VietTESOL International Convention 2026

In this talk, I will present a broad overview of the PhD requirements and approaches in various countries around the world – though with a primary focus on the UK, where I have most experience. The talk will focus on what I see as the three key aspects of undertaking a PhD. The first of these is the role of the research student. As a student, there are a number of key areas that should be...

Despite the acknowledged effectiveness of translanguaging - allowing students to use their native language (L1) to learn, discuss, and write, even if the instructor does not speak that language - as scaffolding in language education, research depicting how specific scaffolding strategies are integrated into pedagogical translanguaging in English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) classrooms remains...

This workshop will detail a project executing non-verbal exercises to help medical English students improve communication skills and doctor-patient simulations. The research was done with first-year students at a medical university in Vientiane; the presentation will include the need for such a project, the methodology of our research, and the results we found. Students practiced culturally...

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the way students learn, access information, and complete academic tasks. In a recent survey conducted by the presenter, 100% of students reported using AI tools, highlighting the urgent need for educators to move beyond debates about whether students use AI and focus instead on how they use it. While AI offers powerful opportunities for language...

The modernization of English-language programs in ASEAN is attracting significant interest from universities seeking to align programs with current and future employment opportunities through Outcome-Based Education (OBE). To align effectively within an OBE framework, university programs require a comprehensive understanding of current and future job markets to establish relevant and...

While English textbooks provide valuable linguistic input, many classroom activities do not always create meaningful opportunities for interaction, learner voice, or authentic communication. This interactive workshop explores how standard textbook activities can be transformed into communicative learning experiences that promote active student engagement, critical thinking, and cultural...

In recent years, teacher leadership has gained increasing attention as an important factor in improving teaching quality and supporting school development. Research has consistently highlighted the importance of preparing preservice teachers for teacher leadership during their initial teacher education. However, limited research has examined how preservice teachers conceptualize teacher...

As social media becomes an integral part of students’ daily lives, it is increasingly positioned as a space for informal English learning. However, how learners regulate their learning in these environments remains insufficiently understood. This study examines how Vietnamese EFL university students use social media for self-directed English learning. The research draws on Garrison’s (1997)...

This practical workshop provides a strategic roadmap for educators looking to design, execute, and sustain intensive English language & capacity building initiatives as Vietnam transitions toward its 2035 ESL goals. Drawing on the presenter’s experience leading high-impact teacher training workshops, student leadership initiatives, and textbook creation projects through international...

This 60-minute workshop focuses on teacher-trainer course design for English-medium instruction (EMI) and its transformative role in international colleges and universities. Participants will explore various curriculum model options that effectively integrate English language learning with subject content, fostering an immersive educational experience for both teachers and students. We will...

Artificial intelligence tools are rapidly changing how English teachers create classroom materials, allowing lessons, quizzes, and activities to be generated within seconds. However, faster content production does not necessarily lead to deeper language processing or more meaningful communication. In many classrooms, students move quickly through visually polished activities without sufficient...

This study investigates diachronic shifts in ecological representations in Vietnamese literary discourse, based on a purposively selected corpus of canonical works produced before and after 1975. Drawing on Systemic Functional Linguistics and ecolinguistic discourse analysis, the paper examines how transitivity patterns, appraisal resources, and metaphorical constructions encode changing...

In many English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) contexts, instruction remains heavily exam-oriented, prioritizing accuracy over authentic communication. Vietnam is currently undergoing a pivotal transformation through Decree 2371/QD-TTg, which aims to transition the school system from an EFL environment to one where English is a second language (ESL). This shift necessitates new pedagogies that...

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) has gained increasing attention worldwide due to its positive impact on student well-being, engagement, and academic success. However, despite its growing importance, SEL remains underexplored in many English language teaching contexts in Asia (Bai et al., 2024). As language learning is closely connected to emotions, confidence, relationships, and classroom...

The standardized proficiency tests and their washback effects have been drawing great attention from researchers across the globe. The current study investigates the impacts of the Vietnamese standardized test of English proficiency (VSTEP) on non English-majored undergraduates’ behaviors during test preparation process. This research adopted a mixed-methods approach, utilizing two primary...

This transition reflects a strategic language policy direction aimed at equipping learners with practical communicative competence for global participation. Rather than positioning English as an isolated academic subject, the ESL perspective emphasizes its role as a functional medium for interaction in educational, professional, and social contexts. A critical factor supporting this shift is...

This doctoral study examines the use of Change Laboratory, a formative intervention grounded in Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), as both a professional development model and a research methodology to support teacher learning during Vietnam’s transition from English as a foreign language to English as a second language. The study focuses on Content and Language Integrated Learning...

Despite educational reforms prioritizing "communicative competence," traditional classrooms are often dominated by mechanical grammar and vocabulary drills that fail to bridge the gap between controlled practice and real-world language use. Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) is the most theoretically and empirically supported method for second language acquisition that develops communicative...

This presentation reports on the curriculum redesign and pedagogical implementation of an English-Medium Instruction (EMI) across two diverse higher education contexts: Software Testing course and a Comparative Educational Administration course following participation in an intensive eight-week EMI professional development program. Responding to current demands for English proficiency, and...

Critical incidents are unplanned and unexpected events that occur during lessons and prompt teachers to reflect on teaching and learning. Regardless of an institution’s context or teaching approach, such incidents are a natural part of classroom life and can provide valuable opportunities for teacher learning. Analysing these moments can help educators develop greater reflective awareness and...

As Việt Nam continues to press toward foreign language integration, especially English as a second language, content teachers have the dual burden of learning English and teaching in it across the curriculum. The path to empowering students through content and language integration is eased with the help of English teachers’ language support courses for teachers in content areas using English...

Project-Based Learning (PBL) has become increasingly popular in EFL education due to its potential to promote active learning, collaboration, and learner-centered practices (Thomas, 2000; Bell, 2010). At the same time, learner agency has emerged as an important educational goal, as it enables students to take an active role in shaping their learning experiences (van Lier, 2008; Mercer, 2012)....

As Vietnam gradually repositions English from a foreign language to a second language, English classrooms are increasingly expected to promote authentic communication, critical thinking, and intercultural interaction. However, greater authenticity in language use also raises pedagogical concerns regarding taboo, controversial, and emotionally triggering topics. This conceptual paper discusses...

This hands-on workshop gives English educators and curriculum administrators a practical framework for crafting institutional AI policy that moves beyond prohibition toward design. Drawing on recent research from MIT Media Lab, Microsoft, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Collegiate Learning Assessment, the session establishes that the cognitive skills AI erodes, including critical thinking,...

While mastering collocations is vital for natural and fluent expression, vocabulary instruction in many high schools remains heavily dependent on memorizing stagnant, isolated wordlists. This rigid word-to-word translation often acts as a major barrier, causing EFL learners to produce awkward, unnatural phrases. To tackle this persistent issue, this 60-minute interactive workshop offers...

Creating meaningful assessments is an essential part of English language teaching, yet designing quizzes, setting answer keys, grading responses, and providing feedback can require considerable time and effort. By leveraging accessible digital tools, educators can streamline assessment practices while enhancing the learning experience. This hands-on workshop will demonstrate how automated quiz...

EMI (English as medium of instruction) has been implemented globally and regionally over the recent years (Dafouz & Smit, 2016; Macaro et al., 2018), including in Vietnam since the 1990s. Additionally, the theoretical frameworks of learner and teacher agency studies (Chen et al., 2020; Gao, 2019; Ngo, 2024) have contributed to the studies of EMI in higher education, particularly in relation to...

Language teachers invest considerable time commenting on student writing, yet a persistent gap remains between the feedback provided and the feedback learners actually act upon. Research locates this gap not in delivery but in reception: learners engage with feedback affectively, behaviourally, and cognitively, and these dimensions operate simultaneously and interdependently (Ellis, 2010; Han...

Vietnam’s aspiration to transform English from a foreign language into a second language reflects a form of classical language planning in a society shaped by market socialism, neoliberal reforms, and postmodern realities. Although leveraging the linguistic capital of English for societal goals carries a utopian appeal, experience from Asia and elsewhere shows that such ambitions are often...

Conventional grading systems, built on partial credit, averaged scores, opaque rubrics, or teachers’ intuition, often obscure rather than communicate what students can actually do. Specifications grading offers a compelling alternative: assignments are assessed on a pass/fail basis against clearly defined criteria, with bundled token systems allowing students strategic flexibility. While the...

The study investigated EFL teachers’ experiences and perceptions regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in conducting Master’s-level research in the Vietnamese context. A mixed-methods design was employed, utilizing a questionaire with 99 EFL teachers and semi-structured interviews with 10 teachers. The findings revealed that the teachers had positive and open attitudes toward using...

This study aimed to examine whether students showed any improvement through gamified ESP vocabulary lessons on the online platform Kahoot! at a Vietnamese university. It also explored the students’ perceptions of benefits and challenges of using this platform for ESP vocabulary learning. Action research with the two-loop cyclical process was employed in an ESP class to implement the...

Repositioning English from a Foreign Language (EFL) to a Second Language (ESL) requires practical community engagement, wherein provincial universities play a pivotal role. This study evaluates the effectiveness of applying the Total Quality Management (TQM) model to Service-Learning activities to facilitate this linguistic transition. A mixed-methods case study was conducted at Pham Van Dong...

Abstract
Overseas postgraduate study has become an important pathway for language teachers’ professional development. While previous studies have largely examined how returnee teachers negotiate their identities and adapt their pedagogical practices, less attention has been paid to how they understand and interpret themselves as professionals in the post-return phase. Addressing this gap,...

This study examines how 15 B1–B2 level students in a multicultural Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) English Communication class at a private university in Tokyo perceived content-aligned small talk activities, framed through the heuristic pyramid model of willingness to communicate (WTC; MacIntyre et al., 1998). During a 13-week semester, students engaged in ten five-minute...

Textbooks play a central role in English Language Teaching (ELT) by providing structured content and guiding instructional practices. In Vietnam, the Global Success textbook series has been officially adopted for nationwide use from the 2026-2027 academic year and is claimed to be developed according to the communicative approach in alignment with the 2018 General Education English Curriculum....

In many Vietnamese public high schools, vocabulary instruction continues to rely heavily on rote memorization of isolated word lists. While this approach may support short-term recall, it often results in limited lexical depth and unnatural language use. This study argues that developing structured lexical networks, rather than expanding vocabulary size alone, is essential for fostering...

Dividing syllable structure remains a major problem for Vietnamese EFL learners, primarily due to the structural differences between their mother tongue and English. While traditional resources provide basic phonetic transcriptions and meanings, they often lack detailed structural analysis. This project introduces SyllableLab, an automated CALL platform designed to provide a comprehensive...

This study examines the effectiveness of a structured 4P strategic framework (Predicting, Pinpointing, Paraphrasing, and Polishing) in enhancing EFL learners’ real-time processing in gap-filling listening tasks. Addressing the persistent gap between learners’ metacognitive awareness and their ability to apply strategies under time pressure, the study operationalizes metacognitive listening...

English language classrooms are increasingly diverse, requiring more flexible approaches to support meaningful second language use. However, limited flexibility in instructional design can create barriers to engagement and understanding, particularly for neurodiverse and plurilingual learners. Using a reflective, practice based approach grounded in experience supporting students with...

This study investigates the implementation and pedagogical impact of the Systemic Functional Linguistics Genre-Based Approach (SFL-GBA) in secondary literacy education across global contexts. Drawing on a corpus of 33 empirical studies published between 1995 and 2024, the review maps how SFL-GBA has been enacted in Years 7-12 classrooms across diverse languages, learner populations, and...

Vietnam's move from English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to English as a Second Language (ESL), which is part of the 2025–2035 national language policy, is the beginning of a major change in the place of English in education. Though this shift is designed to encourage more students to use English in academic and professional settings, it raises concerns about equity in access and continuing...

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly integrated into EFL classrooms to support digital multimodal composition (DMC). However, limited evidence explains why learners with similar proficiency levels experience GenAI-assisted tasks differently, particularly in affective engagement and vocabulary learning. This qualitative study investigates (1) how similarly proficient EFL...

As Vietnam moves from an EFL orientation toward wider use of ESL and English-medium instruction, English language teaching professionals have an important role to play beyond preparing students and lecturers for language readiness. This practice-oriented presentation examines how established expertise in ELT can contribute to English-medium instruction through pedagogy, curriculum support,...

Despite ongoing reforms in English language education in Vietnam, a persistent gap remains in primary classrooms: students are exposed to English instruction, yet have limited opportunities to use the language meaningfully. This paper addresses the gap by proposing a practical, classroom-based approach to reposition English from a subject of study to a medium of everyday use. The study draws...

The globalisation of education has strengthened the position of English as the dominant lingua franca in higher education globally and across Asia. While certain countries, such as Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore, have integrated English in teaching at both secondary and tertiary levels, Vietnam maintains a strong tradition of delivering the national curriculum in Vietnamese at the...

This study examines how the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools shapes academic procrastination, with a particular focus on the role of self-regulation in AI-mediated learning. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in educational contexts, it can function both as a cognitive support and as a shortcut that may alter students’ engagement with academic tasks. A mixed-method design was...

Although the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is widely used to describe language proficiency, classroom implementation often lags behind policy because teachers need practical routines that translate CEFR “can-do” descriptors into observable performance and usable formative evidence. This study examined whether a rotational pair-work intervention could improve Thai...

This talk explores the innovative ways we can incorporate positive psychology principles into SLA for adult learners to support their academic self-esteem, motivation, and performance. Positive psychology focuses on positive elements and well-being in human psyche and experience rather than only psychological problems and distress. It approaches human difficulties from the standpoint of...

At its core, the purpose of EFL for the vast majority of students is to facilitate interaction with non-Vietnamese visitors who are customers in a hospitality, tourism or commercial environment or to smooth the obstacles involved routine business dealings or travel overseas. For a much smaller but growing number, however, it is also to foster collaborative projects, develop skills that are not...

Research that examines longitudinal growth of lexical sophistication in L2 writing offers useful implications for setting realistic goals, providing learners with relevant learning contents, and devising suitable assessment practices. However, this examination is often moderated by text length and topic familiarity and consequently most studies in this area have controlled these two factors at...

This study investigates an innovative multimodal pedagogical framework designed to alleviate "translation paralysis" among nursing students at the CEFR A1 level. While traditional English for Specific Purposes (ESP) curricula often focus on rigid technical tasks that can overwhelm beginner learners, this model shifts the educational paradigm by utilizing Human-AI synergy. Under this framework,...

Teacher identity is increasingly understood not as a fixed trait but as a dynamic multiplicity of “I-positions.” Drawing on Dialogical Self Theory (DST) by Herman (1992), this comparative case study examines how three Vietnamese EFL teachers reconstruct professional identity as they negotiate the external voices of an MA TESOL program. Data from semi-structured interviews and program-related...

The rapid advancement of digital technologies has reshaped higher education, particularly in technology-enhanced language learning (TELL). While digital transformation offers increased flexibility, accessibility, and learner autonomy, it also raises concerns regarding sustainability, including cognitive overload, reduced interaction, and imbalance between physical and digital learning...

This study examines academic burnout among Vietnamese university students preparing for a high-stakes English proficiency test in the context of its growing social and educational significance. In Vietnam, such tests function not only as measures of language proficiency but also as forms of linguistic capital associated with academic access, employability, and social prestige. Their rapid...

The positive effects of reflective practices in education have been widely reported. However, little research attention has focused on how to facilitate reflective practices among aspiring primary English teachers. Through four nine-week online courses delivered by educators in Australia to fourteen undergraduate students living in central Vietnam between February 2024 and March 2026, we offer...

This study examines how AI-generated personas can address the limitations of conventional role-play in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) classrooms for Tourism students. Traditional classroom activities often fail to reflect the complexity and unpredictability of real-world service encounters.In this approach, AI tools are used to create diverse tourist profiles with different cultural...

The study validates the self-regulation for AI-based learning scale (SRAILS) for measuring students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) in AI-driven English Medium Instruction (EMI) classrooms at the Hanoi National University of Education in Vietnam. Using a mixed methods design, survey data were collected from 238 EMI students, followed by semi-structured interviews to interpret quantitative...

As English-medium instruction (EMI) expands rapidly across Asian higher education, universities in Vietnam are increasingly mandating content teachers to deliver courses in English under national language policy initiatives. Despite a growing body of research on EMI teacher identity, two significant gaps persist: the Vietnamese context remains underrepresented, and the anticipatory phase when...

Phrasal verbs (PVs) are a frequent yet notoriously difficult aspect of English vocabulary, occurring roughly once every 150–200 words in authentic discourse (Gardner & Davies,2007; Biber et al., 1999). Their idiomatic meanings, polysemy, and syntactic irregularities often hinder acquisition, particularly for learners in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. In Vietnam, the Global...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines capable of performing tasks such as reasoning, learning, decision-making, and problem-solving (Russell & Norvig, 2021). This study investigates the application of AI in designing advanced English listening activities to support the preparation of high-achieving high school students for provincial-level...

In the modern ESL classroom, smartphones often act as a double-edged sword, providing instant resources while simultaneously serving as a primary source of cognitive distraction. This presentation discusses the pedagogical outcomes of a "gated" technology policy implemented within a university-level IEP in Vietnam, where mobile devices are strictly put away except for highly targeted,...

In Vietnam, IELTS Listening preparation is often dominated by mock-test practice, which is widely perceived as the fastest route to score improvement. However, this practice may restrict the development of essential cognitive and metacognitive strategies for effective listening. This qualitative study investigates how online one-to-one tutoring supports the development of these strategies...

This presentation discusses methodological strategies, challenges, and innovations in applying Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) within higher education. Drawing on Coyle’s (2007) 4Cs framework and Villabona and Cenoz’s (2022) findings on the difficulty of balancing content and language integration, it argues that effective CLIL requires a dynamic synthesis of cognitive,...

As Vietnam moves towards treating English more as a second language than a foreign language, classrooms are under growing pressure to give students more chances to use English for genuine communication. In many classrooms, however, listening lessons still stop at checking answers, while speaking activities often remain controlled and predictable. This study explores whether listening-triggered...

As English shifts from foreign language to second language, sustained professional development for educators is becoming increasingly important. Teachers must be equipped with the skills needed to meet evolving instructional demands and to progress professionally. They not only need to be given opportunities to pursue continuing professional development (CPD), but also recognition for their...

ABSTRACT
This study investigates the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and interactive platforms as "digital scaffolding" to enhance English writing skills for Grade 6 students in the disadvantaged context of Chu Puh Commune, Gia Lai Province. Following the Global Success curriculum, 120 students and 5 teachers participated in an 8-week action research cycle consisting of planning,...

In many Vietnamese EFL classrooms, the heavy reliance on textbooks and written exercises often marginalizes personalized oral interaction. Consequently, students lack a conducive environment to develop speaking proficiency and struggle to apply English meaningfully in authentic, everyday contexts. This study investigates the effectiveness of using personalized digital portfolios on the Google...

This study investigated the effects of NotebookLM-supported English learning on Grade 9 students’ self-learning capacity in a Vietnamese lower secondary school. A quasi-experimental design was employed with 80 students, including 41 students in the experimental group and 39 students in the control group. The experimental group used NotebookLM as a teacher-curated AI learning support tool,...

Drawing on Kirkpatrick Model and Guskey’s Model of Teacher Change, this embedded case study evaluates the effectiveness of a pioneering MA TESOL program in Vietnam from the perspectives of its alumni across four dimensions: (1) overall impressions of the program; (2) knowledge, skills, and attitudes obtained; (3) changes in pedagogical practices, attitudes, and philosophy; and (4) changes in...

Automated writing feedback is increasingly used in second-language writing, but less is known about how explanation-based feedback shapes learners’ revision decisions and sense of ownership. This explanatory mixed-methods study examined Vietnamese tertiary EFL students’ engagement with ProWritingAid in an English for Specific Purposes writing course. Sixty-eight second-year English majors...

Academic writing is a fundamental skill in higher education, particularly for EFL learners; however, many students continue to face difficulties across different stages of the writing process, including understanding genres, generating ideas, organizing content, and revising effectively. While previous studies have explored the use of AI tools such as ChatGPT in language learning, limited...

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) tools has increased university students’ use of AI-generated content, raising concerns about academic integrity, authorship, and ethical decision-making. This study examines the ethical awareness, attitudes, and behaviors of 253 language students at a language-training university in Vietnam regarding AI-generated writing. Using a...

As Vietnam shifts from traditional EFL toward more communicative ESL-oriented English education, there is a growing need for practical tools that help learners move from passively receiving feedback to actively self-regulating their language development. This presentation introduces a bespoke AI-mediated mobile application designed and developed by the presenter to support self-regulated...

Transitioning from EFL to ESL demands more than communicative competence — it requires English to function as a genuine cognitive operating system. Yet in an era of generative artificial intelligence, polished student writing increasingly masks gaps in authentic thinking, making it difficult for educators to assess whether learners truly own the ideas they present. This presentation introduces...

Aligned with the 2018 General Education Program’s shift toward competency-based teaching, this study addresses the persistent challenges in rural Mekong Delta: students’ passivity, mixed-ability constraints, and limited parental support. Implementing a multi-layered pedagogical framework on 374 students across An Ninh D and My Thuan A Primary Schools, the authors propose five integrated...

To empower learners’ critical awareness of gender balance and create progressively inclusive classrooms, educators have a significant role in curating learning materials that serve as catalysts for change (Alameddine & Chehimi, 2024). Gender socialisation’s impact is evaluated by the level at which it is integrated into the learning materials as Hoang and Tam (2026) explain. According to Njeri...

This study analyzes grammatical errors encountered by Vietnamese EFL learners in IELTS Writing Task 2 at an English center. By employing a mixed-methods approach, the paper examines a corpus consisting of 65 essays composed by 21 intermediate-level students. A five-step error analysis model was used together with a Linguistic Category Taxonomy, which was incorporated into the analysis...

The integration of artificial intelligence tools into primary ELT has gained significant attention globally, yet evidence-based practice in rural Vietnamese contexts remains scarce. This action research study investigates how artificial intelligence tools — specifically generative artificial intelligence and intelligent note-taking platforms — can be purposefully integrated into Grade 3...

This study applies the language ecology framework and the translanguaging approach to explore the linguistic interactions among mother tongues, Vietnamese, and English within the multilingual language ecology of ethnic minority students in Vietnam’s northern mountainous region. The main objective is to analyze the current situation and propose solutions for repositioning English from a formal...

There has always been a discrepancy in technology application among teachers in rural and urban schools. Therefore, professional development (PD) relevant to teachers in rural schools can improve the application of technology in their classrooms. This research aims to formulate a PD proposal for technology applications in rural schools by exploring teachers’ preferences for PD and the...

As the demand for English proficiency in legal professions continues to increase, particularly in
the field of international commerce, English for Legal Purposes (ELP) has emerged as a critical
area within English for Specific Purposes (ESP). This paper reports a classroom-based study on
the use of flipped learning to improve Legal English writing in a Vietnamese ESP course...

Though it is generally understood that students need some form of preparation before embarking on a study abroad program, it has been found that many programmes only focus on administrative matters such as insurance, visas, and personal safety. In addition, students are often positioned as ‘passive vessels’ (Jackson, 2007), having little to no input in their own preparation. Considering this,...

Vietnam’s 2025 policy move to position English as a second language in schooling recasts the task of English teacher education. The issue is no longer only whether pre-service programmes prepare future teachers to teach English effectively as a school subject, but whether they prepare them to support broader, more regular, and educationally meaningful uses of English across teaching,...

This presentation discusses the conference theme, "Repositioning English," by analyzing Japan’s efforts and experiences through the integrated paradigm of Global Englishes, with an emphasis on the concept of English as an International Language. Despite its status as an Expanding Circle country with limited intranational functions for English, Japan developed an aspiration for the ownership of...

As artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools become increasingly integrated into language learning, understanding how learners strategically employ these technologies and how such use relates to their motivation and engagement is essential. This study (n = 390) investigates students’ strategic use of AI and its relationship with their attitudes toward English learning and intended learning...

Translanguaging has become one of the most influential ideas in TESOL, but its conceptual scope, pedagogical functions, and institutional viability remain under debate just as Vietnam embarks on a national project to reposition English from a foreign to a second language across 2025 to 2035. This presentation reports a systematic literature review with thematic synthesis of empirical post-2020...

The development of English oral proficiency has been strongly emphasized in tertiary education, particularly among English majors. While learners may possess solid grammatical knowledge, applying a wide range of grammatical structures in spontaneous speech remains a significant challenge, which is yet to be extensively investigated in the Vietnamese context. Therefore, this study aims to...

The integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) into education has created new opportunities for language assessment development. In Vietnam, recent educational reforms and changes to the Vietnamese National High School Graduation Examination (VNHSGE) have increased the demand for high-quality reading assessment materials. This study investigates the use of Claude.ai in AI-assisted...

The growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) has opened new possibilities for personalized and flexible vocabulary development beyond the traditional classroom. This study investigates the effectiveness of AI-supported out-of-class mobile learning as a supplementary strategy for improving technical English vocabulary among A2-level...

Vietnam's national plan to reposition English as a second language (2025–2035) places significant expectations on learner autonomy and technology integration, with AI tools promoted as vehicles for extending speaking practice beyond the classroom. Yet whether AI‑supported self‑regulation actually reduces the affective barriers constraining Vietnamese learners' oral performance remains...

This study examines whether English-mediated social media use is associated with measurable English achievement and self-concept outcomes among Vietnamese university EFL students. While platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook provide frequent exposure to English, it remains unclear whether time spent using social media in English corresponds to externally anchored language...

In Vietnamese English teacher education contexts, pre-service teachers have limited opportunities to engage with the wider international ELT community and to access current pedagogical discussions beyond textbooks and lectures. The increasing availability of open educational resources (OER) such as webinars, talks, interviews, and online lectures by leading ELT scholars offers new...

Vietnam's transition from English as a Foreign Language to English as a Second Language depends on more than well-designed policy, it depends on whether policy is implemented with fidelity as it moves through multiple levels of the system, from government to university faculties and primary and secondary classrooms. At each level, well-meaning people are frequently asked to enact reform they...

Online higher education has expanded rapidly in Vietnam, offering flexible pathways for working adults to pursue degrees. However, as they have to balance professional and family responsibilities, persistence remains a significant challenge. This qualitative multiple case study explores the persistence strategies of seven Vietnamese adult learners enrolled in an online Bachelor's degree...

Mentoring is increasingly recognized as a central practice in teacher education, yet most research has focused on Western and resource-rich contexts. Limited attention has been given to mentoring in low-income and post-conflict settings, where resources are constrained and sociocultural norms strongly influence professional relationships. This study examines mentoring in Cambodia as a case...

Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) has been advocated as a potentially effective approach in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in Asian contexts, including Vietnam. However, little is known about perceptions of tasks used by teachers in actual classroom practices at highschool education. Furthermore, in the context of Vietnam, where TBLT is claimed to be adopted in the current...

As English is repositioned as a broader educational, academic, and communicative resource in Vietnam, English teachers face substantial changes in how their professional roles are defined and enacted. This shift, conceptualized as an EFL-to-ESL-oriented educational transition rather than a completed sociolinguistic movement, not only alters curriculum goals and classroom practices but also...

This study explores the use of creative writing and children’s literature to enhance English for Specific Purposes (ESP) competence among graphic design students. English proficiency is an essential competence in the creative industries. This study investigates the integration of creative writing and children’s literature as innovative approaches in ESP learning. Using a qualitative...

This study investigates pre-service teachers’ perceptions and readiness for English-medium instruction in Vietnam’s emerging second-language policy context. Focusing on full-time undergraduate students, the study is expected to survey 200 pre-service teachers at the University of Danang – University of Education. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior, teacher cognition, and EMI/CLIL...

For many Vietnamese students, speaking English remains one of the most challenging aspects of language learning. Despite years of studying grammar and vocabulary, many learners still feel anxious, afraid of making mistakes, or reluctant to speak in front of others. In public-school classrooms, limited speaking opportunities and fear of embarrassment often result in low participation during...

This study examines the grammatical cohesion of fifteen fishermen-turned-tour guides from Camarines Norte, Philippines, through the lens of Systemic Functional Linguistics. Grounded in Halliday and Hasan’s cohesion taxonomy and focused on the textual metafunction, it analyzes how cohesive devices are manifested in spoken tourism discourse, what errors are most commonly produced, and how those...

This study explores the relationship between growth mindset and English speaking performance among university students in a Vietnamese EFL context. While mindset has been widely studied in general education, its role in speaking development remains underexplored in Vietnam. Using a mixed-methods design, the study collected quantitative data from 169 English-major students and qualitative data...

As higher education in Vietnam repositions English from a foreign language to a second language, culture courses remain an underexplored space for fostering intercultural competence and ESL identity. This study examines how a Western culture course shapes ESL identity and global citizenship readiness among third-year English majors. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design,...

Because of profound linguistic and cultural differences, literary translation from Vietnamese into English remains challenging, as expressive nuances, metaphorical imagery, and culture-bound elements are difficult to render fully and adequately. In this context, this study employs contrastive, descriptive, statistical, and qualitative methods to examine loss and gain in the English translation...

While institutional debates over repositioning English in Vietnam have largely centred on curriculum reform and policy architecture, a quieter ecological shift may already be underway through the everyday digital practices of language learners themselves. This presentation reports on a mixed-methods study drawing on survey data and reflective narratives from 210 Vietnamese pre-service EFL...

This study investigates the role of multilingualism in shaping the position of English within diverse linguistic ecologies. As globalization intensifies, English functions simultaneously as a global lingua franca and a local communicative resource, creating tensions between language policy, cultural identity, and pedagogical practice. Using qualitative case studies and policy analysis, the...

Vietnam's national language plan (2025–2035) signals a paradigm shift in English language education, repositioning English from a foreign language to a second language in schools. While this policy carries profound implications for classroom practice, little research has examined how pre-service English teachers, who are the future implementers of this shift, perceive and respond to it....

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is critical for second language (L2) acquisition, especially in collaborative learning settings emphasizing autonomy. Prior research has inspected factors affecting SRL individually within general learning contexts through variable-centered methods that disregard individual differences. This study applied person-centered latent profile analysis (LPA) on 373...

Language assessment literacy relates to the practical skills, theoretical knowledge, social context, and classroom impact of language assessment. A lack of language assessment literacy among teachers is a common concern for language teaching institutions. To address this, the presenters used an established language assessment literacy framework to identify five domains as particularly...

Vietnam's 2025 National High School Graduation Exam (NHGE) shifted from decontextualised discrete-item and grammar- and vocabulary-focused testing to discourse-embedded reading comprehension and cohesion tasks. This reform of the high-stakes exam aims to increase alignment with the 2018 General Education Curriculum and the Vietnamese Government’s 2025-2035 plan to reposition English as a...

Recent educational reforms and increasing orientations towards EMI and internationally-oriented English education have intensified discussions surrounding Vietnam’s emerging EFL-to-ESL transition. Within this context, teacher’s books accompanying official textbooks function not merely as instructional materials, but as policy-mediated pedagogical artefacts that construct particular...

In the context of Vietnam’s test-oriented education system, where English writing is often disregarded due to its exclusion from national graduation exams, teachers face considerable emotional challenges in teaching this skill. This qualitative study explores the emotional experiences and emotion regulation strategies of Vietnamese high school English teachers when teaching writing. Grounded...

Light from electronic devices has very negative effects on the nervous system, often resulting in reduced and poor quality sleep. Poor sleep and sleep deprivation have a significant effect on the brain and behavior. Sleep deprivation degrades the connection between the prefrontal cortex (executive decisions) and the amygdala (fear and emotions), making people more impulsive and prone to...

Understanding the economic and social value of English remains a critical yet underexplored dimension of language policy and planning. The Economic Value of English (EVE) project builds on the Future of English: Global Perspectives to examine how English contributes to economic and social development, and how this value is articulated across policy, education, and lived experience. Drawing on...

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has been increasingly promoted in Vietnam’s education system as part of broader efforts to strengthen learners’ English proficiency. However, teachers report ongoing challenges in integrating subject content and language meaningfully within exam-orientated and resource-constrained contexts. This doctoral study examines how participation in the...

In the context of Vietnam’s national English as a compulsory Second Language Plan (2025–2035, vision 2045), English curriculum reform has become a central priority. It is therefore critical to examine how other countries conceptualise and implement English within their curricula — from policy to classroom practice — and, crucially, how these reforms are experienced by teachers. This...

This study examines the ideological and discursive functions of Disclaim resources in the 2024 U.S. presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris using Appraisal Theory (Martin & White, 2005) and Critical Discourse Analysis (Fairclough, 2010). It explores how linguistic features interact with discursive practices and broader social structures to construct ideological meanings and...

Artificial Intelligence-assisted speaking platforms are increasingly used in workplace English training to offer flexible speaking practice. However, it remains unclear how adult learners engage with these platforms, especially when their learning is shaped by work schedules, confidence, and limited time for practice. This study examines adult learners’ engagement in AI-assisted English...

This study investigates the effectiveness of applying the flipped classroom approach in teaching speaking skills for Business English 2 to first-year students at College of Foreign Economic Relations. The research aims to examine whether the flipped classroom model can improve students’ speaking performance, classroom engagement, and learning motivation. A quasi-experimental methodology was...

AI-supported tools are increasingly integrated into academic and professional workflows, providing teachers and researchers with information retrieval, content generation, and AI-assisted knowledge work. However, many current systems remain oriented toward short-term productivity and isolated interactions, offering limited support for sustaining reflective inquiry and professional learning...

Vietnam’s recent policy to promote English as a second language in school settings (MOET, 2025) has created an urgent need for teacher-education programmes that align with national curriculum reform and emphasise communicative, content-integrated pedagogy. Yet few studies have systematically examined teachers’ actual needs regarding TESOL curriculum design within this reform context. Existing...

In many CLIL lessons, content objectives and language ones are not often clearly aligned. Content objectives may be written without sufficient consideration of learners’ language proficiency, whereas language objectives are often written as broad vocabulary goals. This workshop focuses on how classroom teachers can design both content and language objectives that work together and directly...

Grounded in Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) principles, this workshop demonstrates how teachers can analyse teaching materials and practices, distinguish between exercises and tasks, and create engaging, age-appropriate and communicative tasks to teach Vietnamese young language learners in alignment with the General Education English Language Curriculum 2018. The session also highlights...

While pronunciation is vital for successful oral communication, it remains largely marginalised in general English programmes at Vietnamese universities, where non-majors often suffer from limited instructional time. This mixed-methods study investigates the effectiveness of an eight-week video-based shadowing intervention designed to improve the pronunciation of target codas (/t/, /s/, /n/,...

Digital formative assessment (DFA) has become increasingly integrated into tertiary EFL classrooms due to its potential to enhance student engagement, provide immediate feedback, and support ongoing learning. However, while previous studies have highlighted the benefits and challenges of DFA, less is known about how teachers adapt their practices to sustain DFA implementation in authentic...

The concept of Functional Load has been increasingly applied in research on English language teaching and assessment, with many studies using it as a primary theoretical framework to examine L2 speech intelligibility and listeners’ perceptions of foreign-accented speech. However, learners’ own perspectives on pronunciation priorities have received relatively little attention. Drawing on...

In Vietnamese upper-secondary English classrooms, speaking practice is often constrained by large classes, limited lesson time, and learners’ fear of public error. This study examines a structured generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) feedback model designed to support Grade 10 students’ monologic English speaking. The model was organized around three connected phases: preparation, guided...

Limited opportunities for authentic interaction and sustained speaking practice remain significant challenges for Vietnamese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). This study examined the effects of AI voice chatbots on developing speaking skills for English-major students at a Vietnamese university. The research was theoretically grounded in Social Constructivism (Vygotsky, 1978)...

The fast growing development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has given rise to new possibilities for promoting English speaking as a medium of instruction at an enhanced level in EFL classrooms. We’re seeing chatbots like ChatGPT and AI speaking assistants for interactive speaking practice, instant feedback and personalized learning with chatbots more and more heavily supported by AI. This...

Although generative artificial intelligence accelerates lesson planning in English Language Teaching, its automated tools lack the contextual understanding that human educators possess, particularly insight into their learners' proficiency and learning needs. Consequently, algorithms generate dense instructional sequences that cause student cognitive overload. Teachers recognise the need to...

As Vietnam transitions from a foreign language (EFL) to a second language (ESL), preschool education is under increased pressure to offer children more natural, meaningful, and frequent exposure to English beyond isolated language lessons. This workshop responds by demonstrating how early childhood educators can use artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools to create simple English songs...

Grammar teaching in many English classes of Vietnamese primary schools is customarily form focused․ Much of the time is spent on rules explanation‚ translation‚ and controlled practice․ There is too little time spent on communicative and spontaneous language production․ Since English is no longer viewed mainly as a school subject‚ but as a lingua franca‚ it is necessary to incorporate the...

This study aims to explore English learning motivation among non-English major students at a private university in Vietnam. Drawing on the “L2 Motivational Self System” framework of Zoltán Dörnyei, it examines the influence levels of the three core components in constructing students’ English learning dynamics. A quantitative research method was employed with a questionnaire administered to...

Vietnam faces a stark pedagogical paradox: an ambitious national mandate for systemic bilingualism (Decision No. 2371/QĐ-TTg, 2024) colliding with chronic resource constraints in classrooms across the country. Meeting this challenge demands innovative, scalable frameworks that teachers can implement now, without waiting for infrastructure to catch up. This workshop argues that Google's...

How can English language teachers build, sustain, and benefit from Communities of practice that genuinely improve classroom learning and contribute to their professional careers and wellbeing? How can creating a professional development network benefit ELT teachers? Based on the British Council funded project Empowering Language Teacher Development through Teacher Activity Groups: A Focus on...

As Vietnam strives to transform English into a second language within national schools, a paradox remains: students often master complex grammar yet remain silent during daily classroom activities. This study argues that the core barrier is not unwillingness to communicate, but a systematic lack of accessible functional language resources retrievable under real-time class interactions....

Each learner embodies unique interests, strengths, and diverse ways of processing information. These differences foster an inclusive education environment in the pedagogical contexts. By acknowledging the learner needs the English language teacher educators to facilitate dynamic learning experiences for each learner. Particularly, ‘Dyslexia’ is a language learning difficulty that occurs as a...

As Vietnam moves toward an EFL-to-ESL transition, learners are increasingly expected to use English beyond the classroom in academic and global communicative contexts. While Willingness to Communicate in English has been widely examined in formal classroom settings, less attention has been paid to non-English majored students’ willingness to communicate outside the classroom where authentic...

Since the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the field of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching has undergone profound transformations. However, there remains a lack of empirical research on pre-service teachers’ perceptions of ethical AI use in Vietnam. Drawing on the Technological Pedagogical Content Ethical Knowledge (TPCEK) framework, this study investigates pre-service EFL...

The aim of this study is to analyze the pragmatic function and interactional authenticity of dialogues contained in the “Every Day English” section of Global Success textbooks for Vietnamese highschool students (grades 10-12). A mixed methods approach has been adopted in this study. A quantitative study was carried out based on 336 utterances using two frameworks: Searle's (1976) Speech Act...

In the context of digital transformation and the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), English self-directed learning activities in higher education are shifting from traditional learning models toward more personalized, flexible, and learner-autonomous approaches. Although studies on AI-assisted language learning have increasingly attracted scholarly attention, limited research...

As Vietnam continues shifting from English as a Foreign Language (EFL) toward English as a Second Language (ESL), English education is often framed around Vietnamese as the common language of schooling and English as the second language to be developed. This frame, however, does not fully reflect the experiences of many ethnic minority learners. For these learners, an indigenous language may...

The national initiative to reposition English from a foreign language to a second language in Vietnamese education has created important implications for universities under the Ministry of Public Security (MPS). Traditionally, English instruction in these institutions has mainly followed an EFL-oriented approach emphasizing language knowledge and examination performance. However, growing...

As Viet Nam continues transitioning from EFL towards a more ESL-oriented approach to English education, many teachers face the challenge of balancing curriculum requirements with students’ need for more opportunities to actually use English. In many classrooms, textbook-focused and exam-oriented instruction can limit classroom interaction, student engagement, and ultimately reduce students’...

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of using simulation in improving cadets’ oral communication skills in Military English at the Military College of Special Forces. The research employed a quasi-experimental design involving 30 third-year non-English major cadets with an English proficiency level equivalent to A2 CEFR. Data were collected through a survey questionnaire, pre-test...

This study advances corpus-based critical discourse analysis by integrating corpus-based analysis with Fairclough’s three-dimensional model to examine hedging in English diplomatic discourse. Two research corpora are compiled, comprising over 200,000 words of American and British ambassadors’ speeches delivered to Vietnamese audiences. By integrating quantitative statistical tools from...

This study examines how gendered voice is constructed in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and reshaped in two Vietnamese translations: Diep’s (2002) and Nguyen’s (2020). The study analyzes gendered-language features from dialogues in Chapters 1–23 of the English source text and compares their equivalents in the two Vietnamese versions. The analysis focuses on five interpersonal feature...

Abstract: Developing English speaking skills poses a significant challenge for vocational students in Vietnam due to performance anxiety and a lack of authentic and, transactional communicative contexts. Grounded in Game-Based Learning (GBL) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study investigates the dual impact of gamified role-playing activities under the mechanics of constraints (such...

The study focuses on the teaching purposes and language choices of teachers’ embedded commentary on upper secondary school EFL students’ writing within a test-oriented Vietnamese context. Well-grounded in an adapted classification framework (Derham et al., 2022; Hattie & Timperley, 2007), the research explores how educators balance the dual roles of judging and guiding. To achieve this, a...

While an increasing number of studies have examined textbook images and gender representation in educational materials, fewer studies have investigated how gender is visually represented in English textbook images through Kress and van Leeuwen’s Visual Grammar. This study aims to examine gender representation in the American Language Hub Starter and American Language Hub Level 1 textbooks...

As Vietnam transitions from an EFL to an ESL-oriented context, there is a growing need for sustainable models of teacher professional learning beyond traditional workshop-based approaches. This presentation reports on the design and evolution of a three-year Action Research Program implemented within the tertiary English language context. Our program positions teachers as autonomous...

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has gained increasing attention in Vietnam as an approach to enhance both subject knowledge and English proficiency. Grounded in CLIL theory, particularly the 4Cs Framework (Content, Communication, Cognition, Culture) proposed by Coyle et al., this study examines how content-language integration is enacted in practice. It aims to (1) examine...

Vietnam's National Plan 2025–2035 repositions English as a second language and a strategic driver of economic competitiveness, yet military training environments remain a significant gap in the blended learning literature. This paper presents the design and implementation of a locally networked blended learning framework at the Naval Technical College, a military institution preparing...

In today’s technology-driven world, digital video communication plays an increasingly important role in students’ academic and social lives. However, many secondary school students still experience anxiety and low confidence when speaking English in front of cameras. Teacher-supported video production activities can provide meaningful opportunities for speaking practice, creative language use,...

A move that was proposed by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training to change English from a foreign language to a second language during the period of 2025–2035 is a remarkable move towards improving their global competitiveness. This strategy is based on the assumption of the existence of a universal way of learning that favors metropolitan areas with enough educational resources....

Refusal is a face-threatening speech act that requires a high level of pragmatic competence influenced by sociocultural factors. While L1 speakers navigate these nuances intuitively, L2 speakers often face pragmatic failure due to cross-linguistic interference. This study employs discourse completion tasks, role-play scenarios, and semi-structured focus group interviews to collect data from 20...

Social task engagement has been extensively explored within task-based language teaching settings. However, research on this construct situated within a text-driven, task-based (TDTB) approach remains an emerging strand. Adopting a descriptive quantitative research design with supplementary qualitative insights, the current study aimed to examine fifty Vietnamese English-majored students’...

Teaching practicum plays a significant role in preparing pre-service teachers for professional teaching contexts. However, the transition from practicum experience to full-time teaching remains challenging for many early-career ESOL teachers in Vietnam. This presentation explores how novice teachers perceive the influence of teaching practicum on their professional development during the early...

In the era of artificial intelligence, ChatGPT has been utilized for various purposes, including writing instructions in contexts such as the IELTS test. Acknowledging such importance, this study aims to investigate how IELTS teachers currently use ChatGPT for IELTS Writing Task 2 essay feedback. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, with triangulation from a questionnaire, interviews, and chat...

Against the backdrop of the National Foreign Languages Project and the growing internationalization of higher education in Vietnam, English-Medium Instruction (EMI) has emerged as a significant educational phenomenon in Vietnamese universities. Despite the rapid expansion of EMI, research on how students strategically cope with learning disciplinary content through English remains limited,...

The research surveys the processing factors, including level of confidence and familiarity, as well as learner strategies in biblical idiom comprehension on adult EFL learners in Vietnam. The data is collected from 253 participants, divided into three groups: non-Christian, Christian, and members of Christian religious orders, via an online survey consisting of 20 biblical and non-biblical...

Early-career EFL teachers often enter the profession under considerable pressure as they move from pre-service preparation into full professional responsibility. In Vietnam, these pressures are shaped by rising expectations for English teaching and the complex realities of school-based work. Against this background, this presentation reports a qualitative narrative inquiry into the...

Integrating disciplinary content into English language teaching has gained increasing attention as universities seek innovative approaches to preparing graduates for successfully thriving in a highly professional global environment. Amidst the gradual shift of English instruction from a foreign language towards a second language orientation, Vietnamese universities are making initiatives to...

Student engagement plays a crucial role in determining the effectiveness of teacher feedback in writing. Despite the increasing interest in student engagement with feedback, limited research has examined how students behaviorally engage with teacher digital feedback during the revision process. This study traced students’ behavioral engagement with teacher digital feedback and explored the...

Morphemic analysis is considered a useful strategy for inferring the meanings of unfamiliar words through prefixes, suffixes, and roots. However, students’ perceptions and experiences of using this strategy in Vietnamese high schools remain underexplored. This study aims to investigate high school students’ perceptions of morphemic analysis strategies and explore the benefits and challenges...

The rapid development of generative AI is reshaping the knowledge base and professional practices of language educators. This presentation examines how AI can support ESP (English for Specific Purposes) educators in developing hybrid expertise that extends beyond traditional content knowledge. The discussion is grounded in the redesign of English courses for students in a Bio-Health...

Language education in Vietnam is undergoing a major transformation to establish English as a second language through a comprehensive, school-based ecosystem. While content-based approaches like CLIL and EMI have gained substantial attention, achieving this ambitious national agenda requires curricular innovations that align with the fundamental principles of second language acquisition (SLA)....

As English increasingly becomes a tool for learning across subjects, teachers need practical ways to support both language development and content understanding. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) helps learners use English to investigate topics, express ideas, solve problems, and demonstrate understanding. Using examples from primary and pre-primary materials, this workshop...

As Vietnam repositions English from a foreign language to a second language and expands English-medium instruction (EMI), educators face a critical question: how can technology enrich learning without weakening the core skills learners must develop for themselves? This issue is especially important at a time when digital tools and AI can improve access, feedback, efficiency, and engagement,...

As Vietnam gradually moves toward a more functionally oriented ESL trajectory, English language classrooms are increasingly expected to promote authentic communication, interdisciplinary learning, and meaningful language use beyond grammar-focused instruction. In this context, Content-Based Instruction (CBI) has emerged as an effective pedagogical approach that integrates language learning...

This workshop introduces language learning as a creative and human-centered process in which AI can promote imagination, expression, and engagement. Through an AI-powered visual storytelling workflow using ChatGPT, Google AI Studio (Nano Banana), and Canva, participants will explore how AI-powered comics can enhance reading comprehension and writing fluency in English language classrooms. The...

As Vietnam moves toward an ESL-oriented future, English language teachers are expected to respond to rapidly changing demands in communication, technology integration, and classroom pedagogy. However, many teachers, particularly freelancers and teachers outside major institutional systems, continue to experience limited access to sustained professional development and professional support. In...

This study investigates how English majors use collocations in speaking and draws practical implications for learning and teaching improvement. In order to obtain the research aim, the study specifically examines students’ understanding of collocations, their ability to use collocations in speaking, and their perceptions of collocation use in spoken performances. The research design is...

Fostering learners’ self-awareness of progress in the primary ESL classroom is often constrained by children’s cognitive and linguistic limitations (Cameron, 2001). However, my classroom practice has always supported encouraging autonomy from an early age, because, as Dam (2009) claims, even young learners can reflect and take ownership of their own learning when provided with age-appropriate...

This practice-oriented presentation reports on a teacher-led professional learning initiative implemented to develop science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-oriented English project lessons in a Vietnamese lower- and upper-secondary school context. The initiative was developed from regular professional meetings of an English group and aimed to make lesson planning, classroom...

Developing authentic and fluent oral production remains a core challenge in English language teaching. Grounded in Paul Nation’s Four Strands framework, this workshop demonstrates how educators can strategically utilize authentic magazine articles to achieve a pedagogical balance among Meaning-focused Input, Language-focused Learning, Meaning-focused Output, and Fluency Development....

This study investigates the impact of FrameVR, a metaverse-based platform, on English speaking skills and students’ perceptions in a Vietnamese high school context. The research is theoretically grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model, the Affective Filter Hypothesis, and Social Constructivism. Regarding the research methodology, a quasi-experimental design was employed with 90 Grade 11...

This presentation reports on a classroom-based pilot study investigating the use of modular visual grammar instruction to support first-year Vietnamese non-English-major university students with low proficiency in learning English tenses. Drawing on Cognitive Load Theory and modular instructional design, the study reconceptualizes grammar abstractness into a system of visual blocks...

Vocabulary learning is significantly challenging for vocational college EFL learners, especially in ESP courses where learners are required to understand and use technical terminology in workplace- related contexts. The purpose of this study was to investigate how explicit vocabulary instruction and ChatGPT-assisted practice improve ESP vocabulary learning for vocational college EFL learners....

In response to Vietnam’s English-as-a-Second-Language policy, the development of university lecturers’ pedagogical readiness for English-medium instruction (EMI) has been provided with greater attention. Existing EMI research in Vietnam, however, has largely conceptualized readiness as an individual matter, primarily emphasizing lecturers’ language proficiency and pedagogical competence...

As English education in Vietnam is repositioning from an EFL to an ESL focus, inclusive teaching becomes an essential consideration in promoting equitable participation, especially in mixed-ability classrooms. In many cases, lower-proficiency learners often experience difficulties accessing grade-level reading texts, which can lead to cognitive overload and disengagement. As ELT in Vietnam...

In rural Vietnamese high schools, English is frequently taught as a strictly academic subject, leaving students with little exposure to authentic communicative use beyond the classroom. This practitioner-research study explores how AI conversational agents can facilitate a contextual shift from an EFL to a functional ESL orientation by creating an "AI-Powered Sandbox" - a structured digital...

Reading comprehension remains a major challenge for many EFL students, particularly in Vietnamese high school classrooms where learners often work with dense textbook passages, abstract ideas, and unfamiliar vocabulary. In mixed-ability classes, these difficulties can reduce learner engagement, limit participation, and negatively affect vocabulary retention. Traditional reading instruction may...

English language teaching has pushed hard toward technology, yet the digital divide across Southeast Asia leaves a practical question for teachers: which students are really ready for digital learning? This symposium argues that the digital divide in language learning is no longer about whether students are connected. It is about what they can actually do with what they have at home like...

This study investigates the readiness of high school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Can Tho City regarding the upcoming policy shift from multiple textbook series to a single, unified nationwide textbook. Utilizing an empirical survey design, data were collected from 55 high school EFL teachers representing various educational institutions across both urban centers and...

Despite the growing availability of digital teaching tools, many EFL practitioners continue to manage their lessons across multiple disconnected platforms — presentation slides, online timers, name-picker apps, and printed task instructions — switching between them in real time. This fragmented approach increases teacher cognitive load, disrupts lesson momentum, and creates a visually chaotic...

English-medium instruction (EMI) has expanded rapidly in Vietnamese universities, yet much of the existing work focuses on policy, programme-level implementation, or STEM and business subjects, with relatively little evidence from social science classes. This study addresses that gap by examining how students in an English-medium course on Globalization and Global issues perceive their...

This study explores Vietnamese English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) students’ perceptions and interpretations of person deixis within intercultural pragmatic contexts, focusing on both English and Vietnamese pronoun systems. Using a comprehensive set of questionnaire responses collected from students majoring in English, the research investigates how learners comprehend and differentiate the...

The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in English language education presents both transformative opportunities and significant ethical challenges. This presentation shares a reflective journey of implementing AI tools with junior high school students, focusing on the transition from mere tool adoption to responsible digital citizenship. The author explores various AI-driven...

Debate has long been promoted as a productive task for developing oral communicative competence, argumentation, and higher-order thinking, yet its systematic integration into Vietnamese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher-education programmes remains uneven and under-theorised. Despite a growing body of research on debate in EFL contexts, few studies have examined scaffolded debate...

Storytelling has long been recognized as a powerful pedagogical tool in primary English language education (Ellis & Brewster, 2014). Despite these benefits, we observe that many primary English teachers in Vietnam remain hesitant to integrate storytelling into their classrooms. This reluctance is often attributed to resource constraints, including limited access to visual aids, technological...

As Viet Nam, repositions English from EFL to ESL, the significance of teachers and their professional development has come into sharp focus. Since 2022, British Council in Viet Nam has collaborated with UK and Vietnamese ELT institutions and teachers to pilot an innovative form of Communities of Practice, Teacher Activity Groups (TAGs). Based on previous research (Borg, Lightfoot, Gholkar...

The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence has transformed language education by creating new opportunities for interactive and autonomous learning. In English language teaching, AI-powered conversational tools such as ChatGPT have recently gained attention for their potential to support speaking practice beyond traditional classroom settings. Grounded in technology-enhanced language...

This presentation investigates how AI-generated dialogue activities combined with personalized speaking tasks can enhance speaking confidence among Vietnamese EFL learners. Grounded in communicative language teaching, learner-centered pedagogy, and willingness-to-communicate theory, the study responds to the challenge that many students in Vietnamese classrooms experience anxiety, limited...

English teachers in EFL and ESL contexts increasingly need classroom tools that reflect local curricula, learner needs, and constraints such as limited bandwidth, shared devices, and unsustainable subscription costs, yet commercial applications rarely meet these specifications. This 60-minute workshop demonstrates a replicable workflow in which language teachers, without prior programming...

In the era of digital education, vibe coding serves as a supportive
approach for both teachers and learners to enhance their teaching and
learning experience. This workshop explores the pedagogical prospect of Vibe
Coding, shifting the teacher’s role from passive users to active creators in ELT
practices. Conducted for participants with no programming experience, this
workshop instructs...

Organizational commitment plays an important role in lecturers’ professional engagement, retention, and contribution to higher education institutions. However, little is known about how Vietnamese returnee EFL lecturers perceive their organizational commitment after returning from overseas postgraduate study. This multiple case study investigates the varying levels of organizational commitment...

Despite learners’ increasing adoption of AI tools in English language learning, limited attention has been paid to how they relate to the internal structure of deep approaches to learning, particularly the distinction between deep motive and deep strategy. This study examines how Vietnamese EFL students engage with AI across these two dimensions. It draws on data collected from 313 university...

This study examines how dialogic mentoring conversations support novice teachers’ reflective practice and emerging teacher agency in a Vietnamese TESOL professional development context. Using a qualitative mentoring case study design, the study followed three novice EFL teachers through a baseline interview, three dialogic mentoring sessions, and post-session reflection logs. The analysis...

Today, as EdTech proliferates, many digital learning platforms have become increasingly generic, often failing to address the specific demands, teaching contexts, and assessment criteria of educators and learners. This issue highlights the growing need for more adaptable and teacher-driven educational solutions. Fortunately, recent developments in AI have begun to lower technical barriers,...

Recent advances in large language models (LLMs) have increased interest in their use for automated writing assessment. Although previous studies have examined the extent to which AI-generated ratings align with human ratings, alignment alone may not adequately reflect effective rating behavior. In rater-mediated assessment, some degree of variation among human raters is expected due to...

Argumentative writing is a cornerstone of academic English instruction, yet it remains one of the most challenging genres for EFL learners to master-particularly when it comes to constructing logically sound arguments. This study examines the prevalence, types, and underlying causes of logical fallacies in the argumentative essays of English-major undergraduates at a teacher education...

Emerging discussion have boomed with respect to the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into academic writing instruction. Despite their increasing accessibility, certain AI-powered writing tools are deployed to facilitate surface-level language correction rather than the entire writing process. Furthermore, research on their implementation seems to be limited in higher secondary...

Regarding Vietnamese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education, a great deal of research has focused on teachers’ beliefs about communicative language teaching, the gap between teachers’ beliefs and practice, and the process of becoming professionals. However, the literature has failed to seriously address the fundamental question of how teachers’ beliefs about language learning are...

Effective vocabulary instruction necessitates that teachers employ questioning techniques to facilitate both meaningful communication and cognitive growth (Chin, 2007; Salmon & Barrera, 2021; Ye et al., 2025). Nevertheless, a discrepancy often arises between teachers’ beliefs and their actual practices in the classroom (Basturkmen, 2012; Borg, 2017; Duong, 2024; Mardali & Siyyari, 2019),...

The role of L1 in EFL vocabulary instruction remains a contested issue in SLA research. While communicative approaches have traditionally discouraged L1 use in favour of immersive L2 exposure, growing evidence suggests that L1-mediated instruction can serve as a meaningful cognitive scaffold. Yet whether this scaffolding produces more durable vocabulary retention than L2-only instruction over...

This study develops and empirically tests a structural equation model (SEM) examining how gamification in mobile-assisted vocabulary learning (MAVL) shapes English learning identity among Vietnamese foundation-level university students. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, the L2 Motivational Self System, and Flow Theory, the model specifies five latent constructs – gamification, learner...

Assessment in Vietnamese university EFL departments is increasingly shaped by standardization requirements, yet the ways lecturers work together to interpret, negotiate, and sustain shared assessment practices remain underexplored. Drawing on the Communities of Practice framework, this qualitative study views EFL departments as professional spaces where assessment knowledge is not only applied...

The integration of generative AI into translator education has introduced a productive tension: although AI tools increase access to translation support, interaction designs that provide translations on demand may bypass the communicative reasoning central to translation competence. This study examines translation technique use and functional reasoning among 20 Vietnamese undergraduates...

Professional learning is most effective when it responds to teachers’ immediate contexts, priorities, and constraints. However, in multi-campus institutions, centrally designed professional development may not always align closely with the teaching realities of smaller satellite campuses. This presentation shares the development of monthly teacher-led discussion clubs at RMIT Vietnam’s Danang...

Integrating technology into higher education has shifted the baseline for what makes a competent English teacher. However, the student perspective on this shift remains largely overlooked. We still know very little about how learners evaluate their instructors' digital competencies in practice. This exploratory study aims to fill that void by investigating the contrast between students'...

This qualitative research investigates how 13 in-service primary and secondary English teachers in Japan make instructional and assessment decisions while addressing tensions between curriculum expectations and students’ actual proficiencies, learning needs, and classroom realities across diverse educational contexts. Grounded in a collaborative action research framework, the research project...

The study investigates the challenges faced by teachers in implementing the policy of making English the second language in schools in Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam. From the data collected and theoretical reviews by the author, solutions are suggested in order to overcome these difficulties. The study is primarily an investigation, applying both quantitative and qualitative data collection. A...

This study investigated rater severity, inter-rater reliability, and rating processes in the Writing Task 2 assessment within a high-stakes English proficiency examination context. Conducted at an English center in Hanoi, Vietnam, the study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. In the quantitative phase, seven teachers independently rated ten essays using the official band...

English language education in Vietnam is expected to move from EFL to ESL, requiring learners to be frequently exposed to large amounts of level-appropriate English input beyond traditional classroom-based textbooks. ChatGPT can be an effective tool to facilitate this transition by producing a large number of extensive reading materials within a short time. However, few studies have examined...

The transition towards an ESL-oriented education system should be viewed not merely as a reform of language education, but as a systemic transformation of the wider education system. Its success depends heavily on the coordinated readiness of key stakeholders, including government agencies, educational institutions, school leaders, teachers across disciplines, students, parents, and industry...

Research on task engagement has suggested that personally meaningful and interactionally demanding tasks may influence the quality of collaborative communication and language use. At the same time, repeated task performance has been shown to support the development of communicative efficiency, collaborative regulation, and procedural control. However, relatively little research has explored...

Since 2024, many universities in Vietnam have started adapting to new policies regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in teaching. However, most discussions and guidelines still focus heavily on the public education sector (Cong-Lem et al., 2024). At the same time, private English language centers play a massive role in teaching English to a wide range of learners in...

Over the past decades, higher education has become more globalised, leading to the increasing need to run more and more EMI (English as a medium of instruction) courses. This not only helps universities to increase their global rankings but also helps students to be better prepared for the competitive global job market (Ahmed, 2025; Polyakova et. al., 2022). That is why even in the countries...

This study compares advanced English-major students’ applications of feedback generated by ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot in improving language use in college writing essays. It aims to compare the differences across four aspects of language use, lexical accuracy, grammatical accuracy, vocabulary range, and sentence complexity after using ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot feedback in the students’...

Recent advances in artificial intelligence have expanded the use of generative models such as ChatGPT in language assessment. However, there remains a relative lack of empirical research investigating whether these systems can produce consistent and reliable scores comparable to certified human examiners, particularly in contexts where English is increasingly positioned as a second language....

As universities globally emphasize international academic publishing, producing quality academic writing has become imperative for EFL learners. Within this domain, lexical richness serves as a critical indicator of writing proficiency and scholarly credibility. This study adopts a corpus-based approach to investigate the lexical richness of English majors at the University of Danang,...

This paper analyses twelve Vietnamese public apologies from 2021 to 2026, six by commercial entities and six by Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in Vietnam - using Beaudin's (2018) expanded apology taxonomy, Murphy's (2015) revised felicity conditions, Fairclough's (1992) Critical Discourse Analysis, and Brown and Levinson's (1987) Politeness Theory. Four findings emerge. First, participant...

It is hard for high school teachers of English to montor individual student progress and maintain motivation across all four language skills in large classrooms. Based on the principles of formative assessment and Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), this technology fair session showcases a practical and zero-cost workflow which is designed for the Global Success curriculum. This...

The Korean Culture Wave or Hallyu, has long been considered as a soft power for constructing national image. To explore Hallyu, researchers adopted corpus linguistics methods to examine representations of Hallyu in various discourse. However, these studies differ in their corpora, time periods, and analytical focus, which makes direct comparison difficult. Also, no review of the corpus-based...

Within the context of globalization, English has become the dominant language in engineering, placing significant pressure on authors to compress dense complex academic knowledge into restricted 150-250 words in abstracts. While previous studies have largely investigated syntactic complexity, especially the exploration of the internal syntactic structures of noun phrases, this study aims to...

The rapid adoption of generative AI tools, particularly ChatGPT and Gemini, has fundamentally changed how students learn English. This study examines how Vietnamese non-English majors integrate these tools into their daily language learning and investigates their understanding of academic integrity. Using a quantitative survey design, we collected data from 200 non-English major undergraduates...

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into education has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, with tools such as ChatGPT providing significant support for many academic activities, particularly in English writing. Although these tools show considerable potential for enhancing writing performance, learners’ acceptance of ChatGPT-generated recommendations in writing should be...

This small-scale classroom study explored how authentic materials could be adapted into higher-order reading tasks for gifted EFL high school students in Vietnam. Gifted learners often need more challenging activities than standard textbooks provide, yet teachers in Vietnam have few research-based examples to draw on when working with them. The researcher therefore developed a framework based...

This study examines the persistent challenges of equity and inclusion in English as a Second Language (ESL) education, particularly for ethnic minority students in Vietnam’s mountainous regions. With 20 years of experience teaching in such settings, the author identifies significant regional disparities in access to quality ESL resources and instruction, leading to a critical gap in language...

As Vietnam gradually changes English from a foreign language to a second language, English classes need to become more practical, interactive, and communication-focused for young learners. This paper explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and multilingual arts activities can help create an ESL-oriented classroom for Grade 6 students at a lower secondary school in Vietnam. The study...

In the era of rapid scientific and technological advancement, artificial intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of both everyday life and education. In the field of language teaching and learning, AI has recently enhanced the diversity and effectiveness of both online and face-to-face lessons. At a university in Hanoi, AI is regarded as a supportive tool that helps students tackle...

Vietnam is currently repositioning English from a foreign language (EFL) to a second language (ESL) within its national education system, and pressing questions have followed about how this shift should translate into actual classroom practice, particularly in the teaching of Listening and Speaking. AI-assisted instruction is often put forward as one way of meeting the new demands, yet...

This empirical study explores the pedagogical potential of Generative AI (GenAI) as an immediate feedback tool to enhance the linguistic complexity and professional relevance of writing outputs among low-proficiency technical students after an instructional delay. The study focused on the "City Description" writing task from Unit 5 of the English File Pre-intermediate curriculum, a standard...

This study investigates the extent to which artificial intelligence can support the scoring and feedback of English creative writing produced by learners aged 11 to 14 in international and private schools in Vietnam, particularly Hanoi. In this context, creative writing is increasingly valued for its role in developing students’ expressive, imaginative, and competitive writing abilities, yet...

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into English language teaching has increasingly transformed EFL writing instruction, particularly through AI writing assistants such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, and QuillBot. This study examines the influence of AI writing assistants on academic writing improvement through the mediating role of AI-enhanced learner autonomy among high...

As Vietnam moves toward a more ESL-oriented approach to English education, writing instruction in higher education is increasingly expected to promote learner autonomy and critical engagement with feedback. At the same time, artificial intelligence tools are becoming widely used as sources of writing feedback, offering fast and accessible support for students. Drawing on formative feedback and...

This pilot research investigates the integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) into the self-regulated learning (SRL) processes of non-English majors at a Vietnamese university. Grounded in Zimmerman’s (2002) cyclical model of SRL, the study examines how students employ GenAI across the forethought, performance, and self-reflection phases of their language acquisition. A...

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has gained increasing attention as an innovative approach to fostering deep learning in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) science classrooms. This study examined the effectiveness of AI-supported CLIL instruction—utilizing AI chatbots and interactive platforms—in improving students’ science...

The rapid emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in English language teaching has transformed the dynamics of feedback and interaction in EFL classrooms. Beyond its well-documented role in improving linguistic accuracy and writing fluency, AI-mediated feedback holds promise for shaping learners’ effective and communicative dimensions, particularly their Willingness to Communicate (WTC)....

This study explores the use of AI-mediated monologue speaking activities in promoting learner agency within a university context that is gradually shifting from English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to English as a Second Language (ESL). Although artificial intelligence has recently attracted increasing attention in language education, there remains limited research on how AI tools support...

This study examines whether elements of self-directed learning (SDL) emerge in first-year students’ use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for academic writing. Grounded in the framework of self-regulated learning (SRL), the study categorises AI-assisted writing behaviours into three dimensions: AI-mediated planning regulation, AI-mediated performance regulation, and AI-mediated reflective...

ABSTRACT
This study investigated the effectiveness of Gizmo, an AI-integrated application, in fostering students’ English reading comprehension skills at a high school in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam. The study aimed to examine students’ current reading difficulties, evaluate the impact of Gizmo on students’ reading performance, and explore students’ attitudes toward AI-assisted learning tools. The...

The research project explored how AI-enhanced tech could help with English speaking assessments for sixth graders in a Google Digital Classroom, using an Action Research methodology at a lower secondary school in Hanoi, Vietnam. Practical problems that led to this study were the inability to individually provide students with written feedback on their speaking skills; low confidence and...

This study investigates the AIM Model, which integrates artificial intelligence (AI), mind mapping, and explicit instruction in teaching English vocabulary to Grade 12 students at Tuy Phuoc No. 3 High School. The study arose from a context in which vocabulary learning remained considerably limited: 74.9% of students relied mainly on rote memorisation, and 100% of the teachers interviewed...

First-year non-English majors are under more pressure to use English for discipline-based academic instruction due to the expansion of EMI-oriented programs. This study reports an action research experiment conducted in the classroom that transformed an ESP course into an ESP-to-EMI curriculum pathway for first-year accounting students. In order to meet the needs of disciplinary communication,...

In response to the calls to integrate the changing sociolinguistic landscape of the English language into pedagogical strategies, educational textbooks emerge as a powerful tool for equipping learners with proficiency in diverse English varieties and intercultural communicative competencies. This study undertakes an evaluative examination of how two English textbook series designed for...

This study investigated English teachers’ motivation in implementing gamification in language classrooms through the lens of Self-Determination Theory (SDT). It aimed to explore how different types of motivation influenced teachers’ use of gamification and to identify the internal and external factors shaping these motivational patterns. A qualitative research design was adopted, involving...

Developing functional writing skills remains a challenge for many English-major students, who often struggle with grammatical accuracy, lexical choice, and communicative appropriateness in authentic contexts. This study investigates the effectiveness of an auction-based approach in enhancing English majors’ functional writing skills through the integration of gamification, collaborative...

Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) has become an integral part of modern language education. This mixed-methods study examined the perceptions of third-year English-major students at the University of Foreign Languages, Hue University, regarding the use of mobile devices for autonomous English vocabulary learning. Data were collected from 202 valid questionnaires and eight interviews....

Interaction in foreign language classrooms, particularly in English language teaching, plays a pivotal role in shaping both instructional effectiveness and learners’ communicative competence. In recent years, the rapid development of information technology has created new opportunities for educators to enhance the quality of online instruction. English language teachers can now design more...

As Vietnam’s English education increasingly moves toward a second-language-oriented model, learners need not only lexical knowledge but also the ability to interpret figurative expressions in culturally appropriate ways. Among these, English animal idioms denoting human personality remain challenging for Vietnamese ESL learners because their meanings are shaped by culturally embedded...

This study details an action research initiative that combines experiential learning activities with the STEAM model to improve English speaking and presentation skills for 10th-grade students through interdisciplinary themes. Recognizing that high schoolers often struggle with pronunciation, structural organization, and communicative confidence, this classroom methodology transitions from...

Vocabulary plays a central role in second language acquisition, yet in many Vietnamese classrooms instruction continues to rely on rote memorization, with limited opportunities for meaningful use. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Gen-AI-assisted Digital Multimodal Composing (DMC) tasks in improving vocabulary knowledge among Grade 9 EFL students in Vietnam and to explore...

This study explores the application of the PEEL/PETAL framework to enhance paragraph writing skills for Grade 10 students using the Global Success curriculum. Addressing common challenges such as fragmented ideas and lack of coherence in Vietnamese EFL classrooms, the initiative was implemented during the 2025–2026 academic year. Methodologically, the research employed a mixed-methods...

The context in which the implementation of the ESL model is becoming an urgent requirement for educational institutions in Vietnam (with at least 20% of educational institutions nationwide planning to implement ESL) necessitates significant innovation in policies, learning materials, and the learning environment. This research focuses on analyzing the feasibility of applying the Flipped...

Vocabulary, which is vital for second/foreign language (L2) learning, has recently gained traction in L2 research. However, most research focuses on vocabulary learning from different modes of input while textbooks, a potential source for L2 vocabulary learning, especially in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts, receive scant attention. Even less attention is paid to textbooks in...

The emergence of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools is rapidly redefining the boundaries and practices of English language classrooms around the world. There have been many studies focusing on teachers’ perceptions of AI-supported learning and their readiness to integrate AI and digital technologies into their classroom practices. However, there remains a gap in understanding EFL...

As Vietnam repositions English from a foreign to a second language, programmes that integrate content and language are expanding rapidly in primary schools, placing complex new demands on teachers who must assess subject knowledge and language development at the same time. Teachers' capacity to design, enact, and interpret such assessment-often termed assessment literacy-remains poorly...

Vietnam's national plan (2025–2035) to reposition English from a foreign to a second language assumes a transition led mainly by formal schooling. Yet recent survey evidence suggests English has already entered everyday Vietnamese communication through informal, peer-mediated channels, especially among Generation Z. This study draws on a quantitative survey of 401 Vietnamese Gen Z students...

This qualitative interview study examines how linguistic insecurity shapes the emotional experiences and professional identities of nine high school EFL teachers in Vietnam’s Central Highlands amid growing pressure to teach English through English. Situated in a resource-constrained region where many students are from ethnic minority communities and have limited exposure to English outside the...

While research on Global Englishes in Vietnam has focused heavily on well-resourced urban universities and policy analysis, the beliefs of stakeholders at regional universities - especially where English-major education is only just emerging - remain under-examined. This qualitative case study explores the Global Englishes beliefs of 11 first-year students and 9 lecturers in a newly...

Increasing access to the Internet results in teachers and parents expect students to achieve high level of English proficiency through self-directed learning with high-tech tools. However, even when students have overcome first level, they still face second level of digital divide. Without digital literacy, the process of self-learning is ineffective and limited. In Vietnam, emerging research...

Professional development for English teachers is a long journey with multiple turns. One of the most effective professional learning is being an active member of a community of practice and involved in academic events. However, most teachers are overwhelmed with new ideas and struggle to turn this professional learning into sustainable practices. This practice-oriented oral presentation...

Vietnam’s 2018 General Education Curriculum emphasizes communicative competence and authentic language use in English education. However, students in many rural and mountainous contexts still have limited opportunities to use English meaningfully beyond formal classrooms. This presentation introduces a school-wide initiative at Nguyen Hue High School, Lao Cai, aimed at building an English...

English is currently expanding beyond the borders of EFL classrooms in Vietnam. Therefore, English teachers in Vietnam are required to be equipped with practical techniques to foster intelligible, confident communication among their learners. However, pronunciation has long been described as the “Cinderella” of language teaching, often receiving less attention than grammar and vocabulary...

Vietnamese A1–A2 learners learn English within EFL settings which typically have limited opportunities for sustained real-time oral interaction. In many cases, although online teaching has expanded access to English instruction, online speaking courses have traditionally been delivery-oriented and cannot adequately address how digital classrooms might reduce communicative distance or provide...

Responding to the 2018 Vietnamese curriculum reform, which emphasizes students’ competences and moral development across subjects, this study explored the factors influencing high school EFL teachers’ integration of moral values into EFL teaching through the lens of Basil Bernstein’s theory of pedagogic discourse. Using a qualitative research design, the study employed semi-structured...

Many university students can prepare a speech or memorize a script, but they still struggle when the paper is no longer enough. Some read every word. Others memorize so heavily that they freeze when they lose a line. This presentation shares a seven-session public speaking course that helped English majors rely less on full scripts and deliver short speeches with a clearer voice, better...

Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has become increasingly significant in contemporary EFL contexts due to the rapid growth of digital learning platforms, tools, and mobile applications. Nevertheless, selecting an appropriate digital tool to support the teaching and learning process requires strategic and systematic evaluation to ensure pedagogical effectiveness and the achievement of...

As English classrooms in Viet Nam and comparable contexts move toward more interactive and ESL-oriented learning environments, blended learning must be designed as pedagogy rather than the simple addition of digital tools. This technology fair demonstration examines how blended learning can support differentiated TESOL instruction by integrating face-to-face teaching with purposeful digital...

Medical students, regardless of their proficiency levels, often struggle with learning and retaining specialized medical terminology, particularly in English for Medical Purposes (EMP) courses. Wright, Betteridge, and Buckby (2006) suggested that language games can effectively support communication and learner engagement across different learning contexts. Based on this view, a small-scale...

Mixed-level classrooms remain a persistent and well-documented challenge in Vietnamese EFL contexts, particularly among second-year non-English major students in teacher education programs. In these settings, speaking activities often result in unequal participation, with more proficient students dominating interaction while others remain silent or disengaged. This presentation shares a...

As Vietnam pushes for educational reform, high school English teaching is being asked to shift away from a strict test-focused routine and start working towards building real communicative skills and global citizenship. But honestly, most students still treat English as just another foreign language, drilling grammar rules and feeling unsure when it comes to actual conversations—especially if...

As Vietnam moves toward the 2025 National High School Graduation Examination reforms, English teachers are being asked to rethink how well classroom materials prepare students for the revised reading format. While Tiếng Anh 12 Global Success offers a solid basis for Grade 12 instruction, some of its reading tasks do not yet align closely with the demands of the new MOET exam, which places...

Developing communicative aptitude for English among young learners is a pivotal objective in primary education, particularly in circumstances where students are exposed to considerable language input but still struggle to use it effectively and confidently. Despite the implementation of communicative curricula as well as modern and standard textbooks, many grade 1 – 2 students remain reluctant...

Designing authentic and engaging materials for English language teaching can be time-consuming and challenging, particularly when teachers need to adapt content for different learner needs, proficiency levels, and classroom contexts. This Technology Fair session demonstrates how AI teaching assistants can support educators in creating authentic, contextualized, and pedagogically meaningful...

As language learning increasingly extends beyond classroom instruction, mobile applications offer new possibilities for learner autonomy and independent practice. However, access to learning apps alone does not guarantee effective self-regulated learning. This presentation reports a mixed-methods study of university students’ self-regulated learning strategies in mobile-assisted foreign...

Empathy is increasingly recognized as a key component of effective doctor–patient communication because it contributes to patient satisfaction, trust, and treatment adherence. However, for medical students learning English as a foreign language, expressing empathy appropriately in clinical interactions may present additional linguistic and communicative challenges. This study investigated the...

Vietnam’s ongoing shift toward an emerging ESL model is reshaping how English is used in higher education, particularly in specialized courses taught through English-medium instruction. As universities align with the national vision for English education from 2025 to 2035 and beyond, students are increasingly expected not only to master English proficiency but also to learn disciplinary...

Problem-solution essays are often considered difficult for students to write, as they require organizing the essay logically, identifying relevant problems, and suggesting appropriate solutions. While AI-assisted writing in general has attracted attention from many scholars recently, limited research has examined specifically ChatGPT's use in supporting problem–solution essays. The purpose of...

This study addresses the underexplored role of ChatGPT in theme-focused writing, particularly cultural topics, by examining its impact on writing self-efficacy among 160 Vietnamese EFL undergraduates in an English Culture course. A questionnaire adapted from the Second Language Writer Self-Efficacy Scale (Teng et al., 2018) was administered before and after ChatGPT use to measure changes in...

Based on the Initiation–Response–Feedback (IRF) model proposed by Sinclair and Coulthard (1975), this study aims to analyse classroom interaction patterns and classroom interaction facilitation strategies used in English-speaking lessons. The study involved the voluntary participation of four pre-service teachers (PSTs) who were conducting their teaching practicum at an upper-secondary school...

This paper discusses the realisation of the primary ideas of the Content and Language Integrated Learning in classroom discourse through qualitative analysis of lesson scripts to observe how the four dimensions of Content, Communication, Cognition, and Culture model are reflected in interactional data across lower secondary grades at a private school in Da Nang. Overall, the analysis shows...

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) on the English competency and learning motivation of non-English-majored university students. The growing significance of English in higher education and professional contexts calls for creative teaching methods to foster learners’ communicative competence and engagement. CLIL is a method of...

The transition from EFL to ESL within the higher education sector, particularly in specialized institutions or academies in Vietnam, represents a significant turning point requiring extensive structural and administrative adjustments. This presentation explores collaborative management strategies developed to implement the ‘Language Community’ model within the context of officer training at a...

This study is based on the researcher’s realization that students in a particular context struggled with written production, despite possessing strong English skills in general. In response to this, the researcher decided to investigate the errors that they make in their academic writing to provide practical suggestions. As such, this study aimed to explore the common errors in academic...

For EFL students, writing skills function as an indispensable tool to consolidate grammatical knowledge, broaden lexical resources, and enhance overall language proficiency. This study aims to analyze the frequent types of errors in paragraph writing among first-year EFL students, thereby suggesting pedagogical interventions to mitigate these issues. A mixed-methods approach was employed,...

Drawing on George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory (1980, 2003), this study explores the use of conceptual metaphors in political discourse through an analysis of speeches delivered by Theresa May. The corpus consists of 20 speeches collected from major international media platforms, including BBC, The Guardian, CNN, and CNBC. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, the...

In today’s globalized world, developing intercultural competence has become an essential goal of language education. This presentation explores how connected classrooms can support the development of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Through digital technologies and online collaboration platforms, students can interact with peers...

The context of globalization requires Vietnamese higher education to undergo substantial transformation, as reflected in Decision No. 2371/QĐ-TTg issued by the Prime Minister on the implementation of English as a second language in schools for the 2025-2035 period. In response to this macro-level policy, Thanh Dong University has launched an institutional project emphasizing a shift from the...

In the context of increasing international integration, English-speaking competence has become essential for cadets to communicate professionally, access technical materials, and participate in international training programs. However, speaking remains one of the most challenging skills due to learners’ limitations in vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, confidence, and opportunities for...

In many Vietnamese EFL school settings, English is still mainly treated as a classroom subject rather than a natural part of students’ daily lives. As a result, students often rely on mental translation from their mother tongue in familiar English-speaking situations. To reposition English as a functional second language (L2), it must be integrated into the subconscious. This study evaluates...

This presentation reports key findings of a research project conducted through continuous classroom observations as part of the DipTESOL course, focusing on ways to deal with emergent language in a Young Learner ESL classroom within the framework of modern CLT, TBL and CLIL principles widely applied in language centres and bilingual/international schools across Vietnam. The research is...

Intercultural competence (IC) has become an increasingly important goal in EFL education (Xu et al., 2025), yet opportunities for learners to develop IC through meaningful cultural engagement remain limited, particularly in extracurricular contexts. Arts-based approaches to language learning offer a promising avenue for bridging this gap, as they position learners as active participants in...

Geography courses taught in English often focus on factual knowledge, including physical features, regional characteristics, and demographic patterns. While such knowledge is important, it may not fully support the development of intercultural understanding among English language learners. In increasingly interconnected societies, students need opportunities to explore how geography shapes...

This study explores the use of Liveworksheets, Videoscribe, Padlet and Gnomio applications to enhance students' self-study after school. A total of 360 high school students from Gia Lai province participated in the research. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires, surveys, experimental research, and observations. The findings reveal that students have positive attitudes...

As translation students increasingly use AI tools, unstructured use may encourage overdependence and weaken learners’ analytical, evaluative, and decision-making abilities. In response, this study reports the development and classroom implementation of a specialized GPT-based chatbot, “Legal Translation Tutor EN↔VI”, designed to support English–Vietnamese legal translation training. The...

Amid rapid educational innovation and the increasing use of digital technology, developing integrated digital learning resources has become essential for promoting inclusive education. This study aims to develop CLIL-based learning videos for Grade 10, 11 Geography that integrate English subtitles and sign language to ensure equitable access to knowledge and support students’ foreign language...

Teaching with digital learning tools has highlighted the role of personalized environments in second language acquisition. This study investigates the effectiveness of custom-built applications, developed through Artificial Intelligence platforms such as Gemini, Google AI Studio in enhancing ESL and EFL skills among high school students in mountainous areas. The primary objective is to...

Developing students' knowledge of culture and intercultural communicative competence (ICC) has long been recognized as pivotal in language teaching. However, research across different contexts indicated that these important aspects continued to be undervalued and overlooked in teaching practice. Previous research has also proven that unless the teachers strongly believe in these pedagogical...

This research explores the effectiveness of utilizing "picture diaries" to enhance simple English sentence-writing skills among fourth-grade learners. Conducted at a primary School in Tay Ninh Province, the initiative addresses persistent challenges such as limited vocabulary, grammatical errors, and low student engagement in traditional writing tasks. Rooted in Dual Coding Theory, the...

As Vietnam implements its national roadmap (2025–2035) to reposition English from a Foreign Language (EFL) to a Second Language (ESL), developing Grade 3 speaking skills faces significant methodological challenges. This paper addresses the common misconception that merely increasing speaking practice improves proficiency, a mindset that often leads to linguistic "fossilization". The study...

Reading comprehension remains a persistent challenge for many lower secondary students in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts due to limited vocabulary knowledge, pronunciation difficulties, and low learning motivation. In response to the growing integration of technology-enhanced learning in education, this study investigates the effectiveness of audiobook-assisted instruction in...

The transition from EFL to ESL in schools in Vietnam underscores the increasing importance of preschool education in providing initial English exposure and communicative preparedness before the children enter primary education. This presentation reports on the development of a three-tier system of preschool English materials for 3-6 year olds in the emerging context of ESL-oriented schooling,...

At many universities, learning English through project-based learning is no longer strange to students, especially at universities of foreign languages. This study will examine the difficulties in implementing English magazine project (EMA) by third-year English majors at School of Foreign Languages - Thai Nguyen University. The participants were 30 third-year English students. Data for the...

This study investigates the digital competence of primary English teachers working in disadvantaged contexts in Northern Vietnam, in the context of ongoing educational digital transformation and the implementation of English as a compulsory subject from Grade 1. Drawing on the European Digital Competence Framework for Educators (DigCompEdu), the study adopts a mixed-methods approach combining...

This study investigates the implementation of an enhanced Think – Pair – Share framework (e-TPS) to improve primary students’ vocabulary retention and communicative competence in alignment with the ongoing digital transformation in education. As English is increasingly repositioned as a second language in Vietnam, there is a growing need for innovative, technology-integrated pedagogical...

The rapid rise of short-form video platforms has transformed language learning practices, positioning edutainment as a dominant mode of informal microlearning. While such platforms are widely believed to enhance learner engagement and accessibility, their impact on deep language acquisition remains underexplored and theoretically contested. This study investigates whether edutainment-based...

In many Vietnamese public primary classrooms, limited communicative use of English stems less from curriculum design than from entrenched interaction patterns that position students as passive respondents. By Grade 5, learners have accumulated years of formal instruction, yet spontaneous English use remains minimal. This classroom-based action research examined whether systematically...

Graded news is widely used to support extensive reading, yet simplification may reshape the phraseological patterns that make news discourse efficient to process, especially frequent four-word lexical bundles. However, few studies have directly compared graded and authentic versions of the same stories to show how simplification changes the frequency, structure, and function of such bundles....

This quasi-experimental study investigates the effects of structured reading discussions on reading comprehension and critical thinking among 70 Grade 11 gifted EFL students at Hung Vuong High School for the Gifted in Gia Lai Province, Vietnam, during the 2025-2026 academic year. Over a ten-week intervention, the experimental group engaged in peer-led interpretive discussions, while the...

Despite the profound impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on English language education, empirical research on AI-integrated language learning platforms remains limited. This case study investigates first-year EFL student perspectives on the perceived usefulness, ease of use, and vocabulary-expanding impact of an AI-assisted reading platform – Readovation. Utilizing an Explanatory...

This study explores EFL students’ perceptions of exam-oriented learning at Bac Lieu University, using Bloom’s Taxonomy encompassing cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains as a framework. Employing a mixed-methods approach, quantitative data were collected from 150 non-English majors enrolled in modules of General English via a structured questionnaire, while qualitative insights were...

In recent years, the popularity of online teaching has risen dramatically, across the globe, including in Vietnam. While numerous studies have examined interaction patterns in either online or face-to-face settings, few have compared how the same teachers conduct their teaching activities across both modes. Consequently, the present study investigated how EFL teachers at a Vietnamese public...

Speaking tasks play a central role in communicative language teaching as they provide learners with opportunities to practice oral interaction and develop communicative competence. In many EFL contexts, however, the effectiveness of speaking instruction depends largely on how teachers implement textbook tasks in actual classroom settings. Although textbooks remain the primary instructional...

Recent research in EFL learning shows that Vietnamese students often struggle to balance academic expectations with the need for appropriate social language when communicating with teachers. In an effort to sound suitably formal, students frequently rely on translation tools to draft their emails, which can prevent them from developing authentic language skills. However, as student-teacher...

The transition to the new General Education Curriculum requires students to develop autonomous learning skills, yet many high schoolers remain passive and lack confidence in speaking due to limited class time. This presentation explores the integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools to foster self-directed English learning in an EFL context. Utilizing a quasi-experimental...

Digital learning platforms have become increasingly prevalent in English language education in Vietnam. However, concerns remain regarding their effectiveness in enhancing learning outcomes and learner engagement, particularly in low-resourced teaching contexts. This study investigated the effectiveness of IELTS eHub, a technology-enhanced self-paced platform developed for IELTS learners, in...

In the transition from EFL to ESL, standardized test preparation often remains highly teacher-centered, leading to passive rote learning and limited learner autonomy. To address this issue, a practice-oriented pedagogical shift was implemented in a high-target test preparation class. Moving away from traditional lecture-based methods, the instructor introduced a peer-teaching model in which...

Previous research in different educational settings has demonstrated that incorporating issues such as power, inequality, and social justice in the classroom can help students develop greater intercultural understanding, reduce prejudice, and become more aware of unfair social systems (Hammer, 2015; Deardorff & Arasaratnam-Smith, 2017). Based on this idea, the current qualitative study...

Although the Japanese government has long emphasized the necessity of reforming English education in response to an increasingly internationalized society, English learning in many Japanese contexts has remained centered on examinations, textbook exercises, and decontextualized language practice, with limited opportunities for meaningful social communication. This presentation explores how...

Learning English at university is no longer limited to classroom instruction; students are now expected to take greater responsibility for their own learning outside class. However, limited research has explored how Vietnamese students use learning strategies to support autonomy outside the classroom. To address this gap, this study examines the relationship between language learning...

Brainstorming is widely used as a scaffolded technique to help generate and organize ideas. This study set out to investigate the difficulties the third-year English majors face in meeting the requirements of the Task Response criterion in IELTS Academic writing Task 2, and examine their evaluation of brainstorming in improving the Task Response criterion. Questionnaires using Likert scales...

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has been viewed as an innovative approach to equip students with both competencies and language skills. However, efficient use of CLIL requires specialized training to overcome relevant challenges. This paper aims at exploring the perceptions of English pre-service teachers on different aspects of CLIL including its opportunities, challenges and...

The present study explored the Vocabulary Learning Strategies used by students of the University of Danang by using the VLS taxonomy proposed by Schmitt (1997). Comparisons were made to compare the VLS usage among students of English majors and non-English majors, as well as students from different academic years. A questionnaire was used to gather data from the population, which was adopted...

Google AI Studio allows teachers to build language-learning apps customized to the national English curriculum and students’ proficiency levels; however, little research on the effectiveness of these applications has been done. This study examines how SimplEnglish, a teacher-developed, curriculum-aligned, AI-powered application, improves 10th-grade students’ language knowledge and skills. The...

This thesis examines how repeated speaking activities may influence willingness to communicate (WTC) in a small EFL classroom. The study was conducted with four Grade 2 learners aged 7–8 in a Polish primary school using Learning Lands 2. The intervention lasted about two months and included five repeated speaking activity types: Free-topic Speaking, Information-gap, Supported Role-play,...

This study explores the use of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly ChatGPT and Gemini, in creating infographics to support English teaching and learning. In many English classes, students often have difficulty remembering vocabulary, grammar, and language structures because lessons are usually presented in large amounts of text and separated pieces of information. To address this issue,...

This paper examines the effectiveness of incorporating Quizlet and Flipped Classroom model into English teaching and learning at a high school in Ninh Binh Province. The traditional teaching model of English teaching has become passive learning, limited classroom interaction and low rate of English knowledge retention in the era of educational innovation and digital transformation. The study...

Traditional vocabulary instruction in Vietnamese primary EFL classrooms often relies on textbook-based approaches that may limit young learners’ engagement and classroom participation. With the increasing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and STEAM education, innovative classroom practices can provide more interactive and learner-centered learning experiences for primary students....

English clubs are widely recognized as valuable extracurricular environments for promoting students’ communicative competence. However, in many Vietnamese high schools, English club activities are often organized informally and lack clear pedagogical direction, which may limit their effectiveness in improving students’ speaking skills. This study investigates how cultural and event-based...

This poster presentation explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) voice bots, or callbots, as an innovative tool in CALL to address the persistent challenges of limited speaking practice and high anxiety in EFL contexts. While traditional classroom settings often struggle to provide individualized oral practice, interactive automated voice agents offer an accessible, low-stakes...

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) increasingly influences language education, its practical integration into flipped classroom models in EFL contexts remains limited, particularly in Vietnam. Drawing on flipped learning principles and learner autonomy theory, this study explores how AI can enhance pre-class preparation and support student-centred learning. AI tools were used to generate...

This study investigates the effectiveness of using reading portfolios to develop grade 11 students’ learner autonomy and improve reading comprehension in English at a high school in Bac Ninh. The research was conducted in response to the increasing emphasis on learner autonomy and the growing importance of reading comprehension in the 2025 High School Graduation Examination. The study...

According to Decision No. 2371/QD-TTg approving the Project “Making English a Second Language in Schools in the period 2025–2035, with a vision to 2045,” this emphasizes the need to improve English proficiency as an effective communication tool in learning and careers. Meanwhile, expressing ideas fluently is a major challenge that students, especially those in high school, currently encounter...

This study shares an ongoing classroom practice that aims to maximize students’ speaking opportunities during English skills lessons for a Grade 7 class of 24 students at a private school in Hanoi, Vietnam. In many Global Success lessons, students often spend most of the class time completing reading and listening tasks, so there is not much time left for interaction or speaking practice. To...