Understanding postgraduate study intentions in Vietnam: A qualitative exploration of contextual and motivational drivers

This study explores the contextual factors and motivational dimensions influencing Vietnamese students’ intentions to study postgraduate. Addressing gaps in quantitative literature, the research adopts a qualitative approach which consits of integrated motivation framework, self-determination theory, social cognitive theory, ecological systems theory, and sociocultural theory to investigate how motivation is formed and shaped by contextual factors. In-depth interviews with 36 participants found that students’ intentions are driven by three distinct motivational types outcome-based, process-based, and identity-based and it is shaped by five key contextual factors: perceived subjective norms, perceived financial well-being, perceived wellness, job satisfaction, and educational service satisfaction. The findings suggest that motivation is not a fixed internal trait but a socially embedded construct. This study offers recommendations for universities and policymakers to align postgraduate program design and enrollment strategies such as adapting communication to motivational types, enhancing student support services.