Journal of Social Science and Human Research Studies (JSSHRS) · Research article · Open access

Sports Communication Awareness and Associated Factors Among Students at Selected Physical Education and Sport Institutions in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Ho Buu Chanh, Nguyen Quang Sang, Le Nguyen Tra My

2 November 2026 · Vol. 2, Issue 11, pp. 1949-1968

DOI: 10.65150/EP-jsshrs/V2E11/2026-01 (registration with Crossref in progress)

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Abstract

Sport in Vietnam is increasingly consumed, promoted and governed through digital media, yet the sports communication awareness of students at the institutions that train future coaches, physical education teachers and sport managers has rarely been examined. This exploratory study describes the sports communication awareness (SCA) of students at selected physical education and sport institutions in Ho Chi Minh City and examines the factors associated with it. Drawing on strategic sport communication, media literacy and the theory of planned behavior, SCA is approached as comprising four components: communication knowledge, perceived importance, self-assessed digital communication skills, and ethical–professional awareness. A cross-sectional mixed-methods design combined a student survey, a lecturer and staff questionnaire, and in-depth interviews. The exploratory survey collected 190 student responses; after removing 37 straight-lining responses, 153 were analyzed, together with 20 lecturer and staff responses and five interviews. SCA was high (M = 4.13/5); self-assessed digital communication skills was the lowest component (M = 3.94), and exposure to communication content in the curriculum only just reached the high band (M = 3.68). In a regression on composite scores, communication self-efficacy (β = 0.450), social media use (β = 0.266) and curriculum exposure (β = 0.224) were positively associated with SCA (R² = 0.50), whereas institutional support had no unique association once the other factors were controlled; SCA was positively associated with the intention to engage in communication activities (β = 0.488). Students who had taken a communication-related course reported higher SCA (p = 0.019). Nineteen of 20 lecturers and staff considered communication competence necessary; the most frequently cited barriers were a lack of lecturers with relevant expertise (17/20) and a lack of equipment (13/20). The five interviewees considered that students lack guided practice, feedback and information-verification skills. Because of the cross-sectional design, the convenience sample and the low reliability of some scales, the results reflect associations only and do not permit causal conclusions; they provide a basis for refining the instrument and designing the main survey.

Keywords: sports communication, communication awareness, media literacy, sport higher education, social media, Ho Chi Minh City, Uncanny Valley, Visual Artifacts, Digital Character Design, Post-Digital Aesthetics, Visual Storytelling, Human-AI Collaboration

Ho Buu Chanh, Nguyen Quang Sang, & Le Nguyen Tra My (2026). Sports Communication Awareness and Associated Factors Among Students at Selected Physical Education and Sport Institutions in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Journal of Social Science and Human Research Studies, 2(11), 1949-1968. https://www.ep-journals.org/articles/sports-communication-awareness-and-associated-factors-among-students-at-selected-435e1451

@article{Ho2026,
  title   = {Sports Communication Awareness and Associated Factors Among Students at Selected Physical Education and Sport Institutions in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam},
  author  = {Ho Buu Chanh and Nguyen Quang Sang and Le Nguyen Tra My},
  journal = {Journal of Social Science and Human Research Studies},
  year    = {2026},
  volume  = {2},
  number  = {11},
  pages   = {1949-1968},
  url     = {https://www.ep-journals.org/articles/sports-communication-awareness-and-associated-factors-among-students-at-selected-435e1451}
}

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