The Design of the 2016-17 Young Lives School Survey in Vietnam

Following the Young Lives survey on primary school effectiveness in Vietnam, Young Lives is conducting a survey on secondary school effectiveness in 2016-17. The study examines school effectiveness through multiple outcome measures: Grade 10 students’ performance in Maths, Functional English, and Transferable Skills. Student performance in Maths and Functional English is assessed using repeated measures, which involves the administration of linked cognitive tests at the beginning and the end of Grade 10 (Wave 1 and Wave 2 of data collection respectively). This will allow students’ progress over the course of one year of secondary schooling to be considered in relation to student, class, teacher and school factors.

Children from the Young Lives ‘Younger Cohort’ (born in 2001-02) who participated in the 2011-12 primary school survey will be included in the 2016-17 school survey, and this will offer a rich longitudinal perspective on the school system in Vietnam. In particular, it will be possible to explore the links between learning outcomes and student, class, teacher and school factors at two key points of schooling: the end of primary school (Grade 5), and the beginning of upper secondary school (Grade 10).

Priority areas for secondary education policy and practice in Vietnam have been identified in consultation with key stakeholders, including the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), World Bank, Asian Development Bank and UNICEF. Based on these consultations, the Vietnam secondary school survey is guided by the following research questions:

• To what extent do schools support the development of transferable skills in Grade 10, in both core curricular and cross-curricular domains?
• What are the student, teacher, class and school-related factors associated with the development of transferable skills?
• What are the factors associated with transition to upper secondary school?
• How are learning outcomes in and transition to Grade 10 affected by ethnic background?
• To what extent can learning outcomes in and transition to Grade 10 be linked to learning outcomes in Grade 5?
• This design note outlines the context and policy background, the research design, and the policy implications of the Vietnam secondary school survey.