Fostering student citizenship behavior for university branding: applying the SOBC paradigm to volunteerism in Vietnamese higher education

Purpose This study aims to investigate the factors driving students’ engagement in volunteer activities as a form of citizenship behavior toward their educational institution and these activities’ impacts on sustainable university branding development, using the stimulus-organism-behavior-consequence (SOBC) model. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 632 students at two public universities in Vietnam and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings Students engage in volunteer behaviors toward their educational institution when satisfied with their university experience. Their citizenship behavior − both overt actions, such as providing feedback, recommending the university and covert responses, such as demonstrating tolerance of service failures − enhances the university’s image. However, students at public universities exhibit low levels of helping behavior, yielding minimal impact on the universities’ brand image. Research limitations/implications Further studies should be undertaken using longitudinal observations to compare changes in student citizenship behavior before and after graduation. Practical implications Strategies to foster student citizenship behavior can improve university branding and ranking. Social implications Encouraging volunteer behaviors fosters sustainability and social responsibility in education. Originality/value This research applies the SOBC model to examine student citizenship behavior in higher education. It investigates how external factors influence student attitudes toward university services, encouraging volunteer behavior and ultimately enhancing the university’s image.