PERCEPTIONS OF ENGLISH-MAJORED NEW STUDENTS AFTER A SEMESTER STUDYING AT NHA TRANG UNIVERSITY

Abstract

In educational management research, students are sometimes approached as “customers” of the university. From this perspective, new students are a “special customer” group because they have just left high schools and entered the university environment. The questions the author raises in this article is whether there is any difference between their expectations before entering the university and their perceptions after a period of studying and living in the new environment, and whether these perceptions are positive or negative. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to clarify the above questions with the research public being English-majored new students of the 66th class, Nha Trang University. This study used a combination of quantitative research method (using online survey questionnaires) with a sample size of 215 students and qualitative research method (in-depth interviews with 05 students). The results showed that the majority of new students felt happy and satisfied after a semester studying and living at the university when the difference indicators between expectations and perceptions were all positive. However, the university needs to improve some factors, especially facilities. The proposed solutions aim to better meet the legitimate needs and create a happy learning environment for students.