Cambodian Universities Research Articles

The quest for world-class universities: A goal for Cambodian universities?

World-class university status and university rankings have captured the attention of many countries, including developing countries. While many countries in Asia, such as China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia, have endeavored to have their universities ranked highly in the league tables, Cambodia seems not to be influenced by this global trend. This article puts the trend toward world-class universities into perspective and examines the factors that make Cambodia’s universities less influenced by the quest for world-class universities experienced by universities in other countries. Considering the historical and present situation of higher education in Cambodia, this article argues that Cambodia is not readily aspired to take part in the catch-up game of building world-class universities. Nevertheless, Cambodian universities will be further marginalized on the regional and global stage if no substantial quality improvement can be achieved.

E-readiness of Cambodian Undergraduate Students in Using Google Classroom

This short article presents an investigation of e-readiness of Cambodian undergraduate students in using Google Classroom to pursue online learning. A summary of key findings presented in this article is based on the author’s master’s research paper exploring Cambodian university students’ e-readiness in using Google Classroom (Kassy, 2019).

English Pronunciation Challenges for English Major University Students in Battambang Province

English pronunciation is a challenging skill for non-native English speakers across the globe. Cambodian English students are no exception. This article presents findings from a study that employed mixed method research design to collect data from second-year and third-year university students majoring in English. Online questionnaires were administered through Google Forms to 70 students, while in-depth interviews were later conducted with 10 of the questionnaire respondents. The findings indicated that Cambodian university students based in provincial Cambodia encountered several challenges in developing their English pronunciation. The challenges were mainly influenced by Khmer language interference and the impact of the learning environment. The study suggested using an imitative or analytic-linguistic approach as well as pronunciation drillings to teach English pronunciation to Cambodian students, particularly those in provincial areas.

The Need to Promote Mental Health Awareness among Cambodian University Students

In recent decades, there has been a considerable increase in the number of students worldwide pursuing higher education. To adapt to the complex needs of the contemporary workplace, universities around the world are putting considerable effort into producing highly skilled graduates (Possa, 2006). With the rapid growth of job demands, university education has become very competitive, so students have to face more complex and challenging situations throughout their university years, putting some of them at risk of mental health issues.

Undergraduate Students’ Experiences of the Use of MOOCs for Learning at a Cambodian University

Currently, some universities in Cambodia are exploring the usage of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which can support education by allowing cost-free independent learning for university students. For effective implementation, it is fundamental to understand the current Cambodian ecosystem, how universities implement MOOCs for teaching, and how students use them for learning. Due to a current gap in the literature on this matter, this research work aims to investigate students’ awareness of MOOCs, usage, and difficulties encountered with their adoption for learning. This research work is a case study of a university in Cambodia, and it adopts a mixed-mode approach involving a quantitative questionnaire, followed by qualitative semi-structured interviews. Currently, many students are not aware of MOOCs, and regarding those using them, they report a low level of organized effort, which points out to the fact that students are in general not very organized and systematic in the way they approach learning using MOOCs. Furthermore, a major issue still lies in the way these courses are implemented in the curriculum and the learning activities, underlined by the type of ICTs affordances currently exploited by the usage of MOOCs for learning.

Discussion on the Reform of Chinese Major Curriculum Setting in Cambodian Universities

With the implementation of the strategy for Chinese international promotion, the diversified social development needs are constantly adjusting the direction of Chinese education promotion, onefold course setting can no longer meet the increasingly abundant practical needs of Chinese. In order to make Chinese education and teaching in Cambodia better, it is necessary to analyze and evaluate the setting of Chinese courses in colleges and universities from the perspectives of social-based value orientation, and reform the relevant Chinese curriculum by developing special-purpose Chinese courses, filling in the gaps in cultural courses, and adding courses to cultivate students' innovative thinking and scientific spirit.

Language-in-education Policy Formation through a Consultation-based System: The Case of Multilingual Curricula in Cambodian Universities

This paper elucidates the under-researched policy formulation process, using Cambodia as the case context. In the face of ASEAN regionalisation, foreign language education (FLE) in Cambodian universities has become a battlefield of different stakeholders representing varied interests. With languages playing significant roles in economic and political competition among ASEAN countries, scholars (e.g., Andy Kirkpatrick) called for research to investigate the negotiation process of language-in-education policies (LEP). Cambodian FLE in higher education makes a unique case for LEP formation as the process has little prescription on its content except for gaining a consensus among different stakeholders. This study captures the negotiation process, identifying the multiple stakeholders and their roles, and how key contextual features have contributed to it. Drawing on in-depth interviews with decision makers in a focal university at multiple levels of senior management (e.g., vice rectors), mid-leaders (e.g., heads of departments), and individual lecturers, as well as document research, the paper highlights how the attempt to incorporate the demands of numerous stakeholders may marginalise the needs of those taken for granted, i.e., students and university staff. It contributes to LEP debates by shedding light on the issues arising from a rare consultative system, an oft-hoped-for approach, for developing LEP.

A Strategy for Functional Health and Well-Being in Cambodian University Faculty and Staff

The range of outcomes and published record on the Transcendental Meditation technique across 50 years of research in education, business, and government makes its application unique. Its association with health and relation to an individual’s quality-of-life have also made the technique useful in some developing countries.
 Data related to application of the technique to higher education in Cambodia have been accruing since the early 1990s. The 26-year research program begun by these authors associated with Transcendental Meditation and non-verbal intelligence, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, learning, memory, and personality in university students, as well as its collective effects on economic and social indicators and reductions in socio-political violence and crime, makes for an uncommonly rich body of knowledge in a country where empirical research has been rare. Indeed, the early studies in this research program represented among the first published research on higher education since the 1960s, after which Cambodia was plunged into civil war, genocide, and ongoing social turmoil and political conflict until 1993.
 The present study, which is a modified version of a study previously published in ASEAN Journal of Education, extends this research program to include a preliminary investigation of the practice of Transcendental Meditation by faculty and staff in three regional Cambodian universities and examines its impact on health and well-being. Findings generated by a concurrent, quasi-experimental mixed methods design suggest the practice may be of benefit to university personnel as measured by physical mental and social health, perceived health, self-esteem, anxiety, and depression, among other quality-of-life variables, thereby adding to previous results associated with higher education in this increasingly important south-east Asian nation.
 

Short-Term Information Technology Training Impact on Research Self-Efficacy of Undergraduate Students at Provincial Cambodian Universities

This paper aims to assess the effectiveness of research self-efficacy short-term information technology (IT) skills training intervention administered to 3rd year and 4th year undergraduate students at three provincial Cambodian universities. The training intervention was conducted at the universities' computer centers where the internet could be accessed. The training lasted three weeks for 60 hours in total and covered topics such as using statistical analysis software, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and referencing software. The participants were 461 undergraduate students at universities during the 2018 academic year. The survey method used for this study was based on the “Research Self-Efficacy Scale” by Phillips and Russell (1994), which was administered before and after the training. The research used descriptive statistics and paired sample t-test for data analysis. The findings of the study revealed that the participants’ research self-efficacy perceptions increased after conducting the intervention. The results showed that there was a significant increase in mean score after intervention based upon a 5-point scale from 2.10 (SD = 0.68) before the intervention to 3.57 (SD = 0.54) afterward. These findings suggest that IT training intervention is beneficial for undergraduate students at provincial universities in Cambodia resulting in an improvement in research self-efficacy.

Correlates of STEM major choice: a quantitative look at Cambodian university freshmen

ABSTRACT Background: STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education is attracting increasing public interest and policy attention and being promoted at different educational levels in Cambodia. Purpose: The study seeks to identify factors associated with Cambodian university freshmen’s choice of STEM major and how significant associations differ by gender and university location. Sample: The study draws on primary data collected from a survey of 2,016 freshmen at 15 universities across Cambodia. Design and method: Binary logistic regression was applied to detect correlates of major choice (dichotomized into STEM major and non-STEM major). Results: Students who choose a STEM major are likely to be male, have clearly prioritized the major since high school, have high self-efficacy in the chosen major, want a career in STEM, enrol at a Phnom Penh-based university, excel at mathematics at high school, excel at science at high school, have no job while studying, and value the importance of science and technology to society. When moderated by gender and university location, only excellence in mathematics, excellence in science, and STEM career prospects remained significantly associated with STEM major choice. Conclusion: Student experience in learning mathematics and science subjects at high school and their exposure to career information and guidance are vital in widening participation in STEM disciplines at higher education level in Cambodia.

CAMBODIAN EFL STUDENTS’ INVESTMENT IN LEARNING ENGLISH: PERSPECTIVES AND PRACTICES

This article reports on a case study that explored the perspectives and practices of Cambodian EFL students regarding their investment in learning English at the University of Battambang (UBB), Cambodia. The study specifically investigated how the students perceived the role that learning English played in their lives. The study also examined community practices surrounding the learning of English amongst these Cambodian university students. A mixed method approach was employed to collect data in two stages. First, a survey was administered to a random selection of 80 university students. Then, four intensive group interviews were undertaken with a total of 20 students purposively selected through a theoretical sampling. Quan- titative data from the survey was computerized and analyzed using SPSS while the qualitative data obtained from the intensive interviews was coded and interpreted to compare its similarities and differences with statistical data for generating theory. Findings of the study indicate that English has empowered Cambodian learners’ perspectives to invest in EFL study as a means for improving their quality of life, gaining better positions, and advancing their salary and social status, which may, in turn, affect their identities and capital.

The determinants of academic performance: evidence from a Cambodian University

ABSTRACTInternationally, there has been considerable literature on the predictors of academic performance in higher education. However, the empirical findings are still limited in Cambodia; therefore, this paper was conducted to examine the determinants of academic performance of 329 undergraduate students selected from a university in Cambodia. Based on the findings from the multivariate regression analysis, a number of variables, namely high school grade, English ability, class attendance, study effort, academic self-efficacy, and family socio-economic status were found to be positively associated with academic performance. Term-time employment and family size had an adverse impact on academic performance. However, there was no sufficient evidence to indicate age, gender, household location, parental education, parental involvement, and teaching evaluation to have predictive power on academic performance. Hence, the study concluded that the personal backgrounds played the potential role in predicting academic performance of undergraduate students.

Improving the quality of English language teacher educators: a case study at a Cambodian university

Despite the increasing attention to teacher education, there is little, if any, literature on English language teaching quality of teacher educators. This occurs even more so in terms of policy where the focus on teachers is still overwhelmingly dominant. This study investigated ways of improving the quality of teacher educators working in an English department at a university in Cambodia. The findings of the study suggest the significant importance of providing teacher educators with support in terms of enhancing their qualifications as well as providing them with field experience. Professional supports that sustain teacher educators’ work are also necessary, and language-in-education policy on English education in Cambodia needs to be explicit in accentuating this if change is to happen.

Factors Differentiating Research Involvement among Faculty Members: A Perspective from Cambodia

Despite very low research involvement and productivity of its faculty, research activities are not totally absent at Cambodian higher education institutions. This study seeks to diagnose influential factors that differentiate between Cambodian faculty who get involved in research activities and those who do not, with special emphases placed on involvement in research activities that are decently context-specific. Self-reported survey questionnaires were administered to faculty at ten selected Cambodian universities; the total sample (with usable returned questionnaire sets) amounted to 444 faculty members. Drawing on logistic regression analysis, the study detected that faculty obtaining their terminal degrees abroad, being full-timers, spending more time on research, and having high research self-efficacy were more likely to engage in research activities. As for institutional characteristics, large faculty size and available research funding sources were also correlated with research involvement. This study situates the findings in the research context of Cambodian higher education and discusses the practical meanings that the statistically significant variables imply.

Factors influence students' choice of accounting major in Cambodian universities

Purpose The recent significant economic growth and development in Cambodia has created a growing demand for qualified and professional accountants. Despite such demand, there are still inadequate number of students enrolling in accounting major, which lefts the National Accounting Council (NAC), Kampucha Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Auditors (KICPAA), and academic institutions with question on how to develop strategies and plans for attracting students and in turn meeting the level required. This paper attempts to determine factors that influence Cambodian business students’ decision to choose accounting as a major for their tertiary education. Design/methodology/approach The paper hypothesizes that Guidance, Career Expectation, Perception, Personal Characteristic as factors that would influence students selection of accounting study. With a sample size of 240 business students, Turkey HSD Post Hoc Test and logistic regression methods are employed to ascertain the influential factors. Findings The results from ANOVA Turkey HSD Post Hoc Test showed that there is a statistically significant difference among universities with respect to Guidance, Career Expectation, and Personal Characteristic factor, but no significant difference was found among universities in terms of Perception factor. The logistic regression result indicated that students’ choice of accounting major has a positive and significant relationship with Guidance, Personal Characteristic factor, and age. Conversely, the results demonstrated that choice of accounting major has a negative but significant relationship with Career Expectation factor, and a negative but insignificant relationship with Perception factor. Finally, the results revealed a positive but insignificant relationship between accounting major and individual gender. Originality/value This paper contributes to the limited study on accounting education in Cambodia. Furthermore, it provides insights for the NAC and KICPAA and universities in Cambodia to develop strategies and plans to create a balance market of professional accountants.

Mutuality in Cambodian international university partnerships: looking beyond the global discourse

This study examines the mutuality issue in international partnership programs between Cambodian universities and universities in France, the USA, Japan and South Korea. It adopts Galtung’s and Held’s four aspects of mutuality as its conceptual framework and follows a qualitative case study research design. The study finds that most partnership programs between Cambodian universities and their French, American and Japanese counterparts manifested each aspect of mutuality to some degree. In those partnerships, academics from all sides had already built close relationships with each other before moving to establish formal institutional agreements. By comparison, the degree of mutuality varied among Cambodian–Korean university partnerships, mostly established with few prior people-initiated connections. The findings suggest not only a greater maturity in the international experience of French, American and Japanese universities, compared to South Korean universities, but also the importance of human agency in international academic activities. The study concludes that shaped by the patron–client practice, the concept of mutuality within the Cambodian context was viewed more in terms of the degree of “acceptable harmonious relationships” than as a matter of precise equality or the same degree of power dynamics, as commonly portrayed within the global/international discourse.

The Relationships Among Writing Self-Efficacy, Writing Goal Orientation, and Writing Achievement

This study examined writing self-efficacy, writing goal orientation, and writing achievement among (N = 244) Cambodian university students studying English as a foreign language. Most studies of the relationships among these motivational constructs have been conducted in western contexts, and the findings of those studies might not be generalizable to Asian students. The study first examined whether writing self-efficacy and writing goal orientation were structured similarly by Cambodian students and western students. Factor analyses and Cronbach’s alpha provided evidence of the unidimensionality of writing self-efficacy and of a tripartite structure for writing goal orientation. Second, the study investigated the relationships between writing self-efficacy, writing goal orientation, and writing achievement. Pearson Product-Moment Correlations showed that writing self-efficacy was related to writing mastery and performance-avoidance goal orientations. All writing goal orientation measures were related positively. Both writing self-efficacy and writing mastery goal orientation were shown to have positive correlations with writing achievement.

Conceptualizing Institutional Policies for Students’ Academic Success in Cambodian Universities: What Matters for Policy?

The Cambodian government aims to promote students’ academic success in the country’s tertiary education. In order to reach this goal, it is important to explore possible potential factors that determine the educational attainment of Cambodian students. There has been no previous research on students’ academic success in Cambodian higher learning institutions, while this topic has been widely researched in the United States and some developed countries since the 1970’s. Accordingly, a number of research models have been developed by famous scholars to determine institutional factors which lead to the outcome of better academic performance in post secondary education. Therefore, this paper intends to conceptualize the academic experiences connected to existing institutional policies for contributing to the enhancement of students’ academic success in the specific context of Cambodian higher education institutions. In this paper, Astin’s theory (1984, 1993, 1999) and a Tinto’s theory (1975, 1993) are employed to link the concept of institutional policies and Cambodian students’ academic success because they model the relationship between institutional experiences of students, which are deemed to be relevant to the current status of Cambodian educational policies. Based on these concepts, this paper will propose ten variables as predicting factors that influence institutional policies toward students’ academic success and will design a conceptual model to elaborate this influence within the Cambodian educational system. Thus, this model to predict students’ academic success is proposed as a result of a literature review among the relationships of theoretical model of student input (pre-entry attributes), academic environment (institutional experiences and policies), and students’ academic success. Based on these relationships, ten propositions are developed.

Establishment of Institutional Policies for Enhancing Education Quality in Cambodian Universities

In the context of global and national economic development, higher education in Cambodia plays a significant role to develop human capital with technical knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes for sustainable economic growth, social development, and alleviation of poverty. When the civil war in 1998 was over, the Royal Government of Cambodia considered higher education as a top priority on the list of priorities in order to be integrated into the Association of South East Asian Nations Community by 2015 through implementing numerous mechanisms and policies to promote quality education for the students. This paper will discuss the status of national and institutional policies to promote educational quality to ensure academic success for students in a Cambodian public university. The documents and data of existing government ministries, development partners and higher education institutions will be used in the analysis of policies.