
small offer. Therefore, Vietnam is no exception to improve the quality of education of the
country with many prestigious universities and colleges. Typical is the National Economics
University.
It was founded on January 25, 1956, as Finance and Economics University. However,
then it was changed the Economic Planning University, finally the National Economics
University (NEU). In addition, it is one of the top universities of Vietnam in economic
field, specializing in training managers and economic business managements. Moreover,
there are modern equipment, quality classrooms and enthusiastic lecturers. Therefore, NEU
always has many achievements in education. Besides, it has many corporate activities in
school and society. All things have contributed no small part for the general education and
the development of Vietnam on the global integration way to prove itself. Furthermore,
NEU also is working with the foreign universities to exchange and learn useful study
methods of their countries, which are the most developing countries in the world with
advanced education. It is the Faculty of International Education. This faculty has
international classrooms, excellent lecturers and prestigious foreign lecturers. In addition,
students are studious, enthusiastic and dynamic here with study and activities. However,
the truancy appears here and it becomes stronger with increasing general truancy situation,
which is quite common in other departments as well as universities and other colleges in
the country. So why this situation has developed strongly in an international faculty where
brings many benefits for study of students? That is a problem which needs to be cared
more. Therefore, this paper is conducted to investigate about this truancy trend.
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Rationale:
Regarding students, we often think of work education, which is their main task.
Moreover, the images of students are absorbed in lectures on the lecture-hall. Nevertheless,
more and more students play truant because of many reasons. As far as we are concerned,
the learning environment at universities and colleges are completely different with high
schools. Here students have more freedom and no longer subjects to strict controls of the
family and school. In addition, most universities and colleges are in large cities, and the
huge students in school are increasing. Therefore, the popularity of truancy trend of
students is increasing and the management is very difficult. This situation has led to many
bad effects. Especially, this reality causes poor academic performance in students and also
creates more unfairness when the school will affect the end period study result of them, or
they maybe have to retake. This problem, which I noticed when I study here, is happening
with IBD students and increasingly trending. This has given me the idea of conducting a
study on the truancy trend. In this paper, the writer will investigate the truancy trend of
IBD students in NEU. In particular, it attempts to:
 The real truancy situation of IBD students
 Reasons
 Effects
 Some solutions to reduce this problem
Scope of the study:
In this paper, it is impossible to mention a large number of IBD students. Therefore, it
concentrates on researching a small part of them. Because of limited time, this paper deals
only with IBD students of intake 4 at NEU.
Research questions:
With its aims suggested in the first part, the study raises four research questions:
*What is the real truancy situation of IBD students?
*Why do students play truant?
*How does truancy affect students?
*What are solutions of the problem?
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Methodology:
In order to collect data, I used both primary data and secondary data.
For the primary data, 100 questionnaires which include 11 survey questions were
distributed to 100 IBD students. Then, the data were classified, synthesized and analyzed.
Besides, I also used a quite great document on Internet such as:
http://ftu-forum.net/f-news, http://www.pup.edu.vn, http://www.giaovien.net... Because the
truancy trend of students is a problem shared by society and a growing trend, so the
consulting of specialists is so important. Last ones, I also come up with more information,
brainstorming is always necessary to make a perfect study.
To sum up, the corpus of the study included 100 questionnaires which include 11
survey questions about the truancy of IBD students and some information of truancy
situation from Internet. Then, the data were analyzed based on the frameworks mentioned
in literature review part.
Overview of the outline:
* What is the real truancy situation of IBD students?
- Evaluation of IBD students’ truancy
- Thinking about the truancy situation
* Why do students play truant?
- Boring learning environment
- Students’ attitudes
- Lack of attention from the faculty and family
* How does truancy affect students?
- Present:
+ Getting bad exam results
+ Missing valuable lessons in class
+ Missing team work skills
+ Lacking responsibility
- Future:
+ Bad degree
+ Difficulty in finding a good job
* What are solutions of the problem?
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- School and faculty’s responsibility
- Improvement of learning environment
- Parents’ responsibility
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Part II: Major findings
1. Real truancy situation of IBD students:
Truancy is a serious problem and it is also becoming a top concern in the
development of education. Moreover, this phenomenon tends to increase. It seems to
become a very normal phenomenon for students at universities and colleges, IBD students
of NEU are of no exception.
Primarily, there are students’ opinions about real truancy situation. It seems that the
number of students claim that the real truancy situation is a normal issue and it will not
affect them. To collect the data, I have offered students one question: “What do you think
about the real truancy situation of IBD students?”
It is undoubtedly true that a large number of students choose A (accounting for 73%).
Another feature is that 21% claim that it is very serious while only 6% indicate few
students do not care for this problem and nobody has any other ideas. From these results,
as can be concluded that the truancy situation has become very normal for IBD students.
Moreover, this problem has been increasingly expanded because it is becoming a deviatory
point of view or perception in students’ minds. Therefore, they usually play truant. Only
45% choose “usually” when they are asked “How often do you play truant?” and this
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answer also makes up 57% in the question “How often do your classmates play truant?”
Their classmates, however, sometimes play truant, only accounting for 32%. In
comparison with the question “How often do you play truant?” this result comprises less
than 12% (44%). When we see the results, it is clear that more IBD students tend to play
truant increasingly. They often play truant or are absent despite it may be accepted or not.
Therefore, 7% students said that they seldom play truant and 4% said “never”. In addition,
when they evaluate their classmates, 9% chose “seldom” and only 2% chose “never”.
Thus, “What time do students often play truant?” After the results were synthesized
from the investigation, a large number of students chose “near the holidays” (accounting
for 51%). It was followed by a variety of students choosing “the mid time of the term”,
making up 27%. The number of students answering “the end of the term” was 14%,
whereas, just a few of them answered “the beginning of the term”, standing at 8%. It seems
that the majority of students often play truant when it is near the holidays. This problem is
natural because most IBD students are from other provinces. They do not have much time
to visit their family because they are very busy with both learning problems in Hanoi city
and travel is difficult and complicated. In the survey, a student said “my hometown is in
Quang Ninh city, I rarely visit my family because my learning is quite heavy here and I
also do not have enough time. Therefore, when there are holidays, I often play truant from
some classes to visit my hometown. I will have more time to relax and visit my parents.”
However, this is not only the reason, but also quite a lot of other reasons. As 27% selected
the answer “the mid time of the term” with a general reason, “there is more spare time
because there are not many pressures as in the beginning of the term or the end of the term.
At the beginning of the term, I am very worried about a new term and I am very busy for
the final test at the end of the term.” However, 14% students who selected the answer “the
end of the term” giving the general reason that “the final test is difficult, there are many
students who have to resit or retake level. Therefore, I see that I self study better than
studying at classes so I always play truant.” Furthermore, almost of them often play truant
from extracurricular classes (62%). It is the result from the survey question “Which classes
do you often play truant?” They chose it because “extracurricular classes are not important
and it is a sheer waste of my time” or “if I am absent, I will not be affected. My teacher
also does not care or punish me.” In addition, many students chose “classes with foreign
lecturers” answer (29%) because they said “I do not understand my teachers’ lectures”;
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only 9% chose “classes with Vietnamese lecturers” answer with a reason “sometime they
teach boringly” or “grammar is boring and difficult”; and nobody had any other ideas.
To sum up, the real truancy situation of IBD students has been increasingly becoming
and it also is a controversial issue. This issue occurs with many inadequate problems. So
why has this situation developed strongly in an international faculty which brings many
benefits for study of students? What is the main reason?
2. Reasons of truancy at IBD:
Students have many reasons for their truancy. However, this situation has developed
strongly in an international faculty, especially IBD which brings many benefits for study of
students with the modern equipment. Thus, “What is the main reason why students play
truant?”
2.1. Boring learning environment:
After the answers of this question are collected, the result illustrates that the majority
of students answered “boring learning environment” (making up 52%). Besides, 30%
students played truant for individual reasons such as sickness, their family’s work…
Furthermore, 13% students said “I can self study” and finally only 5% students said that
they had to face to the pressures of retaking level. They always grow tired of retaking level
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