Abstract

This study assesses the communication and collaboration competencies of lower secondary school students in Hanoi through experiential and career-guidance activities. Data were collected from 600 eighth- and ninth- grade students and 48 teachers. The findings reveal a strong awareness of the importance of these competencies among both teachers, 89.6% of whom rated them as “very important,” and students, 98.6% of whom rated them as at least “important.” Students performed well in fundamental areas, including active listening (M = 3.31), active participation in discussions (M = 3.13), and task allocation and coordination (M = 3.08). However, they demonstrated limitations in more complex skills, such as self-assessment (M = 2.60), articulating viewpoints (M = 2.77), and negotiation (M = 2.81). These findings highlight the urgent need to develop targeted organizational measures to systematically strengthen communication and collaboration competencies among lower secondary school students.

Keywords: Collaboration, communication, competency, experiential activities, Hanoi.