Abstract:
An increasing number of international students have enrolled in university degree
programmes in Vietnam in recent years and this has presented a range of new pedagogical
opportunities and challenges in the higher education context of the nation. Currently, little
is known about international students’ academic experiences in Vietnamese universities
although the literature suggests that effective teacher–student relationships are an important
factor in establishing effective teaching and learning processes. This study employs
grounded theory to examine the influence of teacher–student relationships on international
students’ academic experiences at a university in Vietnam that is located in a region that
draws in students from the neighbouring countries of Cambodia and Laos. A mixed
research design combining data from questionnaires and in-depth interviews was used in
this research. Data from questionnaires were collected from all Cambodian and Laotian
international students who were enrolled at a university in the An Giang province in
Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. These data were supplemented by in-depth interviews with a
sample group of the students. The findings from this study show that while the Cambodian
and Laotian international students reported good relationships with their Vietnamese
teachers and having no difficulty in adapting to Vietnamese culture, they also struggled
with the challenges of studying in a new language and this made it difficult for them to
communicate effectively with their teachers or participate fully in classroom activities.
