Developing Independent Study Skills, the Vietnamese Student Experience.

This study investigates Vietnamese university students' experiences in cultivating independent learning skills whilst studying at universities in the United Kingdom. The focus of this study on the Vietnamese student experience is particularly pertinent because Vietnam is one of the largest and fastest-growing providers of international students to the United Kingdom. Also, the large number of Vietnamese students travelling to study is only likely to increase, as Vietnam is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Previous research has found that Vietnamese students have a consistent shared self-perception that they have difficulty adjusting to independent learning in higher education. Interestingly, though, this is despite a range of further studies finding that international students broadly, and Vietnamese students specifically, achieve consistently good results, based on large-scale demographic and international comparisons, at all academic levels. This study, therefore, contributes to the literature in this field by exploring through these students’ voices their understandings of their experience of becoming independent learners. The study used a mixed methods approach - involving an online survey followed by online interviews. The data collected by both methods provided information about the students’ experiences, the difficulties which university students face with independent learning, and also their strategies for overcoming them. Furthermore, we also explored students' expectations of lecturers in guiding the development of their independent learning skills. It emerged that these students are keen to develop their independent learning skills and show creativity when developing their own self-development strategies. However, they still expressed a need for university-based interventions. This study is relevant for students and practitioners in universities in the United Kingdom. By positioning this study within the genre of student voice, it also adds a further dimension to research within a Vietnamese context.