the perceptions of chinese students at burapha …
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THE PERCEPTIONS OF CHINESE STUDENTS AT BURAPHA
UNIVERSITY TOWARD INFLUENTIAL FACTORS ON EMPLOYABILITY
SHI KAINA
AN INDEPENDENT STUDY SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF ARTS IN HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE STUDIES
IN HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
BURAPHA UNIVERSITY
APRIL 2017
COPYRIGHT OF BURAPHA UNIVERSITY
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the following people who
supported and helped me in the completion of this study.
To my principal advisor, Associate Professor Dr. Chalong Tubsree, I send
my sincere thanks for your patience and guidance in helping me to understand the
research process. I benefited a lot from your academic field of knowledge. I was lucky
to be supervised and encouraged all the time. Thank you for being genuinely
committed to helping me produce such a quality project. Also, to Dr. Paratchanun
Charoenarpornwattana, thank you for helping me check the validity of the
instruments.
To my dear parents, thank you for all of your help that allowed me to make
my dreams into reality. I could not have completed my studies abroad without your
support and great love. I am also grateful to my great friends, Ling Zhu and Yuyan
Luo. Thanks for encouraging me to finish this study, and helping me in the study
progress.
I am also sincerely indebted to Ms. Atinun Sookkheaw who facilitated the
process of my studies at the Department of International Graduate Studies in Human
Resource Development (IGHRD), Faculty of Education, Burapha University.
Shi Kaina
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56920072: MAJOR: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT;
M.A. (HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT)
KEYWORDS: CHINESE STUDENTS/ EMPLOYABILITY/ INFLUENTIAL
FACTORS
SHI KAINA: THE PERCEPTIONS OF CHINESE STUDENTS AT
BURAPHA UNIVERSITY TOWARD INFLUENTIAL FACTORS ON
EMPLOYABILITY. INDEPENDENT STUDY ADVISORS: CHALONG
TUBSREE, Ed.D., 84 P. 2017.
This study attempts to figure out the general expectations on the
employability, from the Chinese students who study at the Faculty of Education,
Burapha University, Thailand, in order to find out the perspectives from the Chinese
students. This study illustrates a holistic view on the Chinese students’ perceptions
about employability after graduation. The study used the mixed research methods by
sending 60 sets of questionnaires to 60 Chinese students to answer. All 60
questionnaires were returned to the researcher. The qualitative part of the study was
an in-depth interviewing nine of the 60 Chinese students. The results were that;
1) The most influential factors for employability are previous work experience,
academic knowledge, language, grades and personal connections, respectively.
2) The social life, collaboration, cultural differences and personality are weight less
than those previous four factors.
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CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………..…………
CONTENTS ……………………………………………………………..………
LIST OF TABLES ………………………………………………………..……..
LIST OF FIGURES ………………………………………………………..…….
CHAPTER
1 INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………..….......
1.1 Research Background ………………………………...................
1.2 Problem Statement ………………………………...……….........
1.3 Research Objectives ………………………………….....….........
1.4 Research Questions……………………………………….………
1.5 Significance of the Research……………………………..………
1.6 Definition of Terms ……………………….……………..………
2 LITERATURE REVIEW ………………………………………….…….
2.1 Employment ………………………………………………..........
2.2 Employability.……………………………………………………
3 METHODOLOGY ………………………………………………..………
3.1 Research Method …………………………………………………
3.2 Data Collection …………………………………………..………
3.3 Data Management ……………………………………….…........
3.4 Data Analysis ………………………………………….….……..
3.5 Authenticity ………………………………………..……...……..
3.6 Ethical Considerations …………………………………...………
3.7 Summary ……………………………………………..…….........
4 RESEARCH FINDINGS …………………………...……………………
4.1 Findings of the Questionnaire …………………………….………
4.2 Findings of the Group Discussion ………….………….…………
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CONTENTS (CONTINUED)
CHAPTER Page
5 CONCLUSION, DISCUSSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS.………..
5.1 Conclusion of the Research Method………………………….…
5.2 Conclusion of the Research Result ……………………...…...….
5.3 Discussion ………………………………….…………..……....
5.4 Recommendations …………………………………..………….
REFERENCES……………………………………………………..………...…..
APPENDICES ……………………………………………………..……….…....
APPENDIX A ………………………………………………………..…...….
APPENDIX B…………………………………………………………....…...
APPENDIX C………………………………………………………………....
APPENDIX D……………………………………………………………..….
APPENDIX E……………………………………………………………..…..
APPENDIX F…………………………………………………….……….…..
APPENDIX G……………………………………………………….………..
APPENDIX H…………………………………………………….……….…..
APPENDIX I……………………………………………………….………..
BIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………….…….……...
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LIST OF TABLES
Tables Page
3.1
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
General Classification of the Participants ………………………....…...
Overall Findings of All Categories in the Questionnaires……….…..…
Finding of Gender ……………………………………………..….…....
Finding of Educational level..………………….……………..….....…..
Finding of All Elements of the Factors Based on Gender……..…….....
Finding of All Elements of the Factors Based on Educational Levels….
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figures Page
3.1
3.2
General Processes of Group Discussion ……………….……........…....
General Processes of Data Analysis ………………………….....…......
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Research Background
We live in a rapidly changing world with diverse demands and challenges.
Governments are increasingly looking to universities to produce human resources
with the right kind of capacities, skills and knowledge to meet today’s needs.
They also call on universities to facilitate the shift to knowledge-based economies and
high-technology through effective linkages between research and industry to ensure
that their countries have a competitive edge in the global market.
Preparing young people to enter the labor market has therefore become
a critical responsibility for universities. However, the relevance of their programs
and the employability of their graduates are posing an increasing challenge for the
universities, particularly in view of two sets of statistics: enrollment and youth
unemployment rates. According to the previous data and previous studies, which
shows that enrollment in tertiary education more than doubled over the past two
decades from 68 million in 1991 to 210 million in 2012. At the same time, the
financial crisis that began in 2008 has resulted in increasing unemployment, as
highlighted in the ILO’s Global Employment Trends reports. The global
unemployment rate was 6.2 percent in 2010 compared to 5.6 percent in 2007.
According to the 2012 report, young people continue to be the hardest hit by the job
crisis with 74.8 million youths being unemployed in 2011, an increase of more than
4 million since 2007.
With many economies being reported as not generating sufficient
employment opportunities to absorb growth in the working-age population,
a generation of young productive workers will face an uncertain future unless
something is done to reverse this trend. To increase the graduates’ chances of
obtaining decent jobs that match their education and training, universities need to
equip their students with the necessary competencies to enter the labor market and to
enhance their capacities to meet specific workplace demands.
Although the Royal Thai Government (RTG) has attempted to endorse more
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skill development to overcome the middle-income trap, the Thai labor market in 2011
was persistently dominated by low-skilled labors without education or with
elementary and less than elementary education. It is arguable that the demand for low-
skilled labors of the Thai labor market has not actually diminished. Some of the recent
surveys on the Labor Demand of Establishment demonstrated the number of
unemployed persons, number of labor demand and number of labor shortage.
According to these surveys, there are several factors that influence employability,
which are elementary education and lower secondary education levels, academic and
vocational tracks, and bachelor degrees. Therefore, it is noticeable that education
plays an important role in employability, no matter what level of education; it is a part
of enhancement in employability.
Burapha University is a famous public university in Thailand, and its
location is very near several industrial estates, such as Amata Nakorn, Chon Buri
Industrial Estate (Bo-Win), and Sriracha Saha-Group Industrial Park 2, therefore,
the graduates from Burapha University become popular employer recruitment
choices. The large number of Chinese students in Burapha university, and because the
writer also studied at Burapha university, triggered the curiosity to seek the Chinese
students’ perspectives on their employability here.
1.2 Problem Statement
The relationship between educational attainment and unemployment is quite
complex, moreover, it also dependents on a number of factors, such as a country’s
level of economic development and so on. In countries where the level of economic
development is low, the unemployment rate among educated youth is also low as
a result of the high demand for educated workers. However, in countries where the
economies are in transition or where economic development has not been able to keep
step with the rapid rise in the educational level of the population, the unemployment
rate among the educated youth is quite high.
There is no denying that people consider higher education as a stepping
stone to a good job. A lot of studies suggest people value higher education every bit
as much as apprenticeships, further education and adult and community learning.
Of course, many higher education programs are explicitly vocational, including
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medicine, engineering, accounting and law. Other courses are less directly vocational.
Nevertheless, they help students develop analytical, synoptic and presentational skills
which are highly valued in a modern economy.
But is that enough? Some graduates and their employers say more could be
done to develop students’ wider skills and attributes, including team-work,
communication, leadership, critical thinking and problem solving. These are known
collectively as employability.
From the employers’ perspective, some researchers stated that employability
is the tendency of graduates to exhibit attributes or characteristics that employers
foresee as necessary for the effective functioning of their organization in the future.
On the other hand, sorts of studies have shown that employers, at least those from
the private sector, tend to look for more than the educational credentials, for instance,
the recruitment advertisement of one private Chinese employer listed a lot of very
specific skill requirements, but only asked “bachelor degree or above” for education
credentials. For some employers, education should be viewed in the broader sense,
with learning not confined to what is learned from the book; rather it entails the
development of higher cognitive abilities and applicable transferrable skills, along
with personal development and language proficiency.
However, most employers surveyed both onshore (Thailand) and offshore
(international), were facing skill shortages or were expecting to face them in the near
future. After reviewing some related studies, which explained that more than half of
foreign employers in Thailand stated that they were concerned about the standard of
written and spoken Thai and English of Thailand educated international graduates in
general. Half were concerned about investing in training and development of
employees who were unlikely to stay in the job, 48% were concerned about the ability
of international graduates to integrate into the work culture, 47% were concerned
about the difficulties or expense of sponsoring a work visa for an international
graduate, and 42% had concerns about a possible lack of relevant work experience.
There is no official report or surveys to show if there is any specific expectations of
employability from Chinese employers.
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1.3 Research Objectives
This study attempts to figure out the general expectations on the
employability, from the Chinese students who study at the Faculty of Education,
Burapha University, Thailand. In order to find out the perspectives from the Chinese
students, this study illustrates a holistic view on the Chinese students’ perceptions
about employability after graduation. The researcher hopes to give useful suggestions
for the new graduates from Burapha University to perform well in their future jobs.
1.4 Research Questions
In order to collect the perceptions of the Chinese students on employability,
the following research questions were asked.
1.4.1 What are the perceptions of the Chinese graduate students toward
factors that affect their employability?
1.4.2 Are there any differences in the opinions of the students with gender,
level of education, years of study and their major?
1.5 Significance of the Research
The researcher is interested in knowing the Chinese students’ perceptions
about what kind of abilities enable them to be employed. Also, the researcher is
willing to give some useful suggestions to those Chinese students who study at
Burapha University, in order to help them adjust their attitudes toward work, and help
them improve their capabilities in their future work.
1.6 Definition of Terms
Employability. Refers to a set of achievements – skills, understandings and
personal attributes – that makes graduates more likely to gain employment and be
successful in their chosen occupations, which benefit themselves, the workforce,
the community and the economy.
Chinese Graduate Student. Refers to the Chinese students who study at
the Faculty of Education, Burapha University.
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter presents the general viewpoints of previous studies, and
provides support for the research. In order to present the literature review clearly,
this section is divided into two parts, the first one is a review on the situation of
Chinese students, and the second part is a general review on the factors that affect
employability.
2.1 Employment
In order to describe the relation between employer and employee, it is better
to have an understanding of employment in general. Initially, by reviewing previous
literature, employment can be concluded as a bilateral relation. Frege and Kelly
(2013) mentioned that employment bridges the relationship between two sides which
work in terms of a contract to protect profits from these two sides legally. Obviously,
these two sides that Frege and Kelly (2013) mentioned refer to employer and
employee. With the economic development, the contents of employment have been
enriched to a large extent. Employment is not only the contract with payment items,
but also includes benefits from employment explicitly, such as the form of
employment, the regulations of employment, and even employee’s personal health
contracts and so on. Some of the experts defined that employability is the ability to
obtain a satisfying job after graduation, stating that job acquisition should not be
prioritized over preparedness for employment to avoid pseudo-measures of individual
employability. Furthermore, Lee mentioned by Frege and Kelly (2013) argued that
employability is not a set of skills but a range of experiences and attributes developed
through higher-level learning, thus employability is not a “product” but a process of
learning.
On the other hand, Frege and Kelly (2013) quoted those employment
outcomes in the organization for economic co-operation and development. Therefore,
it also can be explained that the employment relationship connects with the welfare
state directly or indirectly. However, with changes of the macroeconomic situation,
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employment relationships have changed gradually. Due to this reason, welfare states
are more intricately linked with employment nowadays. Normally, formal
employment is the welfare state’s main source of funding
2.1.1 Qualifications of Employment
Based on the general view from Bernnan and Shah (2003) and Frege and
Kelly (2013), there are several vital qualifications for employment. In terms of their
viewpoint, there are six different factors in general, which includes education, degree
accreditation, work experience, language, culture differences and mobility.
Additionally, in order to help international students enjoy themselves when they study
abroad, most studies concerning challenges in living and studying tended to explain
what living challenges are faced by the overseas students. Every year many people
leaves their countries to go abroad to study in order to improve their individual
knowledge, and acquire further education skills. There are many adjustment problems
that foreign students have to cope with, such as language issues and cultural
difficulties. Some experts stated that cultural difference also influence those who are
plan to hunt a job in foreign countries.
Moreover, some of the researchers pointed out for the students who study
aboard, that everything is unknown, everything they are used to is almost opposite to
what they expected, which makes them feel scared and they might face a lot of
challenges. On the other hand, based on the viewpoint from Allen (2012, p.57) which
reports five challenges that might impede students who study abroad: 1) Feel like an
outside; 2) Language or cross cultural barriers; 3) Getting used to currency differences;
4) Having a serious fear of missing out; and 5) Coping with cultural misunderstandings.
All the same, by reviewing Brennan and Shah (2003, p.112) work, it is easy
to conclude that there also exists several challenges that overseas students will face
several challenges, such as Cultural Differences (might bring misunderstood),
Language (Language is a barrier if you are living in a foreign country), Academic
Difficulties (different countries have different ways of teaching), Emotional Burden,
Work Load vs. Time Lapse (self-control and time management), Finances (a
scholarship or financial aid to alleviate tuition fees, daily costs), and Family Planning
(if students are married and have children they might face a lot of family problems
and need assistance from the university).
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1) Education and Employment
There is a direct correlation between the level of education you achieve
and your likelihood of finding a job. Allen (2012, p. 73) listed people whose highest
level of education was graduating from high school had an unemployment rate of
8.3 percent, while the unemployment rate of college graduates was 4.5 percent. It is
easy to notice that most jobs have minimum educational requirements, and without
meeting these requirements, you won’t get an interview. By reviewing the documents
from some western academic institutes which emphasize that employers are
increasingly requiring a college degree and estimate that by 2018, 60 percent of jobs
will require a bachelor’s degree. Even if you already meet the minimum educational
requirements for a job you want, exceeding requirements, but particularly with
advanced studies in a subject area related to your field can make you a more attractive
job candidate, increasing your likelihood of finding a job.
On the other hand, after you are employed, education isn’t just a piece of
paper. Time spent in high school, college or graduate school helps you master both
basic and advanced skills. The longer you spend in academia, the better your writing,
reading, comprehension and communication skills will become. Writing, research and
classes can also improve your computer skills, which are keys in a competitive job
market. You will also become accustomed to interacting with a wide variety of
people. These social skills can serve you well in the job search even if the job you
want doesn’t require a specific degree. Also, being promoted in a job will require
higher education to enhance your eligibility for higher-paying, more prestigious
opportunities in your job. If a job in your company opens up that’s specific to your
college major, you’ll probably be the most competitive candidate even if your
previous job had little to do with your major.
One of the basic advantages of education is that it protects against
unemployment. In essence, the higher your level of education, the more likely you are
to find work. According to the information posted on the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics “Education Pays” report, the unemployment rate of high school dropouts in
2012 was 12.4 percent. This was approximately 49 percent higher than the rate among
people with a diploma, and nearly 64 percent higher than the rate for bachelor’s
degree holders.
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Moreover, higher education also provides greater protection against job
loss and greater ability to find new work during slow economic periods. Numerous
data showed higher overall levels of employment as education rises, technical or
career-focused education can also affect career options. Two-year technical, trade or
community colleges grew significantly in the early 21st century, especially during the
recession. Students have found employment options with two years or less of training
in fields such as auto and diesel, welding, horticulture, culinary, mortuary science,
dental hygiene, early childhood education and viticulture.
To consider job flexibility, education also affects your ability to gain
promotions and change careers. In some cases, workers in semi-skilled or entry-level
careers might only have a diploma or associate degree. To move into management,
a bachelor’s degree may be necessary. Additionally, workers who want to find
a career in an area they have passion for may find that returns to school or additional
certifications are necessary. Someone moving into a career in sales may need to take
college courses or certification programs in sales.
As important as the promotion in your job, a well-educated employee
equips himself with the skills acquired during a college degree program, which helps
students obtain jobs and perform well in them. For many students, college is a chance
to experience different social settings and a diverse range of people. Learning to
develop relationships with peers is important in a career. Additionally, students,
develop one-on-one, small group and large group communication skills. Namely,
well-educated students can take advantage of resources available at their schools near
the end of a degree program, as well. Instructors are often happy to write letters of
recommendation and refer students to contacts for employment. This is especially true
when students have proven themselves to have talent and character in and out of the
classroom. Along with networking opportunities, students can use their career
services office to get resume, cover letter and interview help. Employers also
commonly submit jobs through school career offices for posting to graduates.
2) Language Skills and Employment
Language skills are important for working in any organizations,
particularly English communication skills. They play an important role in
employment. English is the language which connects people from different regions,
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cultures and nations. By default, due to the fact that the British ruled most parts of the
world a few centuries ago, they could conveniently sow the seeds of English language
and culture in those countries. Though not intended, the British gave a common
language to the world. It has helped the world in sharing any kind of information fast
and clears without any translation. Though the British left their colonies a long time
back, their efforts and reforms in the field of education are yielding results now.
Globalization has encouraged the domestic companies to think beyond their nations.
People don’t mind taking challenging and fruitful overseas assignments these days.
As English is spoken in most of the countries, language is no more a barrier for
people who intend to settle down in other countries. Though English originated in
Great Britain, it is used in different versions across nations in which it is spoken.
American English varies a little in spelling and pronunciation from British English.
As companies are gaining ground and becoming more competitive due to
a changing world economy, employees are always kept on their toes. It is like either
you work hard and show your performance or perish for not taking care of your
professional growth. The ability to use a language efficiently is very much required to
remain employable. To consider the employability, which is the ability to remain
employable as a result of the relevant skills one possesses. Communication skills are
very much essential for one’s professional growth. The ability to express fluently in
both written as well as oral form of language is very much essential for career growth.
As stated above, English being the most commonly used language in the corporate
world; the knowledge of English is one of the most important employability skills.
Knowledge of English is much sought after in the corporate world. Proper English
does not mean only the ability to make grammatically correct sentences. It means
other related skills for effective communication like presentation skills, convincing
and negotiation skills and interpersonal skills using that language.
As it mentioned above, that communication in the work place is vital,
and communication means the exchange of information, ideas, feelings and thoughts.
The type of communication which is used in the corporate world is business
communication. It is not the mere exchange of ideas. In the world of business,
the communication system is considered effective, only if there is some positive
transaction. If the sender of information is just able to convey the message without
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any fruitful deal, then the communication is not effective. A person is considered
employable only when he gets the necessary qualification, experience, interest,
learning attitude and expertise in the field where he wants to seek employment.
The content knowledge in the area of his choice is the primary requirement.
The necessary experience, if not, the interest and the attitude to learn the job
assignments are much sought after by employers. A person has to remain employable
throughout one’s career. Unless one is ready to update his knowledge in the field of
work according to the ongoing changes and advancements, he lags behind others and
loses his job ultimately. Effective communication includes the ability to communicate
effectively in any language. Academicians and researchers are divided in their opinion
on the question; is English required for successful business communication? Is it not
possible to communicate effectively in regional languages and get the work done?
Those who are in favor of English for effective communication would say that
English is the official language in most of the companies in cities these days.
So, English is much required. But people who vote for regional languages for
communication over English would rather say that English is not required as long as
one communicates effectively to get the work done. The customers, for most of the
products and services are people of a particular region where a local language is
spoken. The reality is that the companies consider the candidate’s ability or inability
to speak fluently in English as one of the major selection criterion. The mere domain
knowledge won’t guarantee one a good job. The situation in most of the companies
has changed from a scene where all employees are isolated and would concentrate on
their individual performances.
As we have multi-cultural and multi-linguistic work forces in companies,
English is the language which connects people by default. It is the language used for
official communication; whether it is meeting within or outside, presentations,
training, conferences, letters, documents, reports, etc. The purpose being people are
expected to read, write, speak and understand English.
3) Culture and Employment
Studies of cultural fit across many countries have also found a
relationship between cultural fit and mental and physical health – so if your job fits
your personality, you’re less likely to exhibit signs of depression, anxiety and the like,
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and you might live longer. The average correlation between good cultural fit and these
positives outcomes is about 0.43, which means that cultural fit accounts for nearly
half the variance between employees in job satisfaction!
The really big beneficiary, however, is society itself. The happier,
fulfilled people there are in a society, the stronger that society becomes.
If organizations take an individual differences approach, assessing and taking into
account the specific personalities and values of their employees, everyone benefits.
Those benefits are more than worth the extra effort and initial outlay. Giving people
more control over their lives, more personal freedom to be the best they can be, is
crucial in building a happier, freer, more fulfilled, and more productive environment
for everyone.
According to a study, cross culture understanding provides more
flexibility in a person’s job, employees of all generations are prioritizing flexibility in
their jobs, whether that be in the form of scheduling, location or even office setup.
In fact, for many employees, flexibility in a job is more important than compensation
and promotion.
Research on cross-cultural communication often focuses on
understanding how individual differences influence our ability to communicate with
others. Since most individuals grow up within a single culture having to interact with
others from a different culture or background can represent a challenge. Exposure to
different cultures affects our ability to communicate with others in a way that leads to
positive outcomes. It is better for researchers involved in cross-cultural studies to
develop an understanding of the interrelations between cultural dimensions, cultural
standards, and personality traits. This increased awareness helps an individual to
manage their own cross-cultural behavior as well as that of others.
Cross-culture communication and understanding enhance an
organization’s absorptive capacity because it provides a new of perspective for
satisfying the needs of stakeholders. Communication is the life-blood of organizations
and must be allowed to flow throughout the entire organization. However, when
information flows are random and there is no apparent directive of how to apply
the outside knowledge the organization will not benefit. Productivity decreases when
organizational leaders are not able to communicate clear and concise expectations.
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Furthermore, conflict and tension arises when employees do not understand how their
personal efforts contribute to the overall success of the organization.
Culture can affect how we perceive the actions of others. Effective cross-
culture communication requires that we base our perceptions on facts and not merely
on personal biases and prejudices. The Global Leadership and Organizational
Behavior Effectiveness Project (GLOBE) examined cultural values of organizational
practices and leadership. Some scholars believe that as society becomes more
interconnected cultural differences will converge. Even though some convergence
may occur over time, countries will still maintain distinct cultural differences that will
transcend technology and external influences.
Successful employees and employers must be able to balance
organizational objectives with external global challenges. As organizations become
more interconnected the role of leaders in managing global teams is becoming
increasingly important. Being able to navigate through different cultural nuances is
a key skill for global leaders. Different geographic location leaders must be able to
communicate across borders in order to create a competitive advantage and achieve
results. It is clearly apparent that physical boundaries are increasingly becoming
transparent. A global leader must be aware of their personal cultural biases and be
willing to change their opinions by learning from those that are different from each
other, and every employee must feel vested in the company and continually seek ways
to improve processes.
3) Personality and Employment
It is acknowledged that people differ in their personalities, attitudes,
and values. As to work, a person normally spends a third of his life at work, and in
our fast-paced world, people are moving around from job to job more frequently,
seeking a company that allows them to maximize their potential, earn more money,
or achieve a better work-life balance. For some, all of these factors will be equally
important, while others will prioritize them differently. Whatever our priorities,
work feeds into many different aspects of our lives, which influences our self-identity,
self-esteem, and opportunities for personal growth. If work was just about making
money, it wouldn’t matter so much where we worked – but for most of us, it’s about
far more than that. It is necessary to make different personality fit in the workplace
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Several studies have shown that the introvert, who likes peace and quiet
to get on with his or her work, strongly prefers the comforting seclusion of separate
cubicles, and dislikes the noise and activity of the open-plan office. The higher the
person’s introversion score, the stronger their preference for the separate cubicles.
On the other hand, the extravert, who works best around other people, shows the
opposite pattern – the more extraverted a person is, the more strongly they prefer the
open-plan office.
So, if the introvert ends up in an organization that only uses open-plan
offices, or even worse, expects all employees to attend riotous parties every weekend
– this would be an example of poor fit, or strain. An extravert in the same
environment would have a much higher level of positive cultural fit. Of course, it isn’t
nearly that simple. Nobody is just an introvert or just an extravert – every human
being is a complex mix of interacting personality traits, all influencing each other.
Some psychologists have studied the effect of congruence fit between
personality and organization, and employees’ self-ratings of competence.
The outcome shows that employees who were placed in a job using the usual
procedure of time, which did not involve any kind of psychometric testing. And for
those who were the experimental group was placed in a job which suited their
particular personality were given more ambiguous roles, whereas those with a low
tolerance for change were placed in more routine, stable positions. Finally, those in
‘congruent’ jobs which matched their personality reported feeling more competent.
In other words, positive personality fit can improve our self-esteem and make us feel
more capable of carrying out our work to the best of our ability.
4) Creativity and Employment
Frege and Kelly (2013) claimed that creativity is the act of turning new
and imaginative ideas into reality, and also creativity of the employee is characterized
by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make
connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and to generate solutions.
Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing. If you have ideas but
don’t act on them, you are imaginative but not creative.
According to viewpoint from Allen (2012), it is notice that previous
literature explained creativity is the process of bringing something new into being.
14
Creativity requires passion and commitment. It brings to our awareness what was
previously hidden and points to new life. The experience is one of heightened
consciousness.
What is more, Werner (2012, p. 38) quoted that “A product is creative when
it is novel and appropriate. A novel product is original not predictable. The bigger the
concept and the more the product stimulate further work and ideas, the more the
product is creative.”
2.2 Employability
Employability continues to advance, because the new graduate, once
employed, does not stop learning. Thus, employability by this definition is about
learning, not least learning how to learn, and it is about empowering learners as
critical reflective citizen’s definition is important for it emphasizes employability of
graduates, which is similar to our context, hence, able to provide insight about how to
measure graduates’ employability and what are the differences between graduates and
experienced individuals in the labor market.
Frege and Kelly (2013) argued that employability refers to an individual’s
perception of his or her possibilities of getting new, equal, or better employment.
Sumantra (1997, cited in Frege & Kelly, 2013), claimed that Employability is
a management philosophy, which recognizes that employment and market
performance stem from the initiative, creativity and competencies of all employees,
and not just from the wisdom of senior management. Bernnan and Shah (2003)
mentioned that factors influencing a graduate’s employability include knowledge,
skills and competencies of doing the job in question, and also attitudinal factors,
such as personal values, working attitude, aspirations, or even ambitions. Moreover,
Bernnan and Shah (2003) also emphasized the influences from society as well, such
as race, schooling and personal life experiences, therefore, all these factors may
influence employees’ employability to some extent in deed. Attitudinal factors are
attitude, values, aspirations, and ambitions. And coincidently, objective factors also
have to be considered, good working place and comfortable personal relationships
during work also affect employability for both employees and employers.
This research also reviewed previous literature based on the view of the
15
employer, who gives a general view on the factors that could influence employability.
Normally, the role of employers in enhancing student employability is surprisingly
often neglected. However, Bernnan and Shah (2003) stressed the importance of the
employer, which claimed that employers can play an important role in a number of
ways including offering work placements and liaising with departments and
institutions which may supply future employees.
Employers also have a legal duty to not discriminate on grounds of gender,
race, age, disability, religion, sexuality, etc. The Prospects website offers advice to
groups of students who are at the highest risk of facing discrimination. The emphasis
on transferable skills may have been misinterpreted by some teaching staff as
suggesting that employers are not really interested in the content aspects of courses.
One employer recently attacked the emphasis on skills such as doing presentations.
He was more concerned about their scientific ability, while presentation skills in
particular, actually doing presentations forms a fairly insignificant part of the average
graduate job.
Globalization and international trade offer obvious opportunities for
graduates with language skills. However, English is often seen as the international
language and has been cited by employers as a reason why speaking foreign
languages is not essential (Bernnan & Shah, 2003).
Moreover, Hewitt (2002, p. 17) suggested that Employability mostly is
advanced from several ways, such as embedded placements, assistance with part-time
work, a responsive and accommodative program, an advanced industry change and
good links, graduates and media companies, skill development, and also cannot be
advanced without input from the employer. Hewitt (2002) concluded roughly that
employability will be influenced by work experience, theory and skills, flexibility and
confidence as well. From this point, it is easy to notice that employability not only
depends on the employees, but also will be affected by the employer to some extent.
On the other hand, it is also necessary to review how to measure
employability, which could suggest that the researcher evaluate the study as well.
Hewitt (2002) suggested that there also has been a trend to measure employability in
terms of whether the graduate obtains a job of a specific type within a given period
after graduating. This, of course, only relates to the employability of new (full-time)
16
graduates and is irrelevant as an indicator of the employability development of those
already employed. However, Hewitt (2002) also stressed that whether a graduate has
a fulfilling job or not is dependent on a range of factors among which being equipped
to do a job is but one element. There are the personal characteristics of the individual
including age, gender, ethnicity and personality traits, all of which have been known
to influence recruitment. Hewitt (2002) explained that there are also external
economic factors, which may be a sector or region specific There is thus a distinction
between the employability potential of the individual (a matter of self-development)
and the actual employment of the individual (a matter mediated by external factors)
2.2.1 Management Skills
Generally, management thought is grouped into several flows, and the
management thought has been divided into classical management approach,
behavioral management approach and modern management foundation approach
(Schermerhorn, 2011). So, among different management approaches, it is necessary to
know the philosophy of management. Management philosophy is the philosophy
adopted by a company’s executives outlining how they believe a business should be
directed, particularly with regard to the treatment of fellow workers and employees.
As such, management philosophy is less concerned with the day-to-day mechanics of
running a business. Instead, a quality management philosophy helps develop
relationships based on ideal interpersonal practices.
By reviewing Griseri (2013), which can be concluded that management
philosophy plays an important role in creating an atmosphere for success in human
resource management. Griseri (2013) claimed that an effective management
philosophy is a belief system that defines what is truly important to everyone within
an organization, particularly how people within the organization should be treated in
pursuit of best business practices. Moreover, by synthesize the view from Warner and
Witzel (2013), which emphasized that the importance of organization’s management
philosophy bridges everyone in an organization together so that they can all focus
their attention on the attainment of excellence. The key differentiator is that a
management philosophy isn’t a set of specific business tasks or methods subject to
improvement.
17
Sonnentag (2002, p. 57) stated that a management philosophy is also a
personal life philosophy. There is no real difference between the two. People need a
strong foundation or belief system that will encourage them to “want” to strive for
excellence. To say the very least business can be chaotic even in the best of times.
Markets change. Profitability rises and falls. Potentially threatening issues pop up
every day. Even though chaos might surround them, people should always have
something that can serve as a protective environment to which they can retreat.
That panic room is the firm’s management philosophy.
Management philosophy is that set of rational principles which form the
basis for guiding or controlling the operation or performance of a business activity.
The key concept contained in the definition of the management philosophy above is
the identification of the rational principles, and that is our primary task.
Our secondary task is the testing of each principle to ensure that it is applicable to all
phases of business life and action. What is more, according to Sonnentag (2002),
which can be concluded that management philosophy is an efficient way to handle
both employer and employees. You live it and therefore show people by your actions
what constitutes your personal philosophy as well as your management philosophy.
After considerable thought and experience, there are eight management
philosophies in general, which are people matter, profits, customer service, paid to
think, no business runs in vacuum, business condition change, information, and
organization (Byars & Rue, 2009, p. 133).
In a short, it is noticeable from Byars and Rue (2009) mentioned above that
each business must go through the process of identifying its individual management
philosophy. Once these statements have been made, they must be reviewed regularly
to ensure that they are being followed. All other actions of the company must be
rooted in this management philosophy, and must be tested against it.
Byars and Rue (2009) suggested that a successful company will acknowledge that it
requires a management philosophy. The less than successful company will not
recognize this need. While this might sound simple, it isn’t. Successful companies
know they are not perfect, and will strive to identify their strengths and weaknesses.
They are not afraid to measure themselves, for they know that in doing so, they move
one step closer to their goal.
18
2.2.2 General Review of Employability
According to Bohlander and Snell (2013) view point, it can be concluded
that employability can be considered as one of the management philosophy and this
rule between employment and market performance is derived from the initiative,
creativity and competencies of all employees, and not just from the wisdom of senior
management. For employers, it involves creating a working environment that can
provide opportunities for personal and professional growth, within a management
environment where it is understood, growing people means talented, growing
organizations. For many employees, the new contract would involve movement
towards a greater commitment to continuous learning and development, and towards
an acceptance that, in a climate of constant change and uncertainty, the will to
develop is the only hedge against a changing job market.
2.2.3 International Students and Employability
In order to help international students enjoy their lives when they study
abroad, most of the study concerning challenges in living and studying tended to
explain what living challenges are faced by overseas students. Every year many
people leave their countries for other countries to study in order to improve their
individual knowledge, and acquire further education skills. There are many
adjustment problems that foreign students have to cope with, such as language issues
and cultural difficulties. On the other hand, Felix von Wendorff (2013, p. 41)
reported five challenges that might be impede students who study abroad: 1) Feel like
an outside; 2) Language or cross cultural barriers; 3) Getting used to currency
differences; 4) Having serious fear of missing out; and 5) Coping with cultural
misunderstandings.
Mondy (2008, p. 39) mentioned that six factors influence employability and
development at work. These are management support, commitment from specialists
and generalists, technological advances, organization complexity, learning styles.
Furthermore, Chorkaew (2016, p. 5) stressed that continuously lifelong
learning is the key important factor determining employability. Employability is not
only skills and abilities, but includes personal attributes and other characteristics that
are valued by current and prospective employers and, thus, encompasses an
individual’s career potentiality. In other words, employability is the competencies of
19
workers to perform tasks, retain employment, and obtain new employment; one of the
important employability competencies is the adaptability for changing and retaining
employment in internal and external organizations. It could be noticed that
competency to perform tasks is implied by functional competency, but competency to
remain and obtain new employment is more or less related with personal competency,
especially learning ability and flexibility.
CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The purpose of this study was to study Chinese students’ perceptions on
influential factors of their employability. The researcher attempted to help some of
them to improve their employability in the future. Therefore, a mixed method research
approach was applied in the study. This chapter presents the research method,
research design, data collection, data management, data analysis, authenticity, ethical
considerations and summary in sequence.
3.1 Research Method
A mixed method was applied holistically in this study by reviewing the
perceptions of mixed research method mentioned by Creswell (2009, p. 553) and
Punch (2009, p. 178), considering the research questions, and researching the Chinese
students’ perceptions of influential factors on their employability. However, to clarify
the idea, the researcher first utilized a quantitative survey which applied quantitative
methodology. This study initially focused on the Chinese students’ overall
perceptions of influential factors on their employability using a questionnaire to
collect a larger amount of information among participants provides a holistic view on
the perceptions. The second stage of data collection is qualitative. In order to collect
the individual data as naturally as the researcher can, group discussion provides the
chance to enlarge the data scope and information. The purposes of this study are to
give some suggestions to Chinese students who study at the Faculty of Education.
Therefore, group discussion was effective to collect personal information. As a whole,
this study applied a mixed research method using the explanatory sequential strategy
to collect and analyze the data.
3.1.1 For the Survey
In the survey phase the researcher selected the research participants through
purposive sampling by selection of 60 Chinese students at both the undergraduate and
master degree levels. The classification of the participants is displayed in Table 3-1.
21
Table 3.1 General Classification of the Participants
Major Faculty University
TEGL Education Burapha University
Thailand HRD Education
EDM Education
E. T. Education
For the qualitative parts, the researcher utilized the focused group interview,
involving Chinese students who volunteered to participate in the study.
3.1.2 Setting
The setting of this study was Burapha University located in Bang Saen
Chonburi, Thailand, the researcher contacted the Faculty of Education at Burapha
University, Thailand. The researcher received a confidential name list of the Chinese
graduate students. Thereafter, the participants were contacted directly with a copy of
the consent form and an agreement statement.
3.2 Data Collection
Creswell (2009, p.48) mentioned that in qualitative research, the investigator
is one of the instruments. The investigator’s conceptualization, background,
psychological and emotional responses to the study contributes to the final outcome of
the study. Therefore, to assure the credibility of the study, the investigator kept
detailed reflexive notes throughout the study. In terms of planning data collection and
recording mode, as the researcher is an instrument, the initial design ought to display
an awareness of these facts and to make provision for the kinds of data collection
activities (Lincoln, 2015, p. 104).
Data collection in this study relied on two instruments. First, the researcher
constructed questionnaires based on the understanding of the literature review by
consulting with a supervisor, handed out the questionnaires to all the participants,
and analyzed the data quantitatively. Second, focus group discussion: three groups
were guided and the information was recorded during discussion, and then the
information was analyzed. Additionally, the researcher jotted down information from
the participants’ answers.
22
Considering the difficulties in English, the interviews were conducted in
Chinese, which was to assure the quality of interview. Then discussion was conducted
using open-ended questions, which were generated by the researcher based on the
data from the former questionnaires.
3.2.1 Questionnaires Development
Questionnaires have the advantage of being easier and less time consuming
to administer than interviews, and the responses of respective informants can be
gathered more easily. The informants can also usually respond more rapidly to the
questions and, as the responses are supplied in written form, the researcher does not
need to further record them with supplementary techniques such as recording or notes.
On the other hand, surveys and questionnaires require more preparation time than
interviews, as the researcher needs to be confident that the questions can be
interpreted independently as well as easily and unambiguously. Also, questionnaires
do not cater as well for the more in-depth or unexpected responses that may be
obtainable from interviews.
When using questionnaires, an important consideration is the construction of
the questions or response items. The researcher needs to make the questions clear and
to ensure that the way of construction will lead to information collection or in other
words the questions or statements are valid for the researchers’ purpose. Generally,
three types of response items are used in questionnaires. They are closed items, scale
items and open-ended items. According to the research purpose, and the process of
the data collection in this study, the questionnaires are generated according to
information from the interview.
After careful consideration and exploring the general idea from the
participants in this study, the questionnaire (see Appendix A) in this study mostly used
scale items and open-ended items and was made after the interviews. The pattern of the
questionnaires was originally from Wendy (2012, p. 84) work. The content in the
questionnaires of this study, however, were generated and categorized according to the
general understanding of the literature, and discussion with his supervisor. On the other
hand, in order to ensure the question items can reflect general information among these
Chinese students, the researcher first generated a questionnaire sample by consulting
with his advisor in advance and revised it according to the advisors’ suggestions.
23
This study used five scaled answers in the questionnaire which were
strongly agree, agree, not sure, disagree and strongly disagree. The participants were
encouraged to circle the answers according to their own options. Meanwhile, in case
the questions did not fully express the Chinese students’ perceptions of influential
factors on their employability, the participants also were offered a space to write
down their personal comments or experiences to the researcher.
3.2.1 Validity
In order to judge quality of this research, the researcher stressed that the
criteria required some reinterpretation.
As for the validity and reliability check, the questionnaire draft was checked
by three experts, and adjusted according to their suggestions. Half of the participants
(30 participants) were tested with the questionnaires after the of Item Objective
Congruence (IOC) checking. However, due to the limitation of the participants in this
study, 30 participants in the pilot study were used from the whole number of the
participants. Then the tested questionnaires were reused in this study.
3.2.3 Group Discussion
According to some researcher, who emphasized that importance of
classroom discussion or group discussion are more available and viable than a set
formal interview, and there are many unstructured types of interviews that can be
adapted into different types of ongoing discussions. Due to the adaptability, the
researcher set three groups of six students each for discussion after the interview
stage. Each group had six participants, who were selected randomly from the whole
number of potential sample participants. The questions in the group discussion (see
Appendix B) were composed by the researcher in terms of data obtained from the
previous interviews and questionnaires.
Before clarifying the details in-group discussion, it is better to have
a general flow diagram to present the holistic idea on this part. The general processes
of group discussion are shown in Figure 3.1.
24
Figure 3.1 General Processes of Group Discussion
In order to collect data effectively, group discussion was divided into several
smaller groups. The number of the participants and settings in the group discussion
are as follows. The total number of participants in the group discussion was eighteen
(18) participants. Group discussion sample size was (n = 18). The eighteen were
divided into three groups of six. They were randomly selected from the whole number
(60) of the participants. The researcher conducted group discussion in a café near the
university, with the aim to relax the students during discussion. Meanwhile, to reduce
tension in the discussion, English and Chinese languages were allowed in the
discussion, while the participants were also encouraged to use English. Secondly,
there were six participants in each group. Meanwhile, the process of group discussion
was separated into different times; which meant each group had a one week break
during the discussion. Finally, the questions in the group discussion were also
generated in terms of data from the previous questionnaires. With the difference being
that, questions in the group discussion focused on the individual experiences and
perceptions rather than on the common perspective gathered from the questionnaires.
Time: separated with a
break of around a week
18 participants
Divided into 3
groups
(6 Participants in
each group) G3: 2 Beginning 2 Mid-
way 2 Near-graduation
G2: 2 Beginning 2 Mid-
way 2 Near-graduation
Group
discussion
Settings
G1: 2 Beginning 2 Mid-
way 2 Near-graduation
25
3.3 Data Management
Data collection in this study allowed the researcher to become familiar with
and to the target participants. As mentioned in the research design section, the use of
Chinese language was permitted while conducting the interviews in order to assure
the smoothness of the interview, so some of the transcriptions still needed to be
translated from Chinese into English by the researcher. Accordingly, several
translated versions of transcripts were then revised and adjusted.
3.4 Data Analysis
For this study, the data analysis process was divided into several steps.
First, to find out the extent data information of the Chinese students’ perceptions of
influential factors on their employability, data from questionnaires were quantified as
tables, or figures, which reflects the extent based on the categorization of
questionnaire analysis. Meanwhile, with the purpose to give a clear understanding on
the data from the questionnaire, by reviewing Fielding (1998), it was easy to noticed
the computer analysis, namely such SPSS or excel document, which enables the
researcher analysis data effectively, therefore, the researcher listed out the frequency
in this study. Finally, data derived from group discussion were classified according to
different themes or notions from the participants. By doing it this way, personal
suggestions on employability can be systematically presented, and may help future
students to some extent.
In order to clarify how the collected data were analyzed. The following
diagram illustrates the holistic processes of data analysis.
Figure 3.2 General Processes of Data Analysis
Questionnaire
s
Group discussion
Counting Classifying
26
3.5 Authenticity
Authenticity checks conducted in this study included obtaining informed
consent from all participants, and accuracy checks. Informed consent forms were
obtained from all participants during the interview process and the consent forms
signed by all the participants were put in the audit trail of the study. An accuracy
check of the transcription and translation were conducted in editing, revising,
adjusting and discussion during the whole process of analysis and management of the
data.
3.6 Ethical Considerations
Ethical considerations were involved in the study plans. The researcher
ensured that ethical issues were the first priority and discussed this issue with each
participant before interviewing him or her. Because this study involves humans, as in
any complex undertaking the best way to develop an ethically responsible project is to
consider in writing the research methods and procedures, and the steps that were taken
in response to ethical considerations.
3.6.1 Informed Consent
Informed consent is an important way to respect individual differences.
The researcher specified the kinds of things that occurred in the study, the kind of
information that was sought and given, and the procedures that were used to assure
confidentiality. Creswell (2009) suggested that the researcher should ask the
participants to sign an informed consent from before they engaged in the study and
give each participant an opportunity to ask questions. All research-related documents
should be kept in a file in a fixed place to make sure that they remain confidential and
secure.
In conclusion, the researcher’s responsibility to the participants included
issues such as obtaining consent, ensuring confidentiality and avoidance of harm.
3.7 Summary
In conclusion, this study aimed to find out the Chinese students’ perceptions
of influential factors on their employability. The purpose to help the Chinese students
27
to improve their employability in the future, therefore, this study would like to
provide some reasonable and general suggestions for them. Hence, this chapter
presents a detailed description of the research methodologies used in this study. A mix
research approach was applied to answer the research questions proposed for this
study. Questionnaires quantify and group discussions were integrated to answer the
research questions. This chapter also presents how the researcher in this study created
questionnaires and group discussion questions.
CHAPTER 4
RESEARCH FINDINGS
In this chapter, the results of this mixed method research are presented
separately. The findings are explained as the result of data analysis. Therefore, two
main sections are presented in this chapter. First, is the findings from the
questionnaires, and second is the findings from the group discussion.
4.1 Findings of the Questionnaire
In this study, the questionnaires were distributed to sixty (60) participants,
and all the questionnaires were returned. In this section, information from the
questionnaires is presented in tables with some explanation. Originally, five choices
were showed in the questionnaires, which were rated as: 1 = strongly disagree,
2 = disagree, 3 = not sure, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree. In order to illustrate the
findings clearly and directly, they are presented one by one, after that each section is
companied with a brief conclusion to conclude the findings from each topic.
The findings were clarified in terms of the gender and educational level, which means
the findings are categorized into male and female, and Bachelor degree and Master
degree. Furthermore, in order to classify the level of opinion of each question item
from the participants, measurements were classified into five levels which are based
on the Mean value, namely . The criteria were divided into five ranks, which are
4.50-5.00 = highest, 3.50-4.49 = high, 2.50-3.49 = average, 1.50-2.94 = low, 1.00-
1.49 = lowest. However, in order to illustrate these ranks directly and quantitatively,
this study used numbers from 5-1 to represent the ranks from highest to lowest
respectively.
4.1.1 Overall Findings of the Question Categories.
According to the questionnaires, there are nine main categories, which are
academic knowledge, previous work experience, grades, collaboration, personality,
language, cultural differences, social life and personal connections. The following
table presents the findings in a quantitative way, in which data were calculated into
Mean and SD values.
29
Table 4.1 Overall Findings of All Categories in the Questionnaire
Question Category Rank SD
Academic Knowledge 3.66 2 1.09
Previous work experience 3.76 1 1.13
Grades 3.63 4 1.33
Collaboration 3.37 7 1.29
Personality 3.2 9 1.09
Language 3.66 2 1.3
Cultural differences 3.23 8 1.37
Social life 3.49 6 1.13
Personal connections 3.63 4 1.14
This table shows that previous work experience is the most important for
employment in terms of the ranking. The second factors are academic knowledge and
language skills and the third influential factors are grades and personal connections.
Then social life, collaboration, cultural differences, and personality are also influential
factors.
4.1.2 Findings of Gender
In this study, quantitative data were collected and analyzed according to
genders, as the findings are better to classify into male and female. On the other hand,
the SD value also was categorized in terms of the gender. The following table shows
the findings of gender.
Table 4.2 Findings of Gender
Question Category Male Female
SD Rank SD Rank
Academic Knowledge 3.64 1.02 4 3.67 1.17 3
Previous work 3.68 0.93 1 3.83 1.31 1
Grades 3.66 1.06 2 3.56 1.59 6
30
Table 4.2 (Continued)
Question Category Male Female
SD Rank SD Rank
Collaboration 3.37 1.11 6 3.36 1.48 7
Personality 3.23 0.98 9 3.03 1.2 9
Language 3.66 1.2 2 3.62 1.44 4
Cultural differences 3.25 1.36 8 3.18 1.23 8
Social life 3.32 1.12 7 3.59 1.18 5
Personal connections 3.54 1.08 5 3.77 1.22 2
From this table, it is easy to notice that both male and female participants
stated that previous work experience was the most influential factor. However, male
participants considered that language, grades and academic knowledge would
influence their employability mush more than the other factors. As to the female
participants, personal connection, and academic knowledge influenced their
employability much more than the other items.
4.1.2 Findings of Education Level
In order to cope with the information of the questionnaire, the findings were
categorized in terms of the education level. Therefore, the following table illustrates
the findings quantitatively based on the education level.
Table 4.3 Findings of Educational Level
Question Category Bachelor Master
SD Rank SD Rank
Academic Knowledge 3.72 1.02 3 3.61 1.17 5
Previous work experience 3.86 0.93 1 3.69 1.31 4
Grades 3.6 1.06 4 3.7 1.59 3
Collaboration 3.44 1.11 6 3.31 1.48 7
Personality 3.24 0.98 8 3.31 1.2 7
31
Table 4.3 (Continued)
Question Category Bachelor Master
SD Rank SD Rank
Language 3.84 1.2 2 3.5 1.44 6
Cultural differences 3.21 1.36 9 3.28 1.23 9
Social life 3.32 1.12 7 3.71 1.18 2
Personal connections 3.46 1.08 5 3.77 1.22 1
According to the data from the table above, the findings were divided in
terms of educational level. First, data from the bachelor participants explained that
previous work experience was the most important factor influencing employability,
and language skills and academic knowledge were the following influential factors.
Second, the findings from the master participants stated that personal connection,
social life and grade were the top 3 influential factors in their employability.
4.1.4 Findings of All Elements of the Factors Classified by Gender
The tables above illustrate the quantitative data holistically, which is based
on the main categories of the questionnaires, however, with the aim to present more in
detail, the findings from the questionnaires were also classified one by one. First, the
following table presents the findings of all elements of the factors classified by gender
one by one.
Table 4.4 Findings of All Elements of the Factors based on Gender
Question items Male Female
SD Rank SD Rank
1. Academic knowledge influences you
positively.
3.93 1.00 1 3.75 1.29 7
2. Academic knowledge influences your
employability positively.
3.36 1.04 19 3.59 1.04 10
3. Previous experience supports you positively. 3.5 0.77 16 3.88 1.24 4
32
Table 4.4 (Continued)
Question items Male Female
SD Rank SD Rank
4. Previous work experience support your
employability positively.
3.68 1.03 10 4.03 1.46 1
5. Internship work experience support you
positively.
3.75 0.96 6 3.63 1.12 9
6. Internship work experience support your
employability positively.
3.79 0.96 5 3.78 1.44 6
7. Grades influence you positively. 3.75 1.06 6 3.56 1.59 14
8. Grades influence your employability
positively.
3.57 1.06 13 3.56 1.59 14
9. Collaboration is an influential factor in
employability.
3.21 1.15 21 3.34 1.54 19
10. Collaboration gives you a positive influence
on employability.
3.54 1.06 14 3.38 1.41 17
11. You are a more outgoing person. 3.18 1.06 22 3 1.31 25
12. A more outgoing personality helps you have
more chances for employment.
3.29 0.89 20 3.06 1.09 23
13. Good language skills influence your
employability positively.
3.64 1.06 11 3.38 1.41 17
14. Good English skills influence your
employability positively.
3.75 1.21 6 3.59 1.39 10
15. Good Chinese language skills influence your
employability positively.
3.39 1.21 18 3.56 1.41 14
16. Good Thai language skills influence your
employability positively.
3.86 1.31 3 3.97 1.53 3
17. Cultural differences affect you positively. 2.71 1.29 28 2.81 1.31 28
18. Cultural differences affect your
employability.
2.89 1.36 26 2.94 1.34 26
33
Table 4.4 (Continued)
Question items Male Female
SD Rank SD Rank
19. Chinese culture influences you positively. 3.18 1.41 22 3.25 1.48 21
20. Chinese culture helps your employability
positively.
3 1.41 25 2.84 1.48 27
21. Western culture influences you positively. 2.82 1.61 27 3.03 1.63 24
22. Western culture influences your
employability positively.
3.71 1.48 9 3.25 1.57 21
23. Thai culture influences you positively. 3.89 1.21 2 3.31 1.18 20
24. Thai culture influences your employability
positively.
3.82 1.09 4 4 1.18 2
25. Social life influences you positively. 3.11 1.12 24 3.59 1.15 10
26. Social life influences your employability
positively.
3.54 1.12 14 3.59 1.21 10
27. Personal connections influence you
positively.
3.64 1.09 11 3.84 1.21 5
28. Personal connections influence your
employability positively.
3.43 1.06 17 3.69 1.24 8
By reviewing the data from the table above, male participants claimed that
academic knowledge was the most influential factor in their employability, then the
following impacts were cultural influences and Thai language skills were considered
as other important factors which were ranked as the top three among all. On the other
hand, females considered that previous work experience were the most influential
factors among all. The same as the male participants, females also claimed that Thai
culture and Thai language skills influenced their employability.
4.5 Findings of All Elements of the Factors Classified by Education Level
The participants in this study had both bachelor and master degrees,
therefore it was necessary to present the educational level data. The following table
shows the details of all elements of the factors in terms of the educational levels.
34
Table 4.5 Findings of All Elements of the Factors based on Educational Levels
Question items Bachelor Master
SD Rank SD Rank
1. Academic knowledge influences you
positively.
3.69 1.18 8 4.04 1.12 2
2. Academic knowledge influences your
employability positively.
3.54 1.1 16 3.40 0.97 18
3. Previous experience supports you positively. 3.66 1.04 10 3.76 1.00 7
4. Previous work experience support your
employability positively.
3.77 1.21 4 4 1.29 3
5. Internship work experience support you
positively.
3.60 1.00 13 3.80 1.07 5
6. Internship work experience support your
employability positively.
3.71 1.19 7 3.88 1.24 4
7. Grades influence you positively. 3.74 1.21 5 3.52 1.46 14
8. Grades influence your employability
positively.
3.66 1.19 10 3.68 1.49 10
9. Collaboration is an influential factor in
employability.
3.29 1.2 22 3.28 1.49 22
10. Collaboration gives you a positive influence on
employability.
3.34 1.21 19 3.60 1.27 13
11. You are a more outgoing person. 3.17 1.29 25 3.48 1.07 17
12. A more outgoing personality helps you have
more chances for employment.
3.46 1.00 18 3.00 0.97 25
13. Good language skills influence your
employability positively.
3.49 1.1 17 3.52 1.37 14
14. Good English skills influence your
employability positively.
3.60 0.93 13 3.76 1.57 7
15. Good Chinese language skill influences your
employability positively.
3.34 0.9 19 3.68 1.61 10
35
Table 4.5 (Continued)
Question items Bachelor Master
SD Rank SD Rank
16. Good Thai language skills influence your
employability positively.
3.57 1.19 15 4.4 1.61 1
17. Cultural differences affect you positively. 2.66 1.34 28 2.92 1.24 26
18. Cultural difference affects your employability. 2.77 1.55 27 3.12 1.1 23
19. Chinese culture influences you positively. 3.26 1.51 23 3.64 1.37 12
20. Chinese culture helps your employability
positively.
3.26 1.51 23 2.80 1.37 27
21. Western culture influences you positively. 3.09 1.61 26 2.52 1.61 28
22. Western culture influences your employability
positively.
3.31 1.46 21 3.08 1.57 24
23. Thai culture influences you positively. 3.86 1.29 3 3.80 1.07 5
24. Thai culture influences your employability
positively.
4.03 1.19 1 3.76 1.07 7
25. Social life influences you positively. 3.69 1.37 8 3.32 0.82 20
26. Social life influences your employability
positively.
3.74 1.44 5 3.32 0.78 20
27. Personal connections influence you positively. 3.91 1.42 2 3.52 0.78 14
28. Personal connections influence your
employability positively.
3.63 1.16 12 3.40 1.13 18
Table 4.5 shows that Bachelor participants stated that Thai culture was the
most vital factor among all, and following influential factors were personal
connections and previous working experiences. Master degree participants claimed
that good Thai language skills were the most influential factors among all. By then
academic knowledge and previous working experiences were the following influential
factors in their employability.
36
4.2 Findings of the Group Discussion
In this part, statistics derived from the group discussion are illustrated.
In this study, the group discussion was the second step to collect data, and questions
in the group discussion were generated from the previous analysis from the
questionnaires. The aim was to find out how these influential factors from the
questionnaires impacted employability. The participants in group discussion were
encouraged to share their experience or exchange their suggestions with each other
during the discussion in order for the findings from the group discussion to be
presented more qualitatively.
To comprehend the findings in this section, and with the aim to give
a corresponding answer to each question discussed in group, the contents are partially
quoted from the group discussion.
4.2.1 Findings from the Group Discussion
1: From the information of the group discussion, most of the informants
suggested that academic knowledge influences employability positively. Below are
some of the quotations that support the notion of the importance of academic
knowledge.
‘Of course, if we don’t have enough knowledge, the boss will not hire us…’
‘Yes, I agree, we can use what we studied into our work…’
‘Sure, and academic knowledge helps us work easier…’
‘Yes, most of the time we will find jobs that are related to our studies…’
‘I think so; a good degree influences my employability very much…’
‘… I agree with my friends, a good academic background influences very
much, and I am worried about myself now…’
‘… my friends told me, a good academic background helps our working in
the future…’
‘I agree that academic knowledge is good, but sometimes we need more
practice…’ ‘especially if your work is related to science…’
Apparently, individual opinions claimed that good academic knowledge
influenced their employability, and good academic knowledge impacted their
employability positively. Academic knowledge not only influenced their
37
employability, but also affected their future work performance, and helped employees
advance more easily.
2: Previous work experience and internship experience impact employability
positively. The following are some of the quotations which indicated the importance
of previous work experience for employability.
‘I think I have benefited from my internship experience…’
‘I learned a lot from my previous experience…’
‘... urh I think internship is important in finding a job, it gives me more
opportunities…’
‘I agree with my friends, when I find a job, they will ask me do I have
previous work experience or any internship, if I have, it helps me…’
‘… it is important to have previous work experience…’
‘I think most of the employers will ask us do we have previous working
experience or not…’
‘Yes, internship is important… my friends told me most of them found their
jobs because of internships in the company…’
‘Of course, I learned a lot from my internship when I went back home, and
I think I may have good opportunities in the future job hunting…’
‘I have no idea about these two factors, because I just studied no more than
two years, I seldom have the chance to practice, like part-time or something,
I haven’t tried yet…’
‘I had an interview, the HR manager first asked me do I have previous
working experiences or any internship yet… so I think they are also
concerned about these two factors…’
From the information above, it is easy to notice that most of the participants
insisted that previous work experience and internship experience played positively in
their employability. They thought they learned a lot from previous work, such as part-
time or other internship experience, which would help them positively in their future
job hunting. One more thing was needed to be recognized that some of the
participants heard from their senior peers. So, that they only thought previous working
experience was important or positively influenced their employability in the future.
38
On the other hand, few participants still had no working experiences or any internship
experience. Therefore, they had no idea about the influence on their future
employability.
3: The influence of the grade point average in the study on employability.
The results from the group discussion varied from each individual. Some of them
agreed but some were not sure about it. The quotations are shown below.
‘(laughing) I have no idea, because I do not have good grades, but I think it
will influence my employability to some degree…’
‘I think it influences positively, if you have good grades, they will like
you…’
‘Yes, I think so, good grades are important and positively influence
employability, and they will think you are trustworthy …’
‘But I don’t know, I think the company will like your work in practice
more…’
‘I have no idea…’
‘I don’t know, because some of my senior peers their jobs are not related to
what they studied…’
‘I don’t think it is positively, if you are too good, they don’t know what you
can do…’
‘I think it will influence positively, because your study can be used in your
work in the future…’
‘I don’t know yet…’
‘It definitely influences positively, otherwise why do we have to study
hard…’
The findings from this quotation in general were positively considered by
the participants, because these typical quotations from the participants suggested good
grade influenced their employability positively. But it also could be seen from the
quotations that some of the answers were neutral and reluctant, since they were not
certain that whether good grades influenced them in the future or not. On the other
hand, few responses negatively explained that grade would not influence
employability at all, because some of them learned from previous experiences.
39
4: Good collaboration at work and employability. The quotations on good
collaboration at work and employability had mixed answers. The results showed that
some agreed but some were not sure about the importance of collaboration.
‘I don’t know yet, because I haven’t worked …’
‘…(shy) I am not sure…’
‘I think it might influence it sometimes…’
‘I think it influences, good collaboration with friends at work is good…’
‘I agree with my friends; good collaboration influences positively…’
‘I have no idea…’
‘Sorry, I haven’t worked before, I don’t know yet…’
‘I think it is better to collaborate together, it saves time…’
‘I think they will consider do you have team spirit; collaboration is
important in employability…’
‘The same as my friends, I am not sure…’
Responses from these participants explained that most of them had no idea
whether collaboration influenced their employability or not, since most of them had
no previous working experience. However, they focused on the importance of good
collaboration and listed the advantages of good collaboration. Therefore, they also
considered that collaboration was important as to those who were about to begin
a job.
5: Assertive personality and employability. There were also mixed results
for the questions on the assertive or outgoing personality towards employability,
as shown in the quotations below.
‘I think I am outgoing, and it is good for my future employability…’
‘I think everyone likes an outgoing person, they can make our work
enjoyable…’
‘…(shy) I am not so outgoing, but my friends are outgoing, they are happy,
everyone likes them, so I think their employability is better than mine…’
‘I agree, an outgoing personality makes you look clever, and smart, it is
good for employability in the future…’
40
‘Yes, I think my friend is right, outgoing is important for employability,
because it lets you meet lots of people, and helps you at work…’
‘I have no idea, I am an outgoing person, but employability doesn’t relate to
outgoing or not…’
‘I don’t know what to say… employability is not related to outgoing so
much…’
‘Urh… I have no idea about this…’
‘I don’t think so, some people are not outgoing, but they can find good jobs
and work hard, so it doesn’t relate to employability…’
‘It might be positive if you are outgoing, I think, but I am not sure…’
(laughing)
‘Employability most of the time, you need to have good knowledge, if too
outgoing, they may think you are not stable…’
As to personality, sort of the participants insisted that an outgoing person
would have more chances for employment, because an outgoing personality makes
them feel happy, can make lots of friends and also helps them at work. The entire
group claimed that an outgoing personality had a positive influence on their
employability. On the other hand, part of the responses showed that an outgoing
personality did not relate to employability too much. To have good employability,
knowledge or experience might be a must in the future.
6: Language skills and employability. It was agreed that language ability
either in Chinese, English or Thai is important for employability. The following are
some supporting quotations on this issue.
‘I think English is important, even if we study in Thailand, but sometimes
we need to use English…’
‘I agree, because English is used everywhere…
‘I think so, because I saw some advertisements, like IELTS, TOEIC,
so English is necessary…’
‘I think we are Chinese, and the Chinese language is important to
employability, because lots of company in Thailand will have business with
41
China…’
‘I think the Chinese language is important, because some Thai companies
pay much attention to training Chinese language…’
‘I still think English is very important, if you cannot speak Thai, they don’t
understand Chinese, so you have to use English… ‘
‘I agree, English is the most…’
‘Yes, my friend is right, sometimes I cannot use Thai, but English can be
understood…’
‘No, Thai language is very important, if you work in Thailand, people like
you to speak Thai…’
‘Yes, I think the Thai language is important, if you can speak Thai, you can
get more information…’
‘I agree with my friends, the Thai language is important, not everyone can
use English…’
‘…Sometimes I don’t understand Thais when they use English, so the Thai
language is important…’
‘I think English and Thai are important…’
‘I think Thai is the most important at work, because if you and your friends
are not good at English, you will waste time to understand each other…’
‘I think Thai and Chinese are important, because companies do business
with China…’
‘Yes, I think the Thai language is important if you work here (Thailand)…’
The responses from this discussion claimed that the Thai language was
a very important factor in employability for those Chinese participants. But it did not
mean that English and Chinese were not necessary, since some of the responses listed
the advantage of English because it is an international language, and easy to
understand. As for Chinese, they mentioned that the business needs required Chinese
was a must, and it would help them those who could use Chinese in future
employability. The most impressive was that most of the participants insisted that the
Thai language influenced them extremely, therefore good Thai language skills
impacted their employability positively, and will gave them more chances at work.
42
Most of the time they used English and understood English, but the Thai language
helped them understand each other more directly than other languages. So, they
considered that the Thai language was a must in employability in the future.
7: The influence of culture over employability in Thailand. There were
different opinions concerning the culture differences for employability in Thailand.
As Chinese, most of the informants thought Chinese culture influenced employability
in Thailand more, while some of the informants think that Thai and Western cultures
also influenced the employability.
‘I think Thai culture influences more than others, because we have studied in
Thailand for many years…’
‘I think so; Thai culture influences a lot…’
‘Yes, I think Thai culture affects us too much even back home…’
‘I agree, yes if you work in Thailand, no matter you use English or Chinese,
you will be influenced by Thai culture…’
‘I think sometimes Thai culture has also been influenced by Western culture,
so I think Western culture will influence my employability…’
‘I don’t think Western culture is important if you work here (Thailand), Thai
culture is the first one…’
‘I think Chinese culture still influences, because we are Chinese…’
‘Yes, I think so, I know some old Thai people immigrated from the south of
China a long time ago…’
‘…but I still think Thai culture will be the most important for employability
in Thailand…’
‘I agree Thai culture influences our employability, so we have to study some
Thai culture…’
‘… but we study in English, so we are influenced by Western culture, and
Thailand also…’
‘I think Chinese culture is the first, because we graduate, we may go back
home…’
‘I think so because we were born in China, and just study here, but we will
go back, so Chinese culture influences our employability…’
43
‘I still think Thai culture influences a lot, maybe if you work in Thailand,
you will use Thai culture with your co-workers…’
‘I have no idea, because employability doesn’t relate to culture, if you can,
you can work anywhere you want…’
‘Yes, if you are good, and strong willed, you can work anywhere you want,
and study culture there…’
‘I don’t think culture influences my employability…’
As to cultural differences, most of the responses presented that Thai culture
influenced their employability to a large degree. They explained that no matter if they
studied in English or Chinese, but they studied in Thailand for many years, so they
have been influenced by Thai culture to some degree. And some of the participants
would consider work in Thailand, so Thai culture was a must in work place which
involved them into a local work environment more smoothly. However, some of them
claimed that even though they studied at Thailand, or even though they were taught in
English or Thai, they were born and grew up in China, so mostly Chinese culture
influenced them as to their employability as well.
8: Social life and employability. There were also several results from this
question. Some agreed and some disagreed that social life influenced employability.
‘I think good social life influence employability positively…’
‘I have no idea, because I seldom have any social life…’
‘I don’t think it will influence my employability…’
‘I agree with my friend, a good social life influences positively…’
‘Yes, of course you work and live in a society, social life influences your
employability...’
‘I think it influences positively if you have good social…’
‘I don’t think so. Social life is just part of my life after work…’
‘I don’t really like too much social life, I don’t think it will influence…’
‘I think it must influence my employability in the future, because social life
gives you more chances to meet different people…’
‘I think nowadays, social life really influences our employability, because it
44
can teach you how to get along with people, different people…’
Obviously, according to these typical quotations, it is easy to notice that they
mentioned a good social life influenced their employability positively. Because a
good social life gave them more chance to study how to get along with different
people, which might help them in their future jobs. However, a few of them claimed
that they seldom had any social life, therefore they did not notice the importance of
social life in their employability.
9: Personal connections and employability. The question on personal
connection and employability also had mixed results. Some agreed, while some did
not. Here are the quotations.
‘I have no idea…’
‘I think it is ok, not so important to employability…’
‘I agree that personal connections are a positive influence…’
‘Yes, my friends and I connect, which will influence my employability,
because I can exchange information with them…’
‘I think personal connection will help in employability, because they can
give you more information, so you can choose…’
‘No I don’t think so, too many personal connections, you don’t have
privacy…’
‘I think it is a positive factor…’
In general, this part shows positive responses to the influence from personal
connection, because most of the participants explained the advantages of good
personal connections, such as they gave them more chances to know each other, and
could help exchange information among each other.
CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION, DISCUSSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Generally, this research aims to study the perceptions of Chinese students’
influential factors on their employability. Therefore, this chapter summarizes the
research method, the study results and discusses the findings corresponding to each
research question. Meanwhile, recommendations also will be stated in this chapter.
In order to get a better understanding, a brief conclusion of the study will be presented
initially. All in all, this chapter presents three parts, which are a brief conclusion of
the study, discussion, and recommendations.
5.1 Conclusions of the Research Method
With the purposes to search out the perceptions of the Chinese students’
influential factors on their employability, in order to measure the personal opinions on
those influential factors. Therefore, two research methods were implemented
accordingly. First, 60 sets of questionnaires were handed out to collect general
information and perceptions of the Chinese students’ influential factors on their
employability. Then group discussion was conducted with the groups of Chinese
students to gather individual personal opinions. After collecting data from the
questionnaire and groups discussion, data from the questionnaire were analyzed
quantitatively to find out the influential factors. Meanwhile, quantitative data also had
been calculated in terms of gender and educational levels. Furthermore, quotations
from the group discussion helped to explain the influential factors more individually
and vividly.
5.2 Conclusion of the Research Results
In general, according to the perspectives of the Chinese participants in this
study, the most influential factors are previous work experience with the highest mean
value of 3.76, the second influential factors are academic knowledge and language
with the same mean value of 3.66, the third factors are grades and personal
connections with the same mean value of 3.63, then fourth and fifth factors are social
46
life and collaboration with the mean values of 3.49 and 3.37, and the last two
influential factors are cultural differences and personality with mean values of 3.23
and 3.20.
To present the results of study, it is necessary to conclude the findings in
terms of gender and educational levels item by item. The most influential factor was
previous work experience, it was also found that both male and female participants
hold the same opinion on this point. Both of them considered that previous working
experiences ranked first. The findings based on educational level, showed the
differences in the opinions, the Bachelor participants ranked previous working
experiences as the most influential factor, while the Master participants considered
previous working experiences rank at fourth. These differences might indicate that the
Bachelors would like to practice more at work and would like to enhance their
working experiences to improve their employability.
As to the second influential factor, academic knowledge and language,
males ranked language as the second influential factor and academic knowledge
ranked as the fourth, while female participants placed academic knowledge and
language as third and fourth influential factors accordingly. On the other hand,
Bachelor participants ranked academic knowledge and language as the second and
third influential factors, and Master participants considered academic knowledge and
language as the fifth and sixth influential factors. From the differences, which could
suggest that male participants focused on the influence from language, which also
indicated the language learning ability from males and females is different.
Meanwhile, it also indicated that Master participants are more advanced in academic
and language than Bachelors.
When considering about the third influential factor, which was personal
connection, findings varied for different participants. According to the gender
differences, male participants placed personal connection as the fifth influential
factors, but female participants claimed personal connection ranked second among all
the factors. Moreover, based on the educational levels, Bachelors thought personal
connections were fifth among all factors, while Masters suggested personal
connection would be the first influential factor among all. These differences indicated
that female participants paid much attention on the influence from personal
47
connection on their employability, and Master participants also stressed the
importance of personal connection on their future employability.
As for social life, which was the fourth influential factor among all,
but classified findings showed that male participants took social life as the seventh
influential factor, but females thought social life was the fifth influential factor among
all. The Bachelors also placed social life as the seventh influential factor, but Masters
ranked social life as the second influential factor among all. It is clear that the
differences suggest female participants and Master participants stressed the influences
of social life much more than the males and Bachelor participants.
The fifth influential factor overall was collaboration, from the findings, male
and female participants placed collaboration as the sixth and seventh influential
factors accordingly, which was the same as the perspectives from the Bachelor and
Master Participants. Apparently, this finding explained that the male and female
participants or Bachelor and Master participants emphasized less on the importance of
collaboration.
Cultural differences were the sixth influential factor in general from the
view of the Chinese participants, both male and female participants considered it as
the eighth influential factor among all. Meanwhile, cultural differences were
considered as the last influential factor by both Bachelor and Master participants.
This indicated that cultural differences would not be an obstacle to the employability
of the Chinese participants’ employability, and also it suggested the globalization
gave more chances to those Chinese students to access the world more openly than
before.
According to the rank of mean, personality was the last influential factor for
both males and females. As for education levels, Bachelor degree holder participants
ranked personality as the eighth influential factor while Master participants placed it
as the seventh influential factor among all. This finding indicated that personality did
not highly influence the Chinese participants’ employability.
5.3 Discussion
Generally, the three most influential factors among all are: previous work
experience (with = 3.76), the second influential factor is academic knowledge (with
48
= 3.66), and language (with = 3.66) This can be explained that in any
organization the main goal is to obtain the highest return of the investment, having
working experience helps the organization to achieve its goals better than no work
experience.
According to the opinions of difference genders, previous working
experiences with a = 3.68, grade with a = 3.66 and language with a = 3.66 were
considered as the three most influential factors among male participants while female
participants suggested that previous working experience with a = 3.83, personal
connection with a = 3.77 and academic knowledge with a = 3.67, were the three
most important factors for their employability. From this view, it can be explained
that no matter if they are female or male, organizations will focus more on their
working experiences. This finding goes along with the study of the influences of
employability. Meanwhile, grade and language ability are important factors that
enterprises or companies will expect from employees since it will help companies to
advance both technically and academically; this is supported by the study of Chinese
students’ influential factors on their employability.
The bachelor participants claimed that previous working experiences,
language, and academic knowledge (with = 3.86, = 3.84, = 3.72, respectively)
ranked at the top three influential factors among all while master participants
considered personal connection with a =3.77 ranked at the top of the influential
factors, and followed by social life and grade, with = 3.71 and = 3.70. This result
can be supported by the same reason as the first one; organizations expect the highest
return from any kind of investment.
5.4 Recommendations
This study was limited to only Chinese students at Burapha University,
therefore it is necessary to make recommendations on this study in this scope.
However, the recommendations help the researcher to review and understand this
study forward, and also inspire both the researcher and other research undertaken in
the future.
49
5.4.1 Recommendation for the Application
Initially, this study only focused on Chinese students at Burapha University,
and those perceptions on the influential factors of their individual employability.
It was found that working experience ranked as the most important factor for their
employability. This finding can be useful for new graduates that during their studies
they should find opportunities to get work experience in order to have a better chance
of employment.
5.4.2 Recommendation for Further Study
From this study, it can be noticed that the scale of participants was only 60
Chinese students who studied at the Faculty of Education, Burapha University. Due to
this limitation if anyone wants to further improve this study, he or she can include
more participants as well as a wider range of faculty and majors. Moreover, it could
cover more on both the nationality of participants, for example, it could compare Thai
students’ perceptions and Chinese students’ perceptions on their employability.
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX A
53
QUESTIONNAIRE
The researcher would like to ask you to help in this study by participating in
this survey, to better understand the perceptions of the Chinese students towards
factors on employability. The results of this survey will only be used for this study.
The questionnaires are not a test so you do not even have to write your name.
Therefore, please give your answers sincerely to ensure the success of this study.
Thank you very much for your participation!
Part 1: In this part, please provide the following information by checking the box or
writing a response in the space.
▪ Gender
( ) Male ( ) Female
▪ Education
( ) Bachelor ( ) Master
Part 2: In this part, the researcher would like you to tell how much you agree or
disagree with the following statements by simply circling a number from 1 to 5.
Please do not leave out any items.
Strongly agree Agree Not sure Disagree Strongly
disagree
5 4 3 2 1
Example: I like ice cream very much. 5 4 3 2 1
If you agree with the following statement, you circle number four:
I like ice cream very much. 5 4 3 2 1
54
Please answer the following questions about the factors that influence employability.
Academic Knowledge
1. Academic knowledge influences you positively. 5 4 3 2 1
2. Academic knowledge influences your employability
positively.
5 4 3 2 1
Previous work experience/Internship experience
3. Previous work experience supports you positively. 5 4 3 2 1
4. Previous work experience supports your employability
positively.
5 4 3 2 1
5. Internship work experience supports you positively. 5 4 3 2 1
6. Internship work experience supports your employability
positively.
5 4 3 2 1
Grade Average
7. Grades influence you positively. 5 4 3 2 1
8. Grades influence your employability positively. 5 4 3 2 1
Collaboration in work
9. Collaboration is an influential factor in employability. 5 4 3 2 1
10. Collaboration gives you a positive influence on
employability.
5 4 3 2 1
Personality
11. You are a more outgoing person. 5 4 3 2 1
12. A more outgoing personality helps you have more chances
for employment.
5 4 3 2 1
Language
13. Good language skills influence your employability
positively.
5 4 3 2 1
14. Good English skills influence your employability positively. 5 4 3 2 1
15. Good Chinese skills influence influences your employability
positively.
5 4 3 2 1
16. Good Thai language skills influence your employability
positively.
5 4 3 2 1
55
Cultural differences
17. Cultural differences affect you positively. 5 4 3 2 1
Cultural difference
18. Cultural difference affects your employability. 5 4 3 2 1
19. Chinese culture influences you positively. 5 4 3 2 1
20. Chinese culture influences your employability positively. 5 4 3 2 1
21. Western culture influences you positively. 5 4 3 2 1
22. Western culture influences your employability positively. 5 4 3 2 1
23. Thai culture influences you positively. 5 4 3 2 1
24. Thai culture influences your employability positively. 5 4 3 2 1
Social life
25. Social life influences you positively. 5 4 3 2 1
26. Social life influences your employability positively 5 4 3 2 1
Personal Connection
27. Personal connections influence you positively. 5 4 3 2 1
28. Personal connections influence your employability
positively.
5 4 3 2 1
Part 3 Other Comments.
If the questions above do not fully express your perceptions of the influential factors
for employability, please write down your comments in the space below.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
APPENDIX B
57
QUESTIONS IN GROUP DISCUSSION
Table A1 Questions in Group Discussion
Item Question
1 Do you think academic knowledge influences your employability? Please
explain.
2 Do you think previous work experience and internships influence your
employability? Please explain.
3 Do you think your study grade influences employability? Please explain.
4 Do you think good work collaboration influences your employability? Please
explain.
5 Do you think an assertive personality influences your employability? Please
explain.
6 Do you think good language skills influence your employability? Such as
Chinese language skills, English language skills, Thai language skills or other
language skills? Please explain.
7 Do you think cultural differences influence your employability? Such as
Chinese culture, or Thai culture? Please explain.
8 Do you think social life influences your employability? Please explain.
APPENDIX C
59
QUESTIONNAIRE DATA IN GENERAL
Participants: 60
Male: 28
Female: 32
Remarks: B refers to Bachelor; M refers to Master.
Y refers to Years of study
m refers to male participants; f refers to female participants.
Table A2 General category of data
Educational
level
B-Year
2
B-Year
3
B-Year
4
M-Year
1
M-Year
2
M-Year
3
Male (No.) 8 5 4 2 4 5
Male Bachelors 17 in total Male Master 11 in total
Female(No.) 5 7 6 3 3 8
Female Bachelors 18 in total Female Master 14 in total
Table A3 Data of the questionnaire
Question Choice No. Gender Educational Level
Item Choice B-Y2 B-Y3 B-Y4 M-Y1 M-Y2 M-Y3
1 5 18 m 2 3 1 1 2 2
f 0 2 1 1 1 2
4 29 m 3 2 2 0 2 2
f 3 4 3 1 2 5
3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 11 m 2 0 1 1 0 1
f 1 1 2 1 0 1
1 2 m 1 0 0 0 0 0
f 1 0 0 0 0 0
60
Table A3 (Continued)
Question Choice No. Gender Educational Level
Item Choice B-Y2 B-Y3 B-Y4 M-Y1 M-Y2 M-Y3
2 5 8 m 2 1 0 0 0 0
f 1 2 0 0 0 2
4 30 m 5 2 2 1 2 2
f 2 3 3 2 2 4
3 11 m 1 1 1 1 1 0
f 1 1 1 0 2 1
2 5 m 0 0 1 0 1 1
f 0 0 1 0 0 1
1 6 m 0 1 0 0 0 1
f 1 1 1 1 0 0
3 5 14 m 1 1 1 0 1 1
f 1 3 1 1 1 2
4 28 m 3 2 2 1 2 2
f 2 3 4 1 1 5
3 8 m 1 1 0 1 1 1
f 1 0 1 0 0 1
2 6 m 2 1 1 0 0 0
f 1 0 0 0 1 0
1 4 m 1 0 0 0 0 1
f 0 1 0 1 0 0
4 5 12 m 2 1 0 0 1 1
f 1 2 1 1 1 1
4 35 m 3 2 3 1 3 3
f 2 3 5 2 2 6
3 8 m 2 1 0 0 0 1
f 1 2 0 0 0 1
2 3 m 1 1 0 0 0 0
f 1 0 0 0 0 0
1 2 m 0 0 1 1 0 0
f 0 0 0 0 0 0
61
Table A3 (Continued)
Question Choice No. Gender Educational Level
Item Choice B-Y2 B-Y3 B-Y4 M-Y1 M-Y2 M-Y3
5 5 10 m 2 1 0 0 1 1
f 1 2 0 1 0 1
4 29 m 3 2 3 1 2 3
f 2 3 2 1 2 5
3 15 m 2 1 1 1 1 1
f 1 1 3 1 1 1
2 4 m 1 0 0 0 0 0
f 1 1 1 0 0 0
1 2 m 0 1 0 0 0 0
f 0 0 0 0 0 1
6 5 9 m 2 1 0 0 1 1
f 1 2 0 0 0 1
4 34 m 3 2 3 1 2 3
f 2 3 5 2 2 6
3 12 m 2 1 1 1 1 1
f 1 1 0 1 1 1
2 5 m 1 1 0 0 0 0
f 1 1 1 0 0 0
1 0 m 0 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 5 11 m 2 2 0 0 1 1
f 1 2 1 0 0 1
4 19 m 3 2 2 1 2 0
f 2 3 0 2 2 0
3 28 m 2 1 2 1 1 4
f 1 2 5 1 1 7
2 2 m 1 0 0 0 0 0
f 1 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 m 0 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 0 0 0 0 0
62
Table A3 (Continued)
Question Choice No. Gender Educational Level
Item Choice B-Y2 B-Y3 B-Y4 M-Y1 M-Y2 M-Y3
8 5 9 m 2 1 0 0 0 1
f 1 2 1 0 0 1
4 19 m 3 2 2 1 2 0
f 2 3 0 2 2 0
3 29 m 2 1 2 1 2 4
f 1 2 5 1 1 7
2 3 m 1 1 0 0 0 0
f 1 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 m 0 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 5 8 m 2 1 0 0 0 1
f 0 2 1 0 0 1
4 12 m 2 1 0 0 1 0
f 2 1 0 2 2 0
3 32 m 2 1 4 2 2 4
f 1 2 5 1 1 7
2 5 m 2 2 0 0 0 0
f 1 0 0 0 0 0
1 3 m 0 0 0 0 1 0
f 1 1 0 0 0 0
10 5 9 m 2 1 0 0 1 1
f 0 2 1 0 0 1
4 17 m 2 2 0 0 1 3
f 2 2 0 2 2 1
3 28 m 2 1 4 2 2 1
f 1 2 5 1 1 6
2 4 m 2 1 0 0 0 0
f 1 0 0 0 0 0
1 2 m 0 0 0 0 0 0
f 1 1 0 0 0 0
63
Table A3 (Continued)
Question Choice No. Gender Educational Level
Item Choice B-Y2 B-Y3 B-Y4 M-Y1 M-Y2 M-Y3
11 5 4 m 2 1 0 0 0 0
f 0 0 0 0 0 1
4 12 m 2 2 0 0 1 1
f 2 2 0 0 1 1
3 29 m 2 1 4 2 2 1
f 2 2 5 3 1 4
2 15 m 2 1 0 0 1 3
f 1 3 1 0 1 2
1 0 m 0 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 0 0 0 0 0
12 5 12 m 2 1 2 1 0 0
f 0 2 2 1 0 1
4 10 m 2 2 0 0 1 1
f 2 0 0 0 1 1
3 23 m 2 1 2 1 2 1
f 2 2 3 2 1 4
2 12 m 2 1 0 0 1 0
f 1 3 1 0 1 2
1 3 m 0 0 0 0 0 3
f 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 5 12 m 2 1 2 1 0 0
f 0 2 2 1 0 1
4 13 m 2 2 0 0 1 4
f 2 0 0 0 1 1
3 28 m 2 1 2 1 3 1
f 2 2 4 2 2 6
2 7 m 2 1 0 0 0 0
f 1 3 0 0 0 0
1 0 m 0 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 0 0 0 0 0
64
Table A3 (Continued)
Question Choice No. Gender Educational Level
Item Choice B-Y2 B-Y3 B-Y4 M-Y1 M-Y2 M-Y3
14 5 15 m 3 1 2 1 0 0
f 2 2 2 1 0 1
4 24 m 2 2 2 0 1 5
f 2 0 2 0 1 7
3 10 m 0 1 0 1 3 0
f 0 1 1 1 2 0
2 8 m 2 1 0 0 0 0
f 1 3 0 1 0 0
1 3 m 1 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 1 1 0 0 0
15 5 5 m 0 1 1 0 0 0
f 0 1 1 0 0 1
4 28 m 2 2 2 0 1 5
f 2 2 3 1 1 7
3 20 m 3 1 1 2 3 0
f 2 2 2 2 2 0
2 5 m 2 1 0 0 0 0
f 1 1 0 0 0 0
1 2 m 1 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 1 0 0 0 0
16 5 23 m 0 3 3 2 3 0
f 0 3 4 2 2 1
4 19 m 2 0 0 0 1 5
f 2 0 0 1 1 7
3 11 m 3 1 1 0 0 0
f 2 2 2 0 0 0
2 4 m 2 0 0 0 0 0
f 1 1 0 0 0 0
1 3 m 1 1 0 0 0 0
f 0 1 0 0 0 0
65
Table A3 (Continued)
Question Choice No. Gender Educational Level
Item Choice B-Y2 B-Y3 B-Y4 M-Y1 M-Y2 M-Y3
17 5 5 m 0 0 2 0 0 0
f 0 0 3 0 0 0
4 8 m 0 0 0 0 1 3
f 0 0 0 1 1 2
3 19 m 5 1 0 0 0 2
f 3 2 1 0 0 5
2 24 m 2 3 2 2 3 0
f 1 4 2 2 2 1
1 4 m 1 1 0 0 0 0
f 1 1 0 0 0 0
18 5 1 m 0 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 0 1 0 0 0
4 12 m 0 0 2 0 1 3
f 0 0 2 1 1 2
3 28 m 6 2 0 1 2 2
f 4 3 1 1 1 5
2 19 m 2 3 2 1 1 0
f 1 4 2 1 1 1
1 0 m 0 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 0 0 0 0 0
19 5 2 m 0 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 1 1 0 0 0
4 17 m 0 2 2 0 1 3
f 0 3 2 1 1 2
3 38 m 6 3 2 2 3 2
f 4 3 3 2 2 6
2 2 m 1 0 0 0 0 0
f 1 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 m 1 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 0 0 0 0 0
66
Table A3 (Continued)
Question Choice No. Gender Educational Level
Item Choice B-Y2 B-Y3 B-Y4 M-Y1 M-Y2 M-Y3
20 5 2 m 0 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 1 1 0 0 0
4 14 m 0 2 2 0 0 3
f 0 3 2 0 0 2
3 34 m 6 3 2 0 3 2
f 4 3 3 0 2 6
2 6 m 1 0 0 2 0 0
f 1 0 0 2 0 0
1 4 m 1 0 0 0 1 0
f 0 0 0 1 1 0
21 5 3 m 0 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 1 1 1 0 0
4 4 m 0 1 1 0 0 0
f 0 1 1 0 0 0
3 42 m 6 4 3 0 3 5
f 4 4 4 0 2 7
2 8 m 1 0 0 2 0 0
f 1 1 0 2 0 1
1 3 m 1 0 0 0 1 0
f 0 0 0 0 1 0
22 5 3 m 0 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 1 1 1 0 0
4 13 m 2 1 2 1 1 0
f 1 2 1 1 0 1
3 39 m 5 4 2 0 3 5
f 3 4 4 0 2 7
2 4 m 1 0 0 1 0 0
f 1 0 0 1 0 0
1 1 m 0 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 0 0 0 1 0
67
Table A3 (Continued)
Question Choice No. Gender Educational Level
Item Choice B-Y2 B-Y3 B-Y4 M-Y1 M-Y2 M-Y3
23 5 12 m 3 0 0 0 1 1
f 2 1 1 1 1 1
4 31 m 4 3 2 2 3 2
f 2 4 3 1 1 4
3 13 m 0 2 2 0 0 2
f 0 2 2 0 0 3
2 3 m 1 0 0 0 0 0
f 1 0 0 1 0 0
1 1 m 0 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 0 0 0 1 0
24 5 26 m 3 2 2 0 3 2
f 2 3 1 2 2 4
4 14 m 4 1 0 0 0 1
f 2 2 3 0 0 1
3 12 m 0 2 2 0 0 1
f 0 2 2 0 0 3
2 5 m 1 0 0 1 0 1
f 1 0 0 1 0 0
1 3 m 0 0 0 1 1 0
f 0 0 0 0 1 0
25 5 10 m 2 0 0 0 1 1
f 1 1 0 0 2 2
4 27 m 5 3 2 0 1 2
f 3 4 3 2 0 2
3 12 m 0 2 2 0 0 1
f 0 2 2 0 0 3
2 7 m 1 0 0 1 1 1
f 1 0 0 1 0 1
1 4 m 0 0 0 1 1 0
f 0 0 1 0 1 0
68
Table A3 (Continued)
Question Choice No. Gender Educational Level
Item Choice B-Y2 B-Y3 B-Y4 M-Y1 M-Y2 M-Y3
26 5 9 m 2 0 0 0 1 1
f 1 1 0 0 1 2
4 29 m 5 3 2 0 1 2
f 4 4 3 2 1 2
3 14 m 0 2 2 1 1 1
f 0 2 2 0 0 3
2 3 m 1 0 0 0 0 1
f 0 0 0 0 0 1
1 5 m 0 0 0 1 1 0
f 0 0 1 1 1 0
27 5 12 m 2 0 1 0 1 1
f 1 1 1 1 1 2
4 29 m 5 3 2 0 1 2
f 4 4 3 2 1 2
3 13 m 0 2 1 1 1 1
f 0 2 2 0 0 3
2 4 m 1 0 0 1 0 1
f 0 0 0 0 0 1
1 2 m 0 0 0 0 1 0
f 0 0 0 0 1 0
28 5 11 m 1 0 1 0 1 1
f 1 1 1 1 1 2
4 15 m 3 2 1 0 0 1
f 2 3 2 0 0 1
3 31 m 3 3 2 2 2 3
f 2 3 3 2 1 5
2 1 m 1 0 0 0 0 0
f 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 2 m 0 0 0 0 1 0
f 0 0 0 0 1 0
APPENDIX D
70
MEAN VALUE OF EACH QUESTION ITEM
The mean values of each item in the questionnaires are shown below.
M refers to male participants, F refers to female participants, Ba refers to Bachelor
participants, and Ma refers to Master participants.
Table A4 The Mean Values of each Item in the Questionnaires
Question Item M F Ba Ma
1 3.93 3.75 3.69 4.04
2 3.36 3.59 3.54 3.40
3 3.5 3.88 3.66 3.76
4 3.68 4.03 3.77 4.00
5 3.75 3.63 3.6 3.8
6 3.79 3.78 3.71 3.88
7 3.75 3.56 3.74 3.52
8 3.57 3.56 3.66 3.68
9 3.21 3.34 3.29 3.28
10 3.54 3.38 3.34 3.6
11 3.18 3.00 3.17 3.48
12 3.29 3.06 3.46 3.00
13 3.64 3.38 3.49 3.52
14 3.75 3.59 3.60 3.76
15 3.39 3.56 3.34 3.68
16 3.86 3.97 3.57 4.4
17 2.71 2.81 2.66 2.92
18 2.89 2.94 2.77 3.12
19 3.18 3.25 3.26 3.64
20 3.00 2.84 3.26 2.8
21 2.82 3.03 3.09 2.52
22 3.71 3.25 3.31 3.08
71
Table A4 (Continued)
Question Item M F Ba Ma
23 3.89 3.31 3.86 3.80
24 3.82 4.00 4.03 3.76
25 3.11 3.59 3.69 3.32
26 3.54 3.59 3.74 3.32
27 3.64 3.84 3.91 3.52
28 3.43 3.69 3.63 3.40
APPENDIX E
73
GENERAL MEAN VALUE BASED ON QUESTION TOPICS
The general mean values based on the question topics are shown below.
M refers to male participants, F refers to female participants, Ba refers to Bachelor
participants, and Ma refers to Master participants, T refers to the whole mean from all
participants.
Table A5 The General Mean Values based on the Question Topics
Topic NO. M F Ba Ma T
1 3.64 3.67 3.61 3.72 3.66
2 3.68 3.83 3.69 3.86 3.76
3 3.66 3.56 3.70 3.60 3.63
4 3.37 3.36 3.31 3.44 3.37
5 3.23 3.03 3.31 3.24 3.2
6 3.66 3.62 3.5 3.84 3.66
7 3.25 3.18 3.28 3.205 3.23
8 3.32 3.59 3.71 3.32 3.49
9 3.54 3.77 3.77 3.46 3.63
APPENDIX F
75
SD Value of Each Question Item
The SD values of each item in the questionnaires are shown below.
M refers to male participants, F refers to female participants, Ba refers to Bachelor
participants, and Ma refers to Master participants.
Table A6 The SD Values of each Item in the Questionnaires
Question Item M F Ba Ma
1 1.18 1.12 1.00 1.29
2 1.10 0.97 1.04 1.04
3 1.04 1.00 0.77 1.24
4 1.21 1.29 1.03 1.46
5 1.00 1.07 0.96 1.12
6 1.19 1.24 0.96 1.44
7 1.21 1.46 1.06 1.59
8 1.19 1.49 1.06 1.41
9 1.2 1.49 1.15 1.54
10 1.21 1.27 1.06 1.41
11 1.29 1.07 1.06 1.31
12 1.00 0.97 0.89 1.09
13 1.10 1.37 1.06 1.41
14 0.93 1.57 1.21 1.39
15 0.9 1.61 1.21 1.41
16 1.19 1.61 1.31 1.53
17 1.34 1.24 1.29 1.31
18 1.55 1.1 1.36 1.34
19 1.51 1.37 1.41 1.48
20 1.51 1.37 1.41 1.48
21 1.61 1.61 1.61 1.63
22 1.46 1.57 1.48 1.57
76
Table A6 (Continued)
Question Item M F Ba Ma
23 1.29 1.07 1.21 1.18
24 1.19 1.07 1.09 1.18
25 1.37 0.82 1.12 1.15
26 1.44 0.78 1.12 1.21
27 1.42 0.78 1.09 1.21
28 1.16 1.13 1.06 1.24
APPENDIX G
78
GENERAL MEAN VALUE BASED ON QUESTION TOPICS
The general mean values based on the question topics are shown below.
M refers to male participants, F refers to female participants, Ba refers to Bachelor
participants, and Ma refers to Master participants, T refers to the whole mean from all
participants.
Table A7 The General Mean Values based on the Question Topics
Topic NO. M F Ba Ma T
1 3.64 3.67 3.61 3.72 3.66
2 3.68 3.83 3.69 3.86 3.76
3 3.66 3.56 3.70 3.60 3.63
4 3.37 3.36 3.31 3.44 3.37
5 3.23 3.03 3.31 3.24 3.2
6 3.66 3.62 3.5 3.84 3.66
7 3.25 3.18 3.28 3.20 3.23
8 3.32 3.59 3.71 3.32 3.49
9 3.54 3.77 3.77 3.46 3.63
APPENDIX H
80
SD VALUE OF EACH QUESTION ITEM
The SD values of each item in the questionnaires are shown below.
M refers to male participants, F refers to female participants, Ba refers to Bachelor
participants, and Ma refers to Master participants.
Table A8 The SD Values of Each Item in the Questionnaires
Question Item M F Ba Ma
1 1.18 1.12 1.00 1.29
2 1.10 0.97 1.04 1.04
3 1.04 1.00 0.77 1.24
4 1.21 1.29 1.03 1.46
5 1.00 1.07 0.96 1.12
6 1.19 1.24 0.96 1.44
7 1.21 1.46 1.06 1.59
8 1.19 1.49 1.06 1.41
9 1.2 1.49 1.15 1.54
10 1.21 1.27 1.06 1.41
11 1.29 1.07 1.06 1.31
12 1.00 0.97 0.89 1.09
13 1.10 1.37 1.06 1.41
14 0.93 1.57 1.21 1.39
15 0.90 1.61 1.21 1.41
16 1.19 1.61 1.31 1.53
17 1.34 1.24 1.29 1.31
18 1.55 1.10 1.36 1.34
19 1.51 1.37 1.41 1.48
20 1.51 1.37 1.41 1.48
21 1.61 1.61 1.61 1.63
22 1.46 1.57 1.48 1.57
81
Table A8 (Continued)
Question Item M F Ba Ma
23 1.29 1.07 1.21 1.18
24 1.19 1.07 1.09 1.18
25 1.37 0.82 1.12 1.15
26 1.44 0.78 1.12 1.21
27 1.42 0.78 1.09 1.21
28 1.16 1.13 1.06 1.24
APPENDIX I
83
GENERAL SD VALUE BASED ON QUESTION TOPICS
The general SD values based on the question topics are shown below.
M refers to male participants, F refers to female participants, Ba refers to Bachelor
participants, and Ma refers to Master participants, T refers to the entire mean from all
participants.
Table A9 General SD Value Based on Question Topics
Topic NO. M F Ba Ma T
1 1.14 1.05 1.02 1.17 1.09
2 1.11 1.15 0.93 1.32 1.13
3 1.20 1.48 1.06 1.5 1.31
4 1.21 1.38 1.11 1.48 1.29
5 1.15 1.02 0.98 1.20 1.09
6 1.03 1.54 1.20 1.44 1.30
7 1.43 1.30 1.36 1.40 1.37
8 1.41 0.80 1.12 1.18 1.13
9 1.29 0.96 1.08 1.23 1.14
84
BIOGRAPHY
Name Shi Kaina
Date of Birth March 2, 1987
Place of Birth Ping Dingshan Henan, CHINA
Present Address Pind Dingshan Henan, CHINA
Education
2008- 2012 Bachelor of Education
in Educational Technology
Faculty of Education, Burapha University,
Chonburi, Thailand
2013- 2017 Master of Arts
In Human Resource Development,
Department of International Graduate Studies
in Human Resource Development,
Faculty of Education, Burapha University,
Chonburi, Thailand