Vietnamese primary english teachers' knowledge, perceptions and practices

Teachers’ knowledge may be viewed from different perspectives, and these understandings have expanded significantly over time from a traditional foundation that includes content, pedagogy and context, to aspects that include personal, practical, technological, and multicultural knowledge. However, mismatches between what teachers should know as stated in policy documents, and what they do know and practice have been observed. My research investigated some of these problems in Northwest Vietnam amongst primary English teachers. Understanding Vietnamese Primary English Teachers’ (PETs) knowledge, perceptions, practices, and their contextual constraints focussed attention on English language policies, pre-service training, current requirements, recruitment, working lives, and professional development. This study also investigated PETs’ self-reported knowledge as reflected in the English Teacher Competency Framework (ETCF) in Vietnam and contextual challenges. My mixed-method study combined document analysis (40 policy documents), survey (298 PETs), and semi-structured interviews (16 PETS), collected in three phases from November 2015 to 2017. My results identified a slow spread of primary English teaching and learning in Northwest Vietnam, and the complexity of PETs’ inadequate pre-service training. There was a significant mismatch between PETs’ self-reported knowledge and the current requirements to work as a PET, especially with respect to ETCF in Vietnam. The findings indicated that PETs lacked confidence in all areas of knowledge, of particular in English proficiency and pedagogy for young learners. Their teaching focussed on form rather than the meaning of English, and it relied on the textbooks to support their identity as a PET. Their practice was impacted by not only their misconceptions about primary English teaching, but also by social and cultural constraints. Some of these obstacles, which were specifically related to the geographical remoteness of the Northwest, influenced PETs’ lives and work, especially female teachers. The study might provide robust evidence for policy makers and educational authorities to support the needs of primary English teachers and improve teaching standards through professional development activities.