Stakeholder Perceptions of Digital Transformation  in Higher Education: A Case Study of a Vietnamese  University

Vo Doan Tho

Vo Doan Tho	doantho@ueh.edu.vn	University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City 59C Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, Xuan Hoa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, (Vietnam)

Summary:

Digital transformation has become a strategic priority in higher education worldwide, yet its success depends largely on how it is perceived and enacted by institutional stakeholders. This study explores the perceptions of teachers, students, administrative staff, and institutional leaders regarding digital transformation at a public university in Vietnam. Guided by Ecological Systems Theory, the research adopts a qualitative single-case study design to examine digital transformation as a multilevel institutional process. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 teachers, 6 administrative staff, and 5 institutional leaders, as well as four focus group discussions with 18 students. Thematic analysis revealed four overarching themes: digital transformation as institutional restructuring rather than mere technology adoption; human capacity and readiness as the critical determinant of success; persistent misalignment between digital systems and organizational processes; and tensions between innovation, control, and educational quality. The findings highlight digital transformation as a socio-organizational phenomenon shaped by interactions across individual, institutional, and policy contexts rather than a purely technological initiative. By providing a holistic multi-stakeholder perspective from an emerging higher education system, the study contributes to understanding how digital transformation is negotiated in practice and offers implications for policy, leadership, and capacity development in Vietnamese and comparable contexts.

View file

Keywords:

Digital transformation; Vietnamese higher education; stakeholder perceptions; Ecological Systems Theory; qualitative case study.

Refers:

[1] Aditya, B. R., Ferdiana, R., & Kusumawardani, S. S. (2022). Identifying and prioritizing barriers to digital transformation in higher education: A case study in Indonesia. International Journal of Innovation Science, 14(3/4), 445–460. https://doi. org/10.1108/IJIS-11-2020-0262

[2] Anh, T. T. N., & Phong, N. T. (2023). Teachers’ perceptions and readiness for digital transformation in education: Empirical evidence from Vietnam, a developing nation. FWU Journal of Social Sciences, 17(3). https://ojs.sbbwu.edu.pk/fwu-journal/index. php/ojss/article/view/1857

[3] Bećirović, S., & Dervić, M. (2023). Students’ perspectives of digital transformation of higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 89(2), e12243. https://doi.org/10.1002/ isd2.12243

[4] Benavides, L. M. C., Tamayo Arias, J. A., Arango Serna, M. D., Branch Bedoya, J. W., & Burgos, D. (2020). Digital transformation in higher education institutions: A systematic literature review. Sensors, 20(11), 3291. https://doi.org/10.3390/s20113291

[5] Biedermann, D., Kalbfell, L., Schneider, J., & Drachsler, H. (2019). Stakeholder attitudes towards digitalization in higher education institutions. In Proceedings of DELFI 2019 (pp. 57–66).

[6] Bond, M., Marín, V. I., Dolch, C., Bedenlier, S., & Zawacki-Richter, O. (2018). Digital transformation in German higher education: Student and teacher perceptions and usage of digital media. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 15(1), 48. https://doi. org/10.1186/s41239-018-0130-1

[7] Branch, J. W., Burgos, D., Serna, M. D. A., & Ortega, G. P. (2020). Digital transformation in higher education institutions: Between myth and reality. In Radical Solutions and eLearning (pp. 41–50). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15 4952-6_3

[8] Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi. org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

[9] Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j. ctv26071r6

[10] Brunetti, F., Matt, D. T., Bonfanti, A., De Longhi, A., Pedrini, G., & Orzes, G. (2020). Digital transformation challenges: Strategies emerging from a multi-stakeholder approach. The TQM Journal, 32(4), 697–724. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-12-2019-0309

[11] Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE.

[12] D’Ambra, J., Akter, S., & Mariani, M. (2022). Digital transformation of higher education in Australia: Understanding affordance dynamics in e-textbook engagement and use. Journal of Business Research, 149, 283–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jbusres.2022.05.048

[13] Díaz-Noguera, M. D., Hervás-Gómez, C., Guijarro Cordobés, O., & Domínguez-González, M. Á. (2020). Perceptions of students toward digital transformation in university teaching. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202012.0316.v1

[14] Erdmann, A., Presedo, A. E., & de Miguel Valdés, M. (2021). Digital transformation of universities: The influence of COVID-19 and students’ perception. Multidisciplinary Journal for Education, Social and Technological Sciences, 8(2), 19–41. https:// doi.org/10.4995/muse.2021.16007

[15] Fadli, S., & El Mediouni, A. (2025). Digital transformation in higher education: Moroccan university students’ perceptions and expectations. In Internationalization of Higher Education and Digital Transformation (pp. 259–276). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-76444-8_14

[16] Gaweł, A., Giovannetti, M., Li Pomi, G., Stefańska, M., Olejnik, I., Kulaga, B., & Cedrola, E. (2024). Stakeholder-cantered development of curriculum content in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 49(11), 2133–2152. https://doi.org/10. 1080/03075079.2023.2293923

[17] Giang, N. T. H., Hai, P. T. T., Tu, N. T. T., & Tan, P. X. (2021). Exploring readiness for digital transformation in higher education towards Industry 4.0. International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy, 11(2), 4–24. https://doi.org/10.3991/ ijep.v11i2.17515

[18] Gkrimpizi, T., Peristeras, V., & Magnisalis, I. (2023). Classification of barriers to digital transformation in higher education institutions: Systematic literature review. Education Sciences, 13(7), 746. https://doi. org/10.3390/educsci13070746

[19] Goulart, V. G., Liboni, L. B., & Cezarino, L. O. (2022). Balancing skills in the digital transformation era: The future of jobs and the role of higher education. Industry and Higher Education, 36(2), 118–127.

[20] Hervás-Gómez, C., Díaz-Noguera, M. D., De la Calle Cabrera, A. M., & Guijarro-Cordobés, O. (2021). Perceptions of university students towards digital transformation during the pandemic. Education Sciences, 11(11), 738. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11110738

[21] Housewright, R., & Schonfeld, R. C. (2008). Ithaka’s 2006 studies of key stakeholders in the digital transformation in higher education (Vol. 6). New York, NY: Ithaka.

[22] Hung, L. N. Q. (2023). EFL teachers’ perceptions of digital transformation readiness in a Vietnamese educational institution. European Journal of Open Education and E-Learning Studies, 8(2). http:// dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejoe.v8i2.4812

[23] Kvale, S., & Brinkmann, S. (2015). InterViews: Learning the craft of qualitative research interviewing (3rd ed.). SAGE.

[24] Lakshmypriya, K., Rai, R., & Kudal, P. (2022). Digital transformation in higher education: Impact of instructor training. In Pandemic, Lockdown, and Digital Transformation (pp. 175–196). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86274-9_10

[25] Le, T. T. K., & Vu, T. T. T. (2022, December). An Investigation into Teachers’ Perceptions towards Digital Transformation in Teaching and Learning. In Proceedings of the 2022 5th International Conference on Education Technology Management (pp. 153-158). https:// doi.org/10.1145/3582580.3582604

[26] Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. SAGE.

[27] Luong, H. T., Bui, L. T., Vu, D. X., & Lai, H. T. (2021). Assessing students’ acceptance of digital transformation in business universities in Vietnam. Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, 12, 6–14. https://doi.org/10.7176/ JESD/12-8-02

[28] Marks, A., & Al-Ali, M. (2022). Digital transformation in higher education: A framework for maturity assessment. In COVID-19 challenges to university information technology governance (pp. 61–81). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031 13351-0_3

[29] Mhlanga, D., Denhere, V., & Moloi, T. (2022). COVID-19 and key digital transformation lessons for higher education institutions. Education Sciences, 12(7), 464. https://doi.org/10.3390/ educsci12070464

[30] Morgan, D. L. (1997). Focus groups as qualitative research (2nd ed.). SAGE.

[31] Mukul, E., & Büyüközkan, G. (2023). Digital transformation in education: A systematic review of Education 4.0. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 194, 122664. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122664

[32] Niță, V., & Guțu, I. (2023). The role of leadership and digital transformation in students’ work engagement. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(6), 5124. https://doi. org/10.3390/ijerph20065124

[33] Nguyen, H. L., Dang, B., Hong, Y., & Nguyen, A. (2025). Digital transformation in Vietnamese higher education: An epistemic network analysis of policy documents. Journal of International Cooperation in Education, 27(2), 138–156. https:// doi.org/10.1108/JICE-03-2024-0010

[34] Nguyen, H. L., & Hong, Y. (2026). National policy analysis of digital transformation in Vietnamese higher education: Conceptualising a three-layer model for implementation. Policy Futures in Education, 24(1), 35-58. https://doi. org/10.1177/14782103251348089.

[35] Nguyen-Anh, T., Nguyen, A. T., Tran-Phuong, C., & Nguyen-Thi-Phuong, A. (2023). Digital transformation in higher education from online learning perspective: A comparative study of Singapore and Vietnam. Policy Futures in Education, 21(4), 335–354. https://doi. org/10.1177/14782103221124181

[36] Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2015). Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(5), 533–544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y

[37] Pitt, B., Huynh, T. Q., Gregson, J., Seal, T., Tran, H. H., Nguyen, H. T., Bui, T. N. T., & Nguyen, H. M. (2022). Readiness of digital transformation in Vietnamese universities. British Council. https:// www.britishcouncil.vn/en/education/going-global partnerships/success-stories/report-readiness digital-transformation-vietnamese-universities

[38] Rof, A., Bikfalvi, A., & Marquès, P. (2020). Digital transformation for business model innovation in higher education. Sustainability, 12(12), 4980. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12124980

[39] Rogozin, D., Solodovnikova, O., & Ipatova, A. (2022). How university teachers view the digital transformation of higher education. Educational Studies, 1, 271–300. https://doi.org/10.17323/1814 9545-2022-1-271-300

[40] Santos, H., Batista, J., & Marques, R. P. (2019). Digital transformation in higher education: The use of communication technologies by students. Procedia Computer Science, 164, 123–130. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.procs.2019.12.163

[41] Sjöberg, J., & Lilja, P. (2019). University teachers’ ambivalence about digital transformation. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 18(13), 133–149. https:// doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.18.13.7

Journal:

Volume. 22 - issue 1 / 2026

VIETNAM JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES

Stakeholder Perceptions of Digital Transformation in Higher Education: A Case Study of a Vietnamese University