When self-study becomes compliance: Quality assurance, concealment, and improvement in Vietnamese higher education

Abstract

Self-study is widely positioned as a core mechanism in external quality assurance for promoting institutional reflection, accountability, and continuous improvement. However, limited research has examined how self-study is enacted within compulsory quality assurance (QA) systems in Vietnam and whether it leads to meaningful quality enhancement. This qualitative multiple-case study investigated self-study in three universities in Vietnam. Participants included 7 academic leaders, 6 QA members, and 22 academics. Data were collected through in-depth interviews exploring how self-study was understood, implemented, experienced, and its perceived contribution to institutional improvement. Findings revealed that self-study was primarily implemented as a compliance-driven exercise. Factors included limited QA knowledge, restricted academic participation, concerns about institutional reputation, and pressure to align with external requirements. In two cases, these conditions encouraged selective disclosure and the production of more favourable reports. Although the process contributed to some administrative and organisational improvements, there was limited evidence of substantive improvement in teaching and learning quality. The study argues that self-study does not automatically function as a developmental quality mechanism. Its effectiveness depends on how its purposes are understood, how safely weaknesses can be disclosed, and how far institutions are supported to use self-study for genuine improvement rather than symbolic compliance. A clearer purpose for self-study reports is needed to minimise the tendency toward “beautiful reports,” ritualism, and tokenism, which waste time and resources while distorting authentic reflection. These findings have implications for the design of external QA in Vietnam and similar contexts where accountability pressures may undermine honest self-evaluation.