Fostering First-Year Student Retention in Vietnam: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of a Positive Psychology-Based College Readiness Intervention

Vietnamese universities are facing significant challenges with high dropout and low graduation rates. To address these issues, we offered a College Readiness course incorporating positive psychology principles and interventions, targeting Vietnamese first-year college students’ self-efficacy and self-confidence in key learning skills—two factors significantly correlated with college students’ academic success. This study employed a convergent mixed methods design with a quasi-experimental approach to investigate the course's impact. Fifty-eight participants self-reported their scores pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at a six-week follow-up. Open-ended items were included in the post-intervention survey, and focus group interviews were conducted with 11 experimental students. Quantitative results indicated the scores of the experimental group regarding self-efficacy, self-confidence in thinking skills, self-direction, and using technology for educational purposes increased significantly more than those of the control group over time. Qualitative findings further informed the course's impact on these outcomes from the students’ perspectives.