Personal Factors and Faculty Job Satisfaction in Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

Faculty job satisfaction and teaching quality in higher education are closely related. Little is known about higher education faculty job satisfaction in developing countries like Vietnam. The purpose of this study is to investigate personal factors affecting faculty job satisfaction in Vietnamese higher education. The study used a questionnaire to survey 200 faculty members and an e-mail interview with 10 out of 200 those working full-time in the five member universities of Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City. The finding of this study found that faculty members were moderately satisfied with their job. It also found that gender, educational attainment, and country of graduation were significant differences in faculty job satisfaction. This study showed that male faculty members were more satisfied than their female counterparts. Faculty members holding master’s degree were more satisfied than those holding bachelor’s degrees. Faculty members who received the highest degrees in Western countries were more satisfied than their colleagues who received the highest degrees in Asian countries or Vietnam.