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EFL teachers’ perceptions and practices of professional development in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam
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Abstract
Professional development is increasingly recognized as a critical component of educational reform in Vietnam, especially in rural regions. This study investigates the perceptions and practices of English as a Foreign Language secondary school teachers regarding professional development in Dong Thap Province, addressing a lack of research in rural contexts. Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach, the research first surveyed 120 teachers using a structured questionnaire and then conducted semi-structured interviews with eight selected participants. Quantitative findings revealed strong support for professional development as a continuous and reflective process, with mentoring and Communities of Practice rated most favorably. Qualitative results confirmed the value of context-sensitive, teacher-driven, and collaborative models, while also exposing challenges such as time constraints, inconsistent participation, and limited institutional support. These findings emphasize the need for more flexible, contextually relevant professional development approaches that empower teacher autonomy and foster sustainable professional growth.
Keywords
Communities of Practice, English as a Foreign Language teachers, mentoring, professional development.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
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