Importance of Lecturer's Role in Management Education

Abstract

Purpose: This study is undertaken from the standpoint of student-centered learning and theoretical paradigms that have developed in the business world and display conceptual affinities: the transfer of knowledge and training. Research design, data and methodology: Utilizing questionnaire surveys and multivariate data analysis are two research methodologies (CFA, SEM). Around 201 undergraduate students who were studying in Vietnam provided the data. Results: The results show importance of the faculty role in students' knowledge acquisition. The findings show that Ability to form a good relationship positively influences the development of competence. Additionally, neither ability to develop a good relationship nor learning drive or knowledge acquisition are significantly correlated with one another. The growth of competencies is positively impacted by the suitability of teaching approaches. Knowledge acquisition is favorably impacted by learning motivation, and knowledge acquisition in turn is positively impacted by competence development. Conclusions: Research has shown the important role of lecturers in students' knowledge acquisition. From this result, some implications related to lecturers are also given to help improve students' ability to acquire knowledge. Building good relationships with students (ready to answer questions, positive relationships) and good expertise will help increase learning motivation, ability to acquire knowledge as well as improve development for students.

1. Introduction

The distribution of faculty roles makes an important contribution to student development (Kember, 2009). Some of the roles are distributed as follows: providing information and in-depth knowledge through lectures and teaching activities. They are also topic and research guides, supporting students in choosing and developing research topics. In addition, lecturers also play an important role in career counseling, helping students understand career choices and develop the skills necessary for career success (Giang & Nhung, 2022; Ravikumar et al., 2022; SalasVelasco, 2014). They also provide assessment and feedback, helping students measure their performance and receive constructive feedback for improvement. In addition to these main aspects, the lecturer acts as a psychological and personal development supporter, helping students overcome psychological difficulties and develop soft skills. They also promote independent thinking and encourage students to research their own knowledge. Most importantly, instructors create a positive learning environment that encourages students' curiosity and natural learning, facilitating a diversity of opinions and perspectives. All of these roles support students not only in their studies but also in their overall development.

Vietnamese universities are undergoing a process of financial autonomy and knowledge society transition, which requires them to reform to suit the new context in the knowledge society, knowledge and the structures in which knowledge is produced, distributed, and applied to play a central role in the development of society at large. Therefore, teaching is concerned with imparting knowledge and developing skills and strategies for further learning. In other words, higher education institutions not only need to pay attention to knowledge acquisition aspects of students but also the development of students' competence. And there, the distribution of lecturer’s roles plays an important.

Lecturer plays an important role in improving knowledge acquisition and students' competence development. Lecturers take a key role in designing and learning activities (Kember, 2009). Lecturers have appropriate teaching methods, and the ability to build good classroom interactions will increase students 'motivation to learn, thereby improving students' knowledge acquisition (Ravikumar et al., 2022). Maintaining a good teacher-student relationship also help teachers better facilitate learning and) and promoting competence development in class (Nguyen, 2010; Hernandez-Lopez, 2016; Ravikumar et al., 2022; SalasVelasco, 2014).

The student-centered learning theory states that students' perception is an affective learning metric that takes into account their attitudes, convictions, and levels of assurance regarding the learning objectives (Armstrong & Fukami, 2010; Giacalone & Promislo, 2013; Sitzmann et al., 2010). When students are asked to rate their own perceived levels of understanding (Walczyk & Hall, 1989), competence (Carrell & Willmington, 1996), and performance (Lim & Morris, 2006) at the end of a course, the results have been used to evaluate students' learning in fields like companies, education, and psychology (Dobransky & Frymier, 2004; Lim & Morris, 2006; Quinones, 1995). The importance of the student's role is due to the fact that they are now in charge of their education, and the lecturer takes on the role of an advisor who motivates and supports the student in their studies and in locating solutions to the various issues they may encounter (Montero Curiel, 2010). This is done by using the best teaching techniques and developing strong lecturer-student relationships. Understanding how students view the role of lecturers in the development of knowledge and competence would therefore help to transfer knowledge and training in higher education.

Therefore, in this study, we explore factors related to the lecturer's role and examine their impacts on learning motivation, knowledge acquisition, and competence development from the students' perspective. The research conducted will answer the research questions: does the quality of lectures and building good relationships with students help increase learning motivation, increase the ability to acquire knowledge or increase student competitiveness? pill or not?. The rest of this paper is designed as follows: The following segment outlines the current work's theoretical background and presents the hypotheses. Section 3 explains the study methodology, followed by the data analysis and results in Section 4. Section 5 summarizes the implications and limitations of this research and possible directions for further study.

2. Literature Review about Distribution Lecturer’ Role

2.1. Knowledge Acquisition and Competence Development in Management Education

Education provides students skills and knowledge that will fundamentally shape their behavior (Haveman & Wolfe, 1984). A student who has the right acquisition of the right knowledge will perform activities and approach their professional career more successfully. The responsibilities to transmit knowledge and provide a conducive environment to enhance students’ competence are higher education institutions (Teichler, 2007).

According to DeMiguelDáz (2006), competence is a behavioral potential matched to a certain scenario. As a result, learning goals ought to be a collection of competencies, which include knowledge and abilities that students should be able to effectively regulate and use in real-world situations (Gonza'lez & Wagenaar, 2003; Ravikumar et al., 2022). According to Fernandez et al. (2010) and Gonzalez and Wagenaar (2003), students should be able to manage, update, and choose the knowledge that is relevant for every given context. This is because the discussion of learning outcomes is moving away from content and toward competency (Dietrich et al., 2022; Lo et al., 2022).

Professional competence, which can be described as an effective capacity to successfully carry out a completely identified working activity, is closely related to the concept of competence in education. However, as they encourage the realities of the working world, new pedagogical models like problem-based learning and collaborative learning are eliminating the distinction between classroom learning and workplace learning (Tynjala et al., 2003).

Despite the fact that students' competence growth can be examined from the perspective of knowledge transfer, learning cannot be reduced to the simple transmission of knowledge (Fernandez et al., 2010). Information transfer, along with knowledge generation, is a critical stage in knowledge management (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995). Transmission (delivering the knowledge to a possible receiver or presenting it to them) and assimilation by the recipient are the two steps in knowledge transfer Davenport and Prusak (1998). When the recipient used the received knowledge, which results in their behavioral changes – knowledge transfer actually occurs (Brachos et al., 2007)

According to the literature cited above, changing a student's behavior through the acquisition of knowledge and the skills necessary to put that knowledge to use, or developing a set of competence, is the key to success. They concur, however, that in order for this to occur, the pupil must have already internalized this knowledge. These examples help us suggest the following:

H1: The student's level of knowledge acquisition will be favorably correlated with the growth of his or her competence.

2.2. The Lecturer's Role in Knowledge Acquisition and Competence Development in Management Education

Lecturers have a crucial role in students' education on par with students (Fernandez et al., 2010). The inability of graduates to demonstrate the necessary competence can be caused by a number of factors, including the student's circumstances and traits, the educational process, or even specifics of the workplace (Botma et al., 2015). In this study, we focus on the lecturer's facilitation of students' acquisition of valuable competence. According to the constructivist method, the lecturer must be a learning facilitator and design learning opportunities that let students process and internalize new knowledge (Botma et al., 2015). Additionally, it is stated that students' involvement with their studies would suffer if they believe their instructors are not making an effort to learn about their needs and interests (Richardson & Radloff, 2015). In truth, university professors struggle to come up with a fresh approach that would enable students to apply the knowledge and abilities they have learned in class to carry out particular tasks.

Teaching capacity, according to Nguyen and Nguyen (2010), is a multidimensional notion with various components, including teaching skill, course structure, and student-instructor interaction. Burke et al. (2005) also made the point that one of the factors to be considered while examining the prerequisites for learning transfer is the lecturer's teaching style. In this study, we will look at the lecturer's function as a manager of important aspects of the relationship that he or she develops with the students as well as the appropriateness of the teaching strategies that are selected for the course.

2.3. The Lecturer’s Ability to Create a Good Relationship

Lecturers not only play the role of imparting knowledge to students, but also need to maintain interest (interact, answer questions or maintain good relationships with students. This will help motivate students). When students have psychological or learning problems. In addition to creating motivation, creating good relationships with students also helps students feel more receptive and comfortable in learning (DeMiguelDaz, 2006; Lewicka & Bollampally, 2022).

The connections between the parties involved also deserve some consideration in the context of information transmission. One of the biggest impediments to the transfer of internal information is a challenging or contentious relationship (Argote et al., 2003; Hansen, 1999; Lewicka & Bollampally, 2022; Szulanski, 1996). Therefore, it is essential for knowledge transfer to maintain a healthy and intimate relationship where there is always room for additional people. It fosters a positive relationship between parties and assists participants in overcoming errors, forgetfulness, and distractions that may occur throughout the implementation stage (Szulanski, 2000). Such a partnership calls for both parties to put their hands together in order for tacit knowledge to flow and be acquired (Ratten & Suseno, 2006). Wathne et al. (1996) reaffirm the beneficial impact of dialogue readiness on information transfer in this regard.

According to Kember (2019), Nguyen and Nguyen (2010), the relationship between the lecturer and the student in the context of an academy program is based on the student's opportunities to interact with the lecturer and the student's participation in class, such as asking questions, expressing ideas, and debating in front of the class. A high-quality lecturer-student interaction enables the ability to intervene by better adjusting the teaching techniques used to impart knowledge and skills (DeMiguelDáz, 2006). The lecturer can assist the student in understanding the transmitted knowledge from a conceptual standpoint more effectively the better the relationship between them. Additionally, if the lecturer and the student have a solid working connection, the student may be better able to assimilate new information and choose the appropriate knowledge for different situations. From the above argument, we propose the following hypotheses:

H2: The ability of the lecturer to establish a positive relationship will be positively related to the students' level of knowledge acquisition.

H3: The ability of the lecturer to establish a positive relationship will be positively related to the students' competence development.

2.4. Suitability of Teaching Methods

Master classes, class discussions, role-playing activities, and case studies are only a few of the teaching techniques mentioned in the talks on the renewal of teaching techniques. Any method chosen should be the one that will help the student assimilate the new information and build the competence required by the curriculum, the lecturer should make sure.

The architecture of the training plan has a significant impact on how well knowledge is learned and transferred (Arthur et al., 2003; Lim & Johnson, 2002; Lim & Morris, 2006). Teaching techniques must demonstrate information and skills to students, provide opportunities for practice and active participation in the learning process, and, finally, offer feedback (Salas & Cannon- Bowers, 2001). Different teaching approaches can encourage greater levels of reflection, which will result in the students processing knowledge more deeply (Salas & Cannon-Bowers, 2001). The speaker facilitates the debate and assists participants in learning new crucial ideas and practices in the more interactive formats of conventional classes, such as case studies (Baird et al., 2003). In conclusion, the effectiveness of student assimilation of class material largely depends on the adequacy of the teaching strategies. However, a suitable class design can also teach students how to develop the chosen competency. The lecturer can plan their lesson so that students can apply the knowledge and abilities they have learnt in the classroom to the workplace. Therefore, courses that provide many contexts for discussing and applying the course material might assist the student in displaying the desired behavior (Lim & Johnson, 2002; Machin & Fogarty, 2003).

The literature on knowledge transfer can be used to examine the effectiveness of the instructional strategies. The quantity and kind of transfer mechanisms needed will rely on the features of the transfer process, such as the type of knowledge, the qualities of the source, and the characteristics of the recipient, etc (Davenport & Prusak, 1998; Wathne et al., 1996). The degree of interaction between the parties created by the transfer mechanism is the crucial factor that needs to be examined in order to determine its acceptability (Davenport & Prusak, 1998). Positive interactions between the parties should be permitted via the transfer mechanisms in order to foster good communication and allay any concerns about the practical implementation of information (Nonaka et al., 2000).

According to the aforementioned reasoning, when teaching strategies are appropriately blended, they can help students enhance their knowledge and skills. The method of instruction that is chosen affects how the student will interact with the material. The lecturer who successfully integrates a variety of teaching techniques will build an environment that is more conducive to student learning. Such a lecturer will also need to structure his or her work specifically to aid students in meeting learning goals and acquiring the desired competency, which may entail picking and creating projects and activities for the students (Fernandez et al., 2010). These arguments lead us to propose the final hypotheses in this study:

H5: The lecturer's ability to build rapport will be positively related to the suitability of the teaching methods chosen.

H6: The appropriateness of the teaching methods used will be related to the students' level of knowledge acquisition.

H7: The appropriateness of the teaching methods used will be positively associated with the development of students' competence.

2.5. Learning Motivation

Learning motivation is defined as the desire to participate in and study the curriculum content (Dietrich et al., 2022; Lo et al., 2022; Nguyen & Nguyen, 2010). The self-efficacy approach is commonly used to assess learning motivation. This is an appropriate methodology for forecasting an individual's work performance (Cole et al., 2004). Learning motivation reflects the decision-making process of students to form direction, concentration, and effort in the learning process (Cole et al., 2004). Student acquisition is aided by learning motivation. The learning motivation increases the student's knowledge and skills. Thus, students with high learning motivation will have more effective and consistent study strategies in the accumulation of more knowledge and skills (Blumenfeld et al., 2006, Nguyen & Nguyen, 2010).

Promote passion for active learning, promote self-study. Most of the non-formal students are not actively learning, are not passionate about self-study and do not have a sense of self-study that comes from the lecturer. If lecturers do not encourage self-study and encourage students to self-study, they cannot arouse students' passion for self-study. It is the teachers who influence students' self-study. Especially for non-formal students, the lecturers are not really enthusiastic about exploiting the lesson, giving many situations, so they do not arouse students' passion in intellectual exploration related to the lesson.

According to Nguyen and Nguyen (2010), the lecturer's role has a direct effect on students' acquired knowledge as well as an indirect effect through their learning motivation. Because it makes students interested in determining the objectives and values of the subject, lecturers with appropriate teaching methods and the ability to create a good relationship with students can help increase learning motivation and knowledge acquired by students.

Hence, we proposed the following hypothesis:

H4: The ability of the lecturer to establish a positive relationship will be positively related to the students' learning motivation.

H8: The appropriateness of the teaching methods used will be associated with the students' learning motivation.

H9: Students' learning motivation will be positively related to their level of knowledge acquisition.

3. Research Methodology

3.1. Sampling

The sample includes students studying specialized subjects (2nd, 3rd, 4th years) at universities in Vietnam. The sampling methods chosen were cluster sampling and convenience sampling. For the cluster sampling method, we surveyed several classes using paper questionnaires. We conducted survey distribution online via Google Forms and solicited responses. Respondents were asked to choose a major they studied as a reference to answer the question. Those who answer the paper questionnaire will not answer the online survey and vice versa. The number of valid responses collected was 201, ensuring reliability according to the sampling method of Hair et al. (2006) as well as the sampling method of Tabachnick and Fidell (2007) using 50+8*p.

3.2. The Questionnaire

To design the questionnaire, we conducted a review of major studies that have addressed the issue under study. The ability to create a good relationship scale was measured by 4 items adapted from Szulanski (1996) and Hansen (1999), the Suitability of teaching methods scale was measured by 5 items adapted from Machin and Fogarty (2003), Lim and Morris (2006). The Learning motivation scale was measured by 4 items adapted from Cole et al. (2004). The Knowledge acquisition scale was measured by 3 items adapted from Nguyen and Nguyen (2010) and Hernandez-Lopez et al. (2016). The Competence development scale was measured by 4 items adapted from Fernandez-Lopez et al. (2016). (Appendix 1)

The competencies chosen for this study, such as initiative, entrepreneurship, or the drive for quality, are highly valued in the business sector. They also accurately reflect academic programs' goal of imparting skill that can be used in a variety of contexts (Tynjala et al., 2003). Two distinct types of scales were developed to avoid common method bias and to avoid using the same word form, which could lead to respondents becoming consistent (Podsakoff et al., 2003). The scales are based on agreement for the factors "ability to establish a good relationship," "suitability of teaching methods," and "knowledge acquisition" (Completely disagree - Completely agree), as opposed to the scale for the variable "competence development," which is based on the level of improvement (very low increase - high increase). Additionally, the variable "competence development" was placed on the final questionnaire between two of the three variables that had the same scale type.

3.3. Data Analysis Method

The study hypotheses were analyzed and put to the test by the writers using the multivariate data analysis approach. Cronbach Alpha and item-total correlation coefficients were employed to evaluate the internal consistency of each construct's dependability. To gauge the internal consistency of factors, use the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient > 0.6. Cronbach's Alpha coefficients under 0.6 indicate that a factor is incorrect, and it will be eliminated. Items having a total correlation coefficient less than 0.3 will be deemed "spam" variables and eliminated from the scale (Nunally & Burstein, 1994); the corrected Item-total correlation must be at least 0.3.

Assessing the propriety of the analysis scales: confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is used to convergence validity and discriminant validity. Subsequent studies using structural modeling (SEM) at the 5% significance level to find out the impact of factors on the intention to use digital banking services. The CFA, and SEM models are reliable when the Chi-square/df /< 3; The value of CFI, TLI, IFI is greater than 0.9; the RMSEA coefficient is less than 0.05 (Hair et al., 2006). Factor loading greater than 0.5 in each factor is considered to have convergence validity, and the square root of the variance greater than the correlation between research concepts are concepts with discriminant validity (Hair et al., 2006).

4. Results

4.1. Scale Reliability Test

The Cronbach's Alpha coefficients and the item-total coefficient of correlation display the scale reliability test findings. The outcome demonstrates that all scales of components have attained internal and trustworthy consistency, as evidenced by all Cronbach Alpha coefficients over 0.6 and item-total correlation coefficients above 0.3.

Table 1: Reliability Analysis Result

Note: ABI: ability to create good relationship; SUI: Suitability of teaching methods; KA: Knowledge acquisition; MO: Learning motivation; CD: Competence development

4.2. CFA Result

The results of confirmatory factor analysis was that: Chi-square/df = 1.812 (less than 3), CFI = 0.950; IFI = 0.950; TLI = 0.939 (greater than 0.9), RMSEA = 0.064 (less than 0.08). This shows that the theoretical model was compatible with real data. The factor loading of items are greater than 0.5, so it is possible to see the model of convergence validity.

The general reliability analysis results and the extracted variance show that the scales with factor loading greater than 0.5, reaching the convergence validity. The composite reliability of the factors above 0.7 and the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) are greater than 50%.

Table 3: The Reliability Test

Table 4 showed that square root of AVE of factors was greater than correlation showing the constructs assess discriminant validity.

Table 4: Discriminant Validity

4.3. Structural Equation Modeling

The analysis results using structure model show that the model is suitable for market data (Chi-square / df = 1.896 is less than 3, CFI = 0.944; TLI = 0.933, IFI = 0.945 (greater than 0.9), RMSEA = 0.067 (less than 0.08). The combined results are presented in the following Figure 1:

Figure 1: Structural Equation Model

The result indicates that the “ability to create a good relationship” has a positive effect on SUI (β = 0.735, p-value < 0.05) and CD (β = 0.288, p-value <005), which means the results accepted hypotheses H3 and H5. On the other hand, the “suitability of teaching methods” has a positive impact on “learning motivation” (β = 0.278, p-value < 0.05) and “knowledge acquisition” (β = 0.748, p-value < 0.05), which means H6 to H8 were accepted. H1 is accepted because the result indicates that the students’ “knowledge acquisition” is positively associated with his/her “competence development” (β = 0.646, p-value < 0.05). “Learning motivation” has a positive impact on KA (β = 0.238, p-value < 0.05), which means hypotheses H9 was accepted.

“Ability to create a good relationship” has no significant influence on “learning motivation” and “knowledge acquisition” (p-value >0.05), therefore, hypotheses H2 and H4 are rejected. Simultaneously, “suitability of teaching methods” also has no significant impact on “competence development” at the significance of 5% (p-value >0.05), which means hypothesis H7 is rejected, as well.

Regarding the mediating role, the results show that SUI has a partial mediating role between the relationship ABI-MO, ABI-KA. At the same time, the study also shows that Learning motivation only plays a mediating role in the SUI-KA relationship but does not play a mediating role in the ABI-KA relationship. KA plays an intermediate role between MO-CD but does not play an intermediate role between ABI-CD, SUI-CD.

5. Discussion

The results of SEM show that “Suitability of teaching methods” has a positive influence on the “Learning motivation” of students, which indicates that if curriculums and lectures are designed to match with subject knowledge, students’ learning motivation will increase. This result is consistent with some previous researches which points out that a suitable teaching strategy promotes students’ learning motivation (Quiang, 2019). Students are more excited about learning when the content of knowledge is conveyed in an easily understandable way. At the same time, suitable lecture content with students’ capability of absorbing knowledge helps avoid student feelings of overloading of lecture content compared with their current level of knowledge.

Similar to the findings of Kember (2009), Nguyen and Nguyen, "Ability to develop a good relationship" has a favorable impact on the lecturer's applicability of teaching approaches. A closer bond is created via improved interaction between the instructors and students. It gives them additional opportunities to ask questions of the speaker in class and get answers to any questions they may have about any subject. Students are more likely to be satisfied with the lecturer's teaching strategies when they have a deeper understanding of the subject.

Additionally, "knowledge acquisition" is positively correlated with "suitability of teaching methods" and "learning motivation." It can be inferred that the effectiveness of the teaching strategies affects students' acquisition of knowledge in both direct and indirect ways. Better satisfaction with the lecturer's teaching methods is the outcome of a positive relationship with the lecturer. A positive learning environment and effective teaching strategies will enhance students' motivation to learn. Students' acquisition of knowledge will produce greater results as a result of other dimensions' successful outcomes. Those results are similar to how knowledge delivery affects students’ acquisition of knowledge (Seel & Dinter, 1995; Zulkosky, 2012), and motivation enhances students’ knowledge acquisition (Vollmeyer & Rheinberg, 2013; Nguyen & Nguyen, 2010).

“Knowledge acquisition” and “Ability to create a good relationship” also have a positive relationship to “Competence development”. This is consistent with the studies of Hernández-López et al. (2016), Nguyen and Nguyen (2010). A strong education will prepare kids for life after graduation (in applying knowledge to the future job). The students' proactivity and increased adaptability for their future career pathways are also affected by providing a positive learning environment (a good relationship with the lecturer). The findings also demonstrate that the determinants have both direct and indirect advantages on development competence.

6. Conclusion

The study has resolved the research objective by pointing out the role of faculty capacity distribution in student knowledge acquisition. The study has made a contribution to the literature by putting forth a model in which students' perceptions of two aspects of lecturers' work—their capacity to forge positive relationships with students and the suitability of the teaching methods employed—explain knowledge acquisition and competence development. These findings imply that a connection has been established between the knowledge and skills imparted and the growth of a specific competence that the student will require in his or her working life. We have demonstrated that students' competence can be significantly shaped during a course, despite the fact that the competence utilized in this study can only be tested in a particular working context.

Theoretical implication: The study makes an important theoretical contribution by showing the important role of lecturers in students' knowledge acquisition. The student-centered learning theory is affirmed by the important contributions of lecturers to improve students' learning motivation.

Managerial implication: For policymakers, university administrators, and instructors in higher education institutions, this study offers pertinent insights that result in useful recommendations. Lecturers should be mindful of their interactions with students, the organization of their courses, and their methods of instruction. Lecturers in higher education need to be familiar with a variety of teaching techniques, how to apply them, what makes them effective, and the circumstances under which they must be used.