The relationship between the quality cultural values and the quality cultural environment in public secondary schools in the southeast region, Vietnam

Introduction: Quality culture serves as a tool and method to foster quality spirit in individuals and quality culture in collectives, as well as a core tool and method to guide educational organizations in continuous quality improvement and the successful establishment of a Total Quality Management (TQM) model. The study aims to explore the relationship between quality cultural values and the quality culture environment in public secondary schools in the Southeastern region, specifically investigating the extent to which quality cultural values influence the quality culture environment.

Methods: The paper surveys and evaluates the impact level of quality cultural values (11 values) on the quality culture environment (05 environments) in public secondary schools in the Southeastern region of Vietnam.

Results: Multiple linear regression analysis results indicate that quality cultural values influence the quality culture environment by 51.2% to 53.3% in Ho Chi Minh City, 40.0% to 46.8% in Binh Duong Province, and 45.8% to 50.9% in Tay Ninh Province. Four (Responsibility, Consensus, Pioneering, and Action) values are identified as core values in public secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City, while two (Responsibility and Creativity, innovation) values are considered core values in public secondary schools in Binh Duong Province.

Discussion: The findings highlight that responsibility consistently plays a central role across provinces, whereas other values exert differential effects depending on contextual conditions. These results suggest that quality culture in secondary schools is shaped not only by shared values but also by regional disparities in resources and institutional environments.

Introduction

Quality is a process of continuous innovation, creativity, and improvement; it is a responsibility for the implementers and a source of happiness for the beneficiaries. Quality assurance models and quality management systems are continuously deployed and refined to meet the requirements of internal stakeholders and satisfy the quality demands of external stakeholders at each stage of societal development. Ministry of Education and Training (2018) issued the high school quality assessment standards, comprising 05 standards at four levels for educational quality accreditation and two levels for recognize high school meeting national standards: (1) School organization and management; (2) Administrators, teachers, staff, and students; (3) Facilities and teaching equipment; (4) Relationships between the school, families, and society; and (5) Educational activities and outcomes, encompassing all activities in secondary schools. Therefore, to enhance the level of educational quality accreditation and national standard recognition for secondary school, schools must continuously improve quality, with each individual playing a crucial role, a quality mindset must be cultivated, quality awareness enhanced, and quality capabilities strengthened, collectively aligning to form and develop a quality culture tied to the implementation of proactive and substantive quality assurance activities. This contributes to shaping new quality cultural values and solidifying existing quality cultural values into “core” quality cultural values.

Quality culture holds significant and practical value for general education during the implementation of educational quality accreditation since 2012 and the rollout of the 2018 General Education Program (Ministry of Education and Training, 2018). The 2018 General Education Program is designed with an open approach to meet student competency and quality goals, aiming to evaluate diverse student qualities and competencies (including special talents) through a “learner-centered,” “competency-based,” and “society-needs-oriented” approach. It emphasizes education outcomes aligned with UNESCO’s four pillars (Sobe, 2023): (1) Learning to research, explore, and co-create; (2) Learning to unite people for action; (3) Learning to live in an international community; and (4) Learning to care and share.

Despite the growing interest in quality assurance and Total Quality Management (TQM) in Vietnamese education, empirical research examining how quality cultural values shape the quality cultural environment in public secondary schools remains limited. Most previous studies have focused on higher education contexts (Do, 2018; Nguyen and Le, 2019; Wilkesmann and Schmid, 2018), where institutional autonomy and governance structures differ substantially from general education. In secondary schools, the development of quality culture is strongly linked to collective values among teachers and administrators, reflecting how shared responsibility, cooperation, and trust contribute to continuous improvement. However, there is a lack of evidence on how these cultural values interact to influence school environments under national education reforms and the implementation of the 2018 General Education Curriculum.

This gap underlines the importance of investigating the relationship between quality cultural values and the quality cultural environment in the Vietnamese public-school system. The findings are expected to inform both theoretical understanding and practical strategies for fostering “quality schools” and “happy schools” in line with Vietnam’s educational modernization and digital transformation agenda. Therefore, this study addresses the following guiding question: To what extent do quality cultural values influence the quality cultural environment in public secondary schools across the Southeast region of Vietnam? This study explores the relationship between quality cultural values and the quality cultural environment, as well as the influence of quality cultural values on the quality cultural environment (if any) in public secondary schools in Southeast, Vietnam.

Literature review

Quality culture

Regarding quality, quality is defined as transformation, a change from one state to another (Harvey and Green, 1993); for humans, transformation refers not only to physical changes but also to cognitive and social changes, representing a developmental process of change (Jidamva, 2012). Educational quality is the level of education that meets national and international standards for learning materials, infrastructure, and learning environments (Mapogo, 2019); it encompasses inputs, processes, and outputs (Chandra, 2021); outcomes serve as benchmarks for measuring and evaluating the current state of educational quality within the system through student learning outcomes, reflecting the quality of inputs and processes (Kelkay, 2023).

The concepts of quality culture mentioned include the idea that everyone in an educational institution is responsible for quality (Crosby, 1986); quality culture is an organizational value system that fosters an environment conducive to establishing and continuously improving quality (Ahmed, 2008); refer to a subculture within organizational culture, in other words, quality culture adds quality values to organizational culture to enhance its strength and support the organization in fulfilling its mission and goals (Sattler and Sonntag, 2018; Do, 2018). Quality culture has been affirmed as a culture that emphasizes continuous improvement processes (Whalen, 2020), and quality culture is the foundation and driving force for educational institutions to maintain and enhance their quality, identity, and competitive advantages (Mushtaq and Khan, 2012). When the right quality culture is in place, all members (leaders, managers, faculty, staff, and learners) and organizational units adhere to it. Values, standards, processes, and commitments toward quality, with a spirit of self-discipline, voluntariness, trust, collaboration, sharing, accountability, and innovation, enhance the quality of products or services, as these are considered essential and critical (Xenikou, 2019). Despite many similarities between traditional and modern management, the cultural, value, and belief elements of organizational members remain crucial, as societal changes invariably impact individuals and the environment. The first element of quality culture is values, beliefs, and expectations regarding quality. The second element, management/structure, involves quality assurance processes and collaborative implementation efforts (European University Association, 2006). A value system comprising beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors shapes how individuals and groups perceive and approach their work (Mazur and Clark, 2019). Percy et al. (2006) argue that a happy school or a learning environment that brings satisfaction and happiness to teachers and learners cannot exist without a quality culture. Overall, quality culture is widely recognized as indispensable in educational institutions across all eras, as quality is a journey of continuous improvement.

It can be said that understanding and conceptions of quality culture are tied more to beliefs, values, and attitudes than to knowledge, although they are closely interconnected. Therefore, to understand and build a quality culture, it is necessary to influence people’s understanding, regulations/ organization, management measures, as well as their perspectives and beliefs about value when they engage with the organization. Managers must ensure that quality values are communicated through meetings, training, and regular communication channels such as newsletters, websites, and social media. This helps foster a quality culture where everyone is committed to excellence and continuous improvement.

Quality cultural values

Values have various interpretations depending on different fields and organizations. In each field and organization, values are formed and developed, creating a unique and distinct value system. According to Ngo (2009), value is a system of subjective assessments by humans about nature, society, and thought, focusing on what is necessary, good, interesting, and beautiful. In other words, these are what humans consider to be true, good, and beautiful, helping to affirm and enhance the essence of humanity; they pertain to objects, phenomena, and their attributes that have positive significance for society, groups, and individuals, serving as a means to satisfy needs and interests, while also expressing human beliefs about ideal purposes and modes of behavior (Le, 2013). Holden (2006) conceptualizes cultural value as instrumental value, institutional value, and intrinsic value. According to Le (2013), cultural value is a core element of culture, created and crystallized throughout the historical process of nations and humanity; it is a system of objectively meaningful values determined by historical practice and broad informational characteristics. Cultural values reflect the interests of advanced social forces, embodying good qualities (truth, goodness, beauty) and consistently creating orientations that promote what is right, good, and beautiful in humanity. Cultural value includes values created by humans in the past and present (historically nature) (Tran, 2013). The research by Smith and Tunnicliff (2005) aimed to establish a genuinely shared set of values among all leaders and staff in the school. The resulting shared and agreed-upon values focus on six common values: (1) continuous improvement, (2) commitment, (3) information sharing, (4) accountability, (5) effectiveness, and (6) innovation, demonstrating that the school cares about the perspectives and contributions of staff, leading to some changes in the school culture. Overall, the cultural value system of an organization is a guiding force that encompasses the good, beautiful, and right aspects of everyone, within which cultural values have been formed and developed in parallel with the organization’s growth.

Quality cultural values according to Woods (1996) include six values of quality culture: (1) Consensus among all stakeholders in education; (2) No distinction between higher and lower ranks; (3) Openness and honesty; (4) Everyone is informed about activities; (5) Focus on processes; and (6) There are no successes or failures, only learning experiences. Three components connect the tangible and intangible aspects of quality culture include communication, trust, and participation (European University Association, 2006). Vettori et al. (2007) argue that from the perspective of quality culture, quality is viewed as values and practices shared and nurtured at multiple levels and through various means simultaneously. Bundă and Baciu (2009) emphasize that educational reform aimed at developing a quality culture in the education system must start with the opinions, values, and beliefs of all citizens in the country. Quality cultural values include: Responsibility; Awareness; Cooperation, sharing; Consensus; Trust; Equality; Commitment; Creativity, innovation; Pioneering; Competency; and Action (Do, 2018). The framework for assessing the quality culture of universities includes values in the academic field, social field, humanities field, cultural field, and landscape and infrastructure field (Nguyen and Le, 2019).

Based on concepts of value, cultural value, and an overview of research on quality cultural value, the researcher believes that quality cultural value is of core significance for ensuring quality in activities, actions, speech, and thinking, meeting quality requirements and orienting quality development in accordance with cultural values and the school’s objectives.

Quality cultural environment

The quality cultural environment is based on the quality culture model of higher education institutions by Le et al. (2012), which includes five components: Academic environment, social environment, humanistic environment, cultural environment, and natural environment. Nguyen and Le (2019) proposed a standard framework for assessing the quality culture of universities, including (1) Values in the academic field; (2) Values in the social field; (3) Values in the humanities field; (4) Values in the cultural field; and (5) Values in the landscape and infrastructure field. This approach identifies quality cultural values within the five quality cultural environments.

Academic environment

This is the environment where activities (exchanges, innovations, etc.) related to research, teaching, and learning occur, encouraging cooperation and academic sharing among educational institutions. It encompasses values where academic activities take place, including research, exchanges, and academic transmission, following advanced perspectives and methods while respecting professional ethical standards (Nguyen and Le, 2019). It is a place for teaching and learning activities, research, intellectual exchange, as well as advanced research and education methods (Mahmood, 2018; Okoli, 2019). It is an environment where research activities and academic interactions occur (Oliver, 2017). In this academic environment, educational institutions develop appropriate strategies, plans, and investments for academic activities that align with their mission (Mozammad and Aksoy, 2014); exercise autonomy and social responsibility regarding learning outcomes (Soruel and Solano, 2014); regularly provide training and academic development for management staff and teachers (Thomas and Pyrros, 2018); organize teaching competitions at the school level and send lecturers to participate in teaching competitions to exchange teaching design methods and approaches (Smit, 2016); and create conditions for learners to develop knowledge and skills through Olympic competitions, skill contests, scientific research, and academic clubs.

Humanistic environment

This is the environment where the rights and obligations of members and stakeholders of the school are established and adhered to, providing resources to continuously enhance the quality of the school’s activities (Nguyen and Le, 2019). It is an environment where the rights and obligations of members and stakeholders are explicitly defined and followed (Nife, 2016; Vettori et al., 2007). It is a setting where the rights and obligations of members and stakeholders in the educational institution are clearly established (Sattler and Sonntag, 2018); complying with the implementation of resources to continuously improve the quality of educational activities (Okoli, 2019); exercising comprehensive democratic rights for staff, teachers, employees, and learners (Berings et al., 2017); fully implementing essential rights according to state policies for staff, teachers, employees, and learners; establishing mechanisms, policies, and measures for staff, teachers, employees, and learners to fully comply with (Mahmood, 2018); building quality policies and effective internal and social responsibility (Mozanai and Ling, 2017); creating mechanisms, policies, and solutions for staff, employees, and learners to fulfill their responsibilities toward the school and society (Wilkesmann and Schmid, 2018); fostering a spirit of solidarity and cohesion within departments and between disciplines and the community (Whalen, 2020); treating learners as individuals to be served, cared for diligently and thoughtfully in their studies, activities, and work (Yorke and Mantz, 2017).

Social environment

This environment includes the organization and rules, institutions, regulations, commitments, and orientations for the activities and behaviors of the school and the members as prescribed; it establishes social relationships; encompasses organization, management, rules, institutions, commitments, regulations, and social expectations; guides the activities and behaviors of the school and the members within a defined framework, creating collective strength and supplementing resources for development to continuously enhance the quality of the school (Nguyen and Le, 2019). It is an environment where social relationships, including the organizational framework, operational framework of the educational institution, and the behaviors of the members, are established and adjusted (Mozammad and Aksoy, 2014; Tedla, 2016). It serves as a foundation for social relationships, including organization and law, institutions, regulations, commitments, and orientations for educational activities (Naala, 2016). It creates collective strength and supplementary resources for continuous development to enhance the quality of the educational institution (Zulu et al., 2014); establishing a vision, mission, and goals that align with the resources and position of the school (Kolhi, 2015); defining the organizational structure and clarifying functions and tasks (Thomas and Pyrros, 2018; Okoli, 2019); delineating roles, tasks, responsibilities, and authority of functional units within the school (Smit, 2016); and ensuring that organizational documents and workflows are unified and applied throughout the institution (Trowler and Cooper, 2019).

Cultural environment

This is the environment where a system of norms, cultural values, beliefs, and codes of conduct considered good is established and agreed upon by the members of the school; it is a value system where norms, cultural values, beliefs, and codes of conduct are established and agreed upon by the members, creating strength for quality activities and continuously enhancing the quality of the school (Nguyen and Le, 2019). It is an environment where a system of standards, values, beliefs, and behavioral norms is accepted by everyone (Vilcea, 2014; Zake and Lazim, 2015). It is a setting where a system of norms, values, ideas, and cultural codes of conduct is accepted, agreed upon, and practiced by the members of the educational institution (Smit, 2016). It involves establishing codes of conduct within the school (Ahmed and Nulland, 2016); respecting, cooperating, and supporting each other among members for the sake of the institution’s mission and reputation (Soruel and Solano, 2014); practicing ethics, healthy lifestyles, and preserving and promoting good traditions (Wilkesmann and Schmid, 2018); engaging in activities of exchange, cooperation, and integration with both domestic and international communities (Zulu et al., 2014); and creating an educational environment that fosters school culture (Sattler and Sonntag, 2018). Each school needs to take steps and methods to build an educational environment that aligns with its characteristics and the essence of its school culture (Esther, 2016).

Natural environment

This refers to the landscape and infrastructure that contribute to ensuring and enhancing the quality of the school’s activities (Nguyen and Le, 2019). It includes the landscape and infrastructure that ensure and enhance the quality of the school’s activities (Abdulcalder, 2015; Tang and Stensaker, 2018; Thomas and Pyrros, 2018); fully supporting training and scientific research that is high quality and utilized efficiently, safely, and effectively (Alamri et al., 2014); ensuring that workspaces, laboratories, and practice rooms are regularly equipped, supplemented, and updated with new technologies to meet the demands of the 4.0 Industrial Revolution (Alomiri, 2016); public secondary schools frequently collaborate with businesses to create additional environments for teachers, students, and learners to engage in study and scientific research (Aramina, 2015); ensuring that the school’s architecture and landscape are green, clean, beautiful, harmonious, and rational (Yorke and Mantz, 2017); providing suitable dormitory and living conditions for resident learners (Zake and Lazim, 2015); and ensuring that libraries effectively serve teaching, learning, and scientific research needs (Zulu et al., 2014).

From the studies on values, cultural values, quality cultural values, quality culture, and quality cultural environment, the researcher identifies 11 quality cultural values: Responsibility; Awareness; Cooperation, sharing; Consensus; Trust; Equality; Commitment; Creativity, innovation; Pioneering; Competency; and Action (Do, 2018; Xenikou, 2019; Mazur and Clark, 2019) that align with the three components of communication, participation, and trust from the European University Association (2006); and the five quality cultural environments: Academic environment, Humanistic environment, Social environment, Cultural environment, and Natural environment (Nguyen and Le, 2019) (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Figure 1. Research framework.

In this study, we adopt the framework proposed by Nguyen and Le (2019), which conceptualizes quality culture through five interconnected environments, academic, humanistic, social, cultural, and natural. These environments provide the contextual basis for examining how quality cultural values operate within secondary-school systems.

Previous works (Do, 2018; Xenikou, 2019; Woods, 1996) expand and clarify the meanings of those values by emphasizing responsibility, cooperation, trust, creativity, and continuous improvement as behavioral manifestations of quality culture. These insights help operationalize Nguyen and Le’s (2019) framework for empirical testing in Vietnamese schools.

Research objective

This study aims to explore the relationship between quality cultural values and the quality cultural environment, as well as the impact of quality cultural values on the quality cultural environment (if any) in public secondary schools in the Southeast region of Vietnam, which includes six socio-economic areas (National Assembly, 2023). Therefore, when studying quality culture in secondary schools in Vietnam, the researcher selects a sample group from public secondary schools in the Southeast region (comprising six provinces) as a case study. In terms of the scope of place, researchers choose Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong Province, and Tay Ninh Province for research because these are three provinces that have received significant investment for educational development, focusing on a dynamic, high-quality secondary education and educational innovation in line with smart education trends. With these advantages, researching quality culture in public secondary schools in these three provinces will provide us with a rich data source, ensuring a comprehensive picture of quality culture in public secondary schools in the Southeast region.

Research questions

Research Question 1: How do managers and teachers in public secondary schools perceive the importance of quality cultural values?

Research Question 2: How do managers and teachers evaluate the current state of the quality cultural environment in their schools?

Research Question 3: To what extent do the perceived quality cultural values relate to or predict perceptions of the quality cultural environment among managers and teachers across provinces?

These questions are perception-based and aim to compare participants’ beliefs and evaluations rather than objective institutional outcomes.

Methodology

To achieve the research objectives, researcher employ a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods to gather sufficient convincing evidence to answer the research questions, test research hypotheses, and simultaneously uncover issues arising from the relationships between quality cultural values and the quality cultural environment, as well as the relationships among the three provinces (Green, 2007; Kellie, 2008).

Instrument development and validation

Based on the established theoretical framework regarding quality culture in secondary schools, the researcher constructed a questionnaire consisting of 16 observable variables, including 11 quality cultural values: Responsibility; Awareness; Cooperation, sharing; Consensus; Trust; Equality; Commitment; Creativity, innovation; Pioneering; Competency; and Action, corresponding to 11 observable variables, each measured using a 5-point scales: from 1-Not at all influential to 5-Extremely influential. The five quality cultural environments include Academic environment, Humanistic environment, Social environment, Cultural environment, and Natural environment, corresponding to five observable variables, each measured using a 5-point scale: from 1-Very poor to 5-Very good.

The questionnaire was developed from Nguyen and Le’s (2019) quality-culture framework and refined through expert consultation with five educational administrators and three university researchers. A pilot test with 60 secondary-school teachers in Ho Chi Minh City ensured clarity and content validity.

Reliability and construct validity were verified prior to the main survey. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from 0.86 to 0.94 across the 16 items, indicating high internal consistency. Exploratory factor analysis (KMO = 0.912; Bartlett’s test p < 0.001) confirmed two latent constructs, quality cultural values (11 items) and quality cultural environments (5 items).

For the main analyses, each construct score was computed as the mean of its corresponding items. These composite variables were then used in descriptive, ANOVA, and multiple-regression analyses.

This study collects information from both primary and secondary data. For secondary data, the researcher gathered and synthesized criteria from various sources such as documents, books, journals, websites, data from statistical agencies, research projects, and annual reports to study the relationship between quality cultural values and the quality cultural environment. For primary data, the researcher collected information from managers and teachers through questionnaires, and from managers, teachers, and experts in the education field through interviews (Hair et al., 2013).

Participants

For the qualitative method, the researcher applied preliminary studies conducted through theoretical research and interviews to explore, refine, and develop the observable variables of quality cultural values and the quality cultural environment (Njiro, 2016). The researcher interviewed 22 managers and 42 teachers, with Ho Chi Minh City having 7 managers and 22 teachers, Binh Duong Province having 8 managers and 10 teachers, and Tay Ninh Province having 7 managers and 10 teachers. The interview duration ranged from 15 to 45 min, conducted directly with recording at the secondary schools where the interviewees work, with the interview conditions selected to be most suitable and convenient for them.

For the quantitative method, the researcher surveyed 749 managers and 3,831 teachers using questionnaires in public secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong Province, and Tay Ninh Province, with the number of managers and teachers participating in the survey shown in Table 1. A convenient sampling method was used to select the three provinces that fit the research objectives and ensure a minimum sample size.

Table 1

Table 1. Comparison of humanistic, social, and cultural environments in secondary schools.

Data analysis

In the strategy for analyzing and processing information, we use statistical tools, including Excel and SPSS, to process the collected data using descriptive and inferential statistical methods.

The reliability of the scale was tested using Cronbach’s Alpha calculation, with a reliability statistic of 0.975 or higher, and the corrected item-total correlation of the total variables was all greater than 0.3 (Hoang and Chu, 2008).

Analysis and evaluation of research results were performed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics assessed the opinions of managers and teachers regarding quality cultural values and the quality cultural environment in the three provinces. Inferential statistics evaluated the differences in opinions of managers and teachers regarding quality cultural values and the quality cultural environment among the three provinces; it also assessed the degree of influence of quality cultural values on the quality cultural environment using multiple linear regression, where quality cultural values were treated as independent variables and the quality cultural environment as the dependent variable. Figure 2 illustrates the results of the relationship between quality cultural values and the quality cultural environment.

Figure 2

Figure 2. Research model of the influence of quality cultural values on the quality cultural environment.

Semi-structured interviews were analyzed thematically following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase approach. Two trained coders independently reviewed transcripts using NVivo 12 to identify recurring patterns associated with responsibility, cooperation, innovation, and environmental conditions. Codes were refined through iterative comparison, and inter-coder reliability reached κ = 0.85. Four overarching themes emerged: (1) professional responsibility and collective trust; (2) leadership and collaborative dynamics; (3) resource and policy constraints across regions; and (4) contextual differences among provinces. Representative quotations illustrating these themes are reported in the Qualitative Findings subsection of the Results section.

Results

Quantitative results

This section presents the empirical findings in three parts: (1) descriptive statistics of participants’ perceptions of quality cultural values and environments; (2) inferential analyses comparing provinces; and (3) multiple-regression models testing how perceived values predict perceived environments. Only the key patterns are summarized below; detailed coefficients appear in Tables 2–4 (see Figure 3).

Table 2

Table 2. Constructs and items of the survey instrument.

Table 3

Table 3. Number of managers and teachers participating in the survey.

Table 4

Table 4. Pearson correlation between independent and dependent variables.

Figure 3

Figure 3. Opinions of managers and teachers on quality cultural values.

The survey results on the 11 quality cultural values of the collective show mean values (ranging from >3.4 to 4.2) at the “Very influential” level, with managers and teachers in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong Province rating higher than those in Tay Ninh Province, with Binh Duong Province being the highest. The mean values in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong Province, and Tay Ninh Province are from 3.82 to 3.85, from 3.92 to 3.96, and from 3.46 to 3.54, respectively. The mean values among the 11 quality cultural values in each city/province are quite similar.

The ANOVA test on the opinions of managers and teachers about quality cultural values in public secondary schools between 3 provinces: Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong Province, and Tay Ninh Province shows that the significance level of Sig. Levene of 11 quality cultural values are all < 0.05, and Sig. Welch of the 11 quality cultural values was also <0.05, so the 11 quality cultural values had a statistically significant difference in the assessment opinions of managers and teachers between the three provinces. This analysis has answered the first research question (Figure 4).

Figure 4

Figure 4. Opinions of managers and teachers about the quality cultural environment.

Similar to quality cultural values, the survey results on the five quality cultural environments show mean values (ranging from >3.4 to 4.2) at the “Good” level, with managers and teachers in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong Province rating higher than those in Tay Ninh Province, with Binh Duong Province being the highest. The mean values in Ho Chi Minh City were from 3.86 to 3.90, in Binh Duong Province from 3.93 to 4.00, and in Tay Ninh Province from 3.51 to 3.64. The mean values among the five quality cultural environments in each city/province are quite similar.

The ANOVA test on the opinions of managers and teachers about the quality cultural environment in public secondary schools between 3 provinces: Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong Province, and Tay Ninh Province shows that the significance level of Sig. Levene of all five quality cultural environments are all <0.05, and Sig. Welch of the five quality cultural environments was also <0.05. So the five quality cultural environments had a statistically significant difference in the assessment opinions of managers and teachers between the three provinces. These analysis results have answered the second research question.

The Pearson correlation (r) determines the linear relationship between the 11 independent variables and the five dependent variables presented in Table 4, showing a positive (+) and strong correlation (r > 0.5) between the independent variables and the dependent variables, with a significance level Sig. (2-tailed) are all 0.000. Specifically, the Pearson correlations in Ho Chi Minh City are from 0.698 to 0.721; in Binh Duong Province are from 0.587 to 0.664; and in Tay Ninh Province are from 0.630 to 0.700.

Based on the Pearson correlation results, the study proceeds to explore the extent to which the five quality cultural environments can be predicted based on quality cultural values. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted with 11 independent variables and 5 dependent variables. Since the study explores the relationships between independent and dependent variables in the regression model, the Stepwise method in the regression model was chosen for data analysis. For each quality cultural environment, the researcher selected the nth model for analysis and evaluation because the nth model has many quality cultural values influencing the quality cultural environment and has the highest R value (Table 5).

Table 5

Table 5. Model summary.

Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted with 11 independent variables (quality cultural values) and 5 dependent variables (quality cultural environment). The results of 15 multiple linear regression models show R values ranging from 0.632 to 0.730, indicating a good correlation with R² values ranging from 0.400 to 0.533. For Ho Chi Minh City, R² values range from 0.512 to 0.533, indicating that quality cultural values influence the quality cultural environment from 51.2% to 53.3%, with the humanistic environment being the highest and the natural environment the lowest; for Binh Duong Province, R² values range from 0.400 to 0.468, indicating that quality cultural values influence the quality cultural environment from 40.0% to 46.8%, with the academic environment being the highest and the social environment the lowest; for Tay Ninh Province, R² values range from 0.458 to 0.509, indicating that quality cultural values influence the quality cultural environment from 45.8% to 50.9%, with the academic environment being the highest and the cultural environment the lowest (Figure 5).

Figure 5

Figure 5. The degree of influence of quality cultural values on the quality cultural environment in the three provinces.

The ANOVA test indicates that the 15 regression models predict the influence of independent variables (quality cultural values) on the dependent variable (quality cultural environment) based on the opinions of managers and teachers have significance level of Sig. all <0.05. Therefore, the 15 regression models are statistically significant for the dependent variables.

Based on the t-test (Coefficients), the regression coefficients of each independent variable are evaluated. In Ho Chi Minh City, 1 of 11 independent variables (Responsibility) has a significance level of Sig. < 0.05 influencing all 5 dependent variables; 2 of 11 independent variables (Consensus and Pioneering) have a significance level of Sig. <0.05 influencing 4 of 5 dependent variables (Academic environment, Humanistic environment, Social environment, and Natural environment); 1 of 11 independent variables (Action) has a significance level of Sig. <0.05 influencing 4 of 5 dependent variables (Academic environment, Humanistic environment, Social environment, and Cultural environment); 1 of 11 independent variables (Competency) has a significance level of Sig. < 0.05 influencing 2 of 5 dependent variables (Cultural environment and Natural environment); 1 of 11 independent variables (Creativity, innovation) has a significance level of Sig. <0.05 influencing 1 of 5 dependent variables (Social environment); 1 of 11 independent variables (Cooperation, sharing) has a significance level of Sig. <0.05 influencing 1 of 5 dependent variables (Cultural environment), and 1 of 11 independent variables (Trust) has a significance level of Sig. <0.05 influencing 1 of 5 dependent variables (Cultural environment). In Binh Duong Province, 1 of 11 independent variables (Responsibility) has a significance level of Sig. <0.05 influencing all 5 dependent variables; 1 of 11 independent variables (Creativity, innovation) has a significance level of Sig. <0.05 influencing 4 of 5 dependent variables (Academic environment, Social environment, Cultural environment, and Natural environment); 1 of 11 independent variables (Equality) has a significance level of Sig. <0.05 influencing 1 of 5 dependent variables (Cultural environment), and 1 of 11 independent variables (Competency) has a significance level of Sig. <0.05 influencing 1 of 5 dependent variable (Humanistic environment). In Tay Ninh Province, 1 of 11 independent variables (Equality) has a significance level of Sig. <0.05 influencing 3 of 5 dependent variables (Academic environment, Humanistic environment, and Natural environment); 1 of 11 independent variables (Responsibility) has a significance level of Sig. <0.05 influencing 2 of 5 dependent variables (Academic environment and Natural environment); 1 of 11 independent variables (Awareness) has a significance level of Sig. <0.05 influencing 2 of 5 dependent variables (Social environment and Cultural environment); 1 of 11 independent variables (Cooperation, sharing) has a significance level of Sig. <0.05 influencing 1 of 5 dependent variables (Humanistic environment); and 1 of 11 independent variable (Trust) has a significance level of Sig. <0.05 influencing 1 of 5 dependent variables (Social environment).

The results in Table 6 show that in Ho Chi Minh City, 4 of 11 quality cultural values (Responsibility, Pioneering, Action, and Consensus) influence the Humanistic environment the most at 53.3% with significance level of Sig. of 4 quality culture values (ranging from 0.000 to 0.003) < 0.05 and influence the Academic environment at 52.7% with significance level of Sig. of 4 quality culture values (ranging from 0.000 to 0.036) < 0.05; 4 of 11 quality cultural values (Competency, Responsibility, Consensus, and Pioneering) influence the Natural environment the least at 51.2% with significance level of Sig. of 4 quality cultural values (ranging from 0.000 to 0.006) < 0.05; 5 of 11 quality cultural values (Action, Responsibility, Pioneering, Consensus, and Creativity, innovation) influence the Social environment at 52.4% with significance level of Sig. of 5 quality cultural values (ranging from 0.000 to 0.042) < 0.05; and 5 of 11 quality cultural values (Action, Cooperation, sharing, Competency, Responsibility, and Trust) influence the Cultural environment at 52.9% with significance level of Sig. of 5 quality cultural values (ranging from 0.001 to 0.021) < 0.05. In Binh Duong Province, 2 of 11 quality cultural values (Creativity, innovation and Responsibility) influence the Academic environment the most at 46.8% with a significance level of Sig. of 2 quality cultural values 0.000 < 0.05, influence the Social environment the least at 40.0% with significance level of Sig. of 2 quality cultural values (ranging from 0.000 to 0.002) < 0.05, and influence the Natural environment at 42.6% with significance level of Sig. of 2 quality cultural values (ranging from 0.000 to 0.019) < 0.05; 2 of 11 quality cultural values (Competency and Responsibility) influence the Humanistic environment at 42.9% with a significance level of Sig. of 2 quality cultural values 0.000 < 0.05; and 3 of 11 quality cultural values (Creativity, innovation, Responsibility, and Equality) influence the Cultural environment at 42.9% with significance level of Sig. of 3 quality cultural values (ranging from 0.002 to 0.032) < 0.05. In Tay Ninh Province, 2 of 11 quality cultural values (Responsibility and Equality) influence the Academic environment the most at 50.9% with a significance level of Sig. of 2 quality cultural values 0.000 < 0.05 and influence the Natural environment at 47.5% with significance level of Sig. of 2 quality cultural values (ranging from 0.000 to 0.031) < 0.05; 1 of 11 quality cultural value (Awareness) influences the Cultural environment the least at 45.8% with a significance level of Sig. 0.000 < 0.05; 2 of 11 quality cultural values (Equality and Cooperation, sharing) influence the Humanistic environment at 47.4% with significance level of Sig. of 2 quality cultural values (ranging from 0.000 to 0.002) < 0.05; and 2 of 11 quality cultural values (Trust and Awareness) influence the Social environment at 48.3% with significance level of Sig. of 2 quality cultural values (ranging from 0.000 to 0.001) < 0.05. These analysis results have answered the third research question.

Table 6

Table 6. Statistically significant independent variables predicting the quality cultural environment.

Qualitative results

Following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase framework, thematic analysis revealed four overarching themes that align with the study’s the research questions. By systematically mapping codes to research questions, the qualitative component complements quantitative findings and enhances the interpretive depth of the study (Table 7).

Table 7

Table 7. Thematic structure of qualitative findings.

In addition to collecting quantitative information through surveys using questionnaires, the opinions of managers and teachers interviewed about quality cultural values reveal that managers and teachers in Ho Chi Minh City believe that:

• “Through quality assurance activities, I feels like there is a scale, a measure to improve school activities as well as quantifying the evaluation levels to assess educational quality more stably, accurately, and reliably, providing more convincing parameters to parents and society” (Teacher);

• “When the school meets quality accreditation standards, teachers can recognize their level and confidently continue to develop, creating motivation for development and fostering connections among departments, which is collective trust through quality accreditation” (Manager);

• “Quality accreditation work is the responsibility and consensus of teachers, which leads to positive results; quality trust creates the school’s reputation” (Teacher);

• “Quality accreditation activities promote educational development, improve the quality of education at the school, helping the teaching staff fully and correctly recognize, build trust, and commitment from the school” (Manager).

In Binh Duong Province, it is believed that:

• “Quality accreditation builds trust among staff, teachers, and employees in the school, positively affecting individual trust, commitment, pioneering, and awareness, helping individuals better recognize ways to improve quality and take the lead in activities” (Teacher);

• “Quality accreditation in secondary schools promotes educational development, creating motivation for improvement and enhancing the quality of education” (Manager);

• “Quality accreditation helps everyone better understand the quality of education at the school and builds trust to further promote the school’s development, helping me improve myself” (Teacher).

In Tay Ninh Province, it is believed that:

• “Regarding personal awareness, when undergoing quality accreditation, I will be more responsible for completing my tasks; there is cooperation and sharing with colleagues as well as enhancing knowledge, creativity, and innovation in teaching quality so that the quality of education at the school continuously improves, fostering cooperation, sharing, pioneering, and mutual trust in activities, creating trust among students and the community” (Teacher);

• “Quality accreditation activities allow all teachers and staff to reflect on what they have done or what still exists in the school over the past 5 years to draw experiences for the upcoming years, aiming to build the school to a higher quality level, promoting educational development and improving the quality of education at the school” (Manager).

Regarding the aspect of the quality cultural environment, interviews with managers and teachers in Ho Chi Minh City indicate that the Academic environment is rated as fair: “The cooperation and sharing among teachers are not high; overall, it is difficult to assess” (Teacher); “There is a trend of innovation from infrastructure to all teaching tools to serve students” (Manager); “It is influenced by the age of the teachers; younger teachers are more enthusiastic” (Teacher). The Natural environment is rated as fair: “There is a difference between urban and rural areas in terms of space and area used for learning and entertainment” (Manager); “Infrastructure is affected by uneven investment and the number of students participating and using it” (Teacher); “Landscaping and infrastructure depend on investments from leaders at all levels” (Teacher). The Cultural environment is rated as fair: “The normative rules of teachers are quite stable” (Manager); “Teaching students life skills will develop a cultural model in various fields of communication, soft skills, behavior, and situational handling, which is a strength in changing the educational cultural environment” (Teacher); “From the awareness of the managers with teachers, and teachers with students, it is friendly” (Manager); “It is quite good; the majority of students are well-behaved and polite, which is also a cultural trait of the school; teachers are very united and care for each other, creating good habits for students regarding culture and etiquette” (Teacher). The Humanistic environment is rated as fair: “The welfare and policies of the teachers and staff are well cared for by the district leadership and the education department” (Manager); “There are regulations about rights and obligations, but in reality, they are sometimes unclear and based on feelings” (Teacher); “All activities are guided in a public, transparent, and clear manner; however, some retired teachers do not continue to develop, causing difficulties in motivation” (Teacher). The Social environment is rated as fair: “The current policies and mechanisms are sufficient to meet and operate to achieve educational quality” (Manager); “The role of teachers in society needs to be enhanced; issues regarding teachers’ thoughts and aspirations, salary policies, and textbooks need to be unified for teachers to feel secure in their work” (Teacher); “There are currently sufficient rules on the part of the school and parents; the important thing is the support from parents for the environment to develop better” (Teacher).

In Binh Duong Province, the Natural environment is rated as fair, “Not really good because the school’s infrastructure has been built for a long time and is partially deteriorating, but it is currently being repaired to enhance quality” (Teacher); the Cultural environment is rated as good, “unity in achieving set goals” (Manager, Teacher); the Social environment is rated as good, “there are specific regulations for work” (Manager, Teacher); the Humanistic environment is rated as good, “ensuring the rights and obligations of members in the school” (Manager, Teacher); the Academic environment is rated as good, “assessed as fair; the school creates favorable conditions for teachers to conduct research. In addition to teaching, teachers do not have much time to invest in research” (Teacher).

In Tay Ninh Province, the Academic environment is rated as good, “teachers have a spirit of self-study, improve their qualifications, share professional opinions, teach with colleagues, guide, and motivate students to build a creative learning environment” (Manager, Teacher); the Natural environment is rated as fair, “the infrastructure according to the new 2018 General Education Program meets quite well with the new education program, providing playgrounds and learning spaces for students; audio-visual equipment is needed to enhance visual aids for students; the school’s facilities are not yet adequate, and some classrooms are not equipped with audio-visual devices to support learning” (Teacher); the Cultural environment is rated as good, “the interactions between teachers and colleagues are always friendly, based on the spirit of exchanging and contributing to mutual progress and development. Between teachers and students, teachers are also very friendly and sociable with students. Most students are polite and respectful of teachers, although some students occasionally behave beyond acceptable limits due to their personalities” (Manager, Teacher); the Social environment is rated as fair, “most students here come from rural areas where their parents are traders or workers; they are somewhat influenced by the social environment, and some activities are not healthy, but the social environment ensures teaching activities” (Teacher); the Humanistic environment is rated as good, “building a cultural school, creating close relationships between teachers and students, ensuring humanistic and educational values; in addition, social work is also well done” (Manager, Teacher).

The environments, according to the interviewees, still show differences between urban and rural areas, the investment in infrastructure and equipment among schools, the level of achieving educational quality accreditation standards and national standards among schools, and the ranking among schools (size), as well as between the regions where schools are located. This is generally consistent with the results of the questionnaire survey.

Discussion

The present study clarifies that quality culture functions as a shared system of beliefs and practices rather than a set of procedural requirements. By applying Nguyen and Le’s (2019) integrated model, we demonstrated that distinct environments, academic, humanistic, social, cultural, and natural—are differentially shaped by specific value dimensions, particularly responsibility and innovation.

Critical and analytical interpretation

The findings demonstrate that quality cultural values significantly predict the quality cultural environment across all three provinces, though with varying degrees of influence (R² = 0.40–0.53). These results are consistent with prior studies in higher education (Do, 2018; Stensaker and Leiber, 2015), confirming that quality culture operates as a multi-level construct encompassing shared beliefs, collective responsibility, and institutional practices. However, compared with studies conducted in universities, the present results show higher levels of explained variance, suggesting that collective dynamics among teachers in secondary schools may have a stronger effect on environmental quality than formal quality systems alone.

Notably, Responsibility emerged as the most influential value in both Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong Province, followed by Pioneering and Creativity. This pattern reflects the central role of teacher agency and initiative in shaping an environment conducive to learning and innovation, especially in regions with robust educational investment. The prominence of Responsibility supports Xenikou’s (2019) argument that personal accountability is a cornerstone of sustainable quality culture. Meanwhile, Creativity and innovation, which strongly influenced Binh Duong’s results, align with Mushtaq and Khan’s (2012) findings that innovation-oriented cultures foster long-term institutional quality and staff engagement.

Regional variations also reveal how contextual factors, such as socio-economic conditions, infrastructure, and policy implementation, mediate the translation of cultural values into practice. The relatively lower influence in Tay Ninh Province highlights the challenges of resource disparity and limited professional development opportunities. This finding echoes Bundă and Baciu’s (2009) emphasis that quality culture reforms must be tailored to local educational realities rather than uniformly applied across contexts.

The synthesis of research results in Figure 6 shows that in area A (independent variables), the “Responsibility” value influences all five quality cultural environments in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong Province, The “Consensus,” “Pioneering,” and “Action” values influence 4 of 5 quality cultural environments in Ho Chi Minh City, while the “Creativity, innovation” value influences 4 of 5 quality cultural environments in Binh Duong Province. This indicates that 4 quality cultural values: “Responsibility,” “Consensus,” “Pioneering,” and “Action” are core quality cultural values in public secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City; and 2 quality cultural values: “Responsibility” and “Creativity, innovation” are core quality cultural values in public secondary schools in Binh Duong Province. Notably, in Tay Ninh Province, the “Equality” value influences 3 of 5 quality cultural environments, and the “Awareness” value (unique to Binh Duong Province) influences 2 of 5 quality cultural environments. In area B (dependent variables), 5 of 11 quality cultural values influence the Social environment and Cultural environment in Ho Chi Minh City. This indicates that the Social environment and Cultural environment are formed and developed from the quality cultural values in Ho Chi Minh City. The research results also indicate that the “Commitment” value has not yet shown a clear influence on the quality cultural environment in the three provinces.

Figure 6

Figure 6. The influence of quality cultural values on the quality cultural environment. H: Ho Chi Minh City, B: Binh Duong Province, T: Tay Ninh Province.

Additionally, the research by Do and Hoang (2023) on quality culture in public primary schools: A case study in Loc Ninh District, Binh Phuoc Province, using a 5-point Likert scale from Poor to Good, shows: Academic environment (4 items): 2 items rated “Fair,” 2 items rated “Good,” with an overall rating of “Fair”; Social environment (3 items): 3 items rated “Fair,” with an overall rating of “Fair”; Humanistic environment (3 items): 3 items rated “Fair,” with an overall rating of “Fair”; Cultural environment (3 items): 1 item rated “Fair,” 2 items rated “Good,” with an overall rating of “Good”; Natural environment (4 items): 4 items rated “Fair,” with an overall rating of “Fair.” Similarly, the research by Chau and Do (2022) on quality culture in public secondary schools: A case study in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, using a 5-point Likert scale from Poor to Good, shows: Academic environment (5 items): 2 items rated “Fair,” 3 items rated “Good,” with an overall rating of “Good”; Social environment (4 items): 1 item rated “Fair,” 3 items rated “Good,” with an overall rating of “Good”; Humanistic environment (4 items): 4 items rated “Good,” with an overall rating of “Good”; Cultural environment (5 items): 1 item rated “Fair,” 4 items rated “Good,” with an overall rating of “Good”; Natural environment (4 items): 1 item rated “Fair,” 3 items rated “Good,” with an overall rating of “Good.” The research results of this research are quite similar regarding the quality cultural environment compared to previous studies in Vietnam.

From the collected information, it can be concluded that the teaching staff at the school demonstrates a sense of responsibility in educational activities aimed at improving the school’s quality. Based on the research results, several recommendations are suggested: public secondary schools need to review and develop a route for the development of 7 of 11 quality cultural values: “Cooperation, sharing,” “Trust,” “Equality,” “Creativity, innovation,” “Awareness,” “Competency,” and “Commitment” in Ho Chi Minh City; 9 of 11 quality cultural values: “Cooperation, sharing,” “Consensus,” “Action,” “Trust,” “Pioneering,” “Equality,” “Awareness,” “Competency,” and “Commitment” in Binh Duong Province; 9 of 11 quality cultural values: “Cooperation, sharing,” “Consensus,” “Responsibility,” “Action,” “Trust,” “Pioneering,” “Creativity, innovation,” “Competency,” and “Commitment” in Tay Ninh Province, integrating them into the activities of developing a quality cultural environment. However, schools need to pay attention, focus on, and continue to promote/develop quality cultural values contributing to the development/formation of quality culture in secondary schools. With these proposals, based on the mission, vision, and strategic plan for quality education development, each school should select appropriate quality cultural values to form and develop, supplement, or integrate digital cultural values to meet the development of the fourth industrial revolution, where artificial intelligence in the digital space needs to be prioritized. Therefore, after determining the phase of building the corresponding quality culture, schools need to develop a suitable strategic plan to advance the quality culture to a higher stage. Quality culture is built and developed in stages, from simple to complex, forming habits that lead to correct awareness.

Policy and practical implications

The present study extends theoretical understanding by confirming that cultural values function not only as moral ideals but also as measurable predictors of institutional quality. Practically, these findings suggest that school leaders should integrate quality cultural values, particularly Responsibility, Pioneering, Creativity, and Consensus, into school development plans, performance evaluations, and teacher professional training programs. Continuous communication and participatory management can strengthen shared understanding and mutual trust, thereby enhancing the quality cultural environment.

Policymakers and educational authorities should consider developing professional standards for “quality culture leadership,” emphasizing reflective practice, collective responsibility, and digital adaptability. Moreover, integrating quality culture principles into teacher training curricula and school accreditation criteria could bridge the current gap between external quality assurance and internal cultural transformation. This alignment would contribute not only to the realization of “happy schools” but also to the sustainability of Vietnam’s quality education reform.

Conclusion

The research results indicate that the teaching staff at the school has demonstrated responsibility in educational activities aimed at improving the school’s quality. Eleven quality cultural values achieved a “Very influential” level with mean values ranging from 3.82 to 3.85 in Ho Chi Minh City, from 3.92 to 3.96 in Binh Duong Province, and from 3.46 to 3.54 in Tay Ninh Province. The five quality cultural environments achieved a “Good” level with mean values ranging from 3.86 to 3.90 in Ho Chi Minh City, from 3.93 to 4.00 in Binh Duong Province, and from 3.51 to 3.64 in Tay Ninh Province. Quality cultural values influence the quality cultural environment from 51.2% to 53.3% in Ho Chi Minh City, from 40.0% to 46.8% in Binh Duong Province, and from 45.8% to 50.9% in Tay Ninh Province. Ten of eleven quality cultural values influence the quality cultural environment, among which the “Responsibility,” “Consensus,” “Pioneering,” and “Action” values are core quality cultural values in public secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City; the “Responsibility” and “Creativity, innovation” values are core quality cultural values in public secondary schools in Binh Duong Province. The “Commitment” value has not yet shown a clear influence on the quality cultural environment. From the research results, not only public secondary schools in Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong Province, and Tay Ninh Province but also other public secondary schools should study and select quality cultural values and quality cultural environments that are meaningful and have an appropriate level of influence in line with the quality awareness of the teaching staff, aiming to maintain and develop educational quality. This result helps educational managers apply the research findings to improve quality culture and develop educational quality, thereby enhancing student satisfaction in the future.

Limitations

However, this study examines the influence of quality cultural values on the quality cultural environment (considering the impact of individual spirit on organizational culture). In the next study, researchers will examine the influence of the quality cultural environment on quality cultural values (considering the impact of organizational culture on individual spirit).

Data availability statement

The datasets presented in this article are not readily available because the datasets generated for this study contain sensitive educational data and cannot be shared publicly due to participant confidentiality restrictions. Requests to access the datasets should be directed to Q-MT, aGNtdWUuam91cm5hbC5wc3lAZ21haWwuY29t.

Ethics statement

The studies involving humans were approved by Ethics Committee of Saigon University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. The participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

Author contributions

D-TD: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. V-SH: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Q-MT: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Q-BN: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. V-TT: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. T-TV: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. U-PD: Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.

Funding

The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Generative AI statement

The authors declare that no Gen AI was used in the creation of this manuscript.

Any alternative text (alt text) provided alongside figures in this article has been generated by Frontiers with the support of artificial intelligence and reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, including review by the authors wherever possible. If you identify any issues, please contact us.

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