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Professional development of EFL lecturers in Vietnam : a cultural-historical activity theory perspective
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Abstract:
Professional development (PD) of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers and lecturers in Vietnam has drawn great interest from stakeholders and the public over the past decade, as it is a key aspect of the National Foreign Language 2020 Project. However, the literature shows that this activity has been under-examined both regionally and nationally. This study examines the nature of PD for EFL Vietnamese lecturers of non-English specialized students. The study was theoretically underpinned by Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) and employed a sequential mixed-methods approach. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected from EFL lecturers and academic managers at 14 public universities across the country, and national educational policies were also examined. Quantitative data was descriptively and inferentially analyzed, while qualitative data was thematically analyzed, and policy documents were scrutinized using Ball’s (1993) policy analysis framework. The findings show that EFL lecturer PD in Vietnam is a politically, socially, culturally and historically shaped activity that is fraught with many contradictions. Applying CHAT as the theoretical lens through which to view PD in this context reveals that Vietnamese lecturers are influenced by cultural expectations and regulated policies that require them to be ethical and knowledgeable exemplars, and this shapes their participation in PD. Lecturers appear to be confident as change agents in enacting reforms and actively manage to respond to growing demands placed on them. The formulation and implementation of national policies show heavy top-down impositions, with institutional PD management seriously challenging lecturers’ capacity to be authors of their own PD. Access to PD by many lecturers, particularly female lecturers, is limited due to the absence of gender considerations and poor enactment of many national policies, inadequate remuneration and excessive workloads, and the cultural notion of women taking major responsibility for family commitments. The rising demands on lecturers’ competencies and accountability in an increasingly globalized and free-market driven world, where the English language has become an indispensable currency, pose tough challenges for lecturers in terms of their PD.
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Keyword:
2020; career development; English language; English teachers; foreign speakers; study and teaching; Thesis (Ph.D.)--Western Sydney University; training of; Vietnam
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URL: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.7/uws:57654
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