VietTESOL International Convention 2026

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 environments. Despite extensive research on TELL, the concept of physical-digital balance remains under-explored and insufficiently operationalised in empirical studies.
This study investigates how a sustainable physical-digital balance can be understood and maintained in Vietnamese tertiary EFL classrooms. Grounded in Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), Digital Learning Ecology (Barron, 2006; Luckin, 2010), and the learning ecosystem perspective (OECD, 2021), the study proposes a conceptual framework of sustainable physical-digital balance in TELL to capture the integration of face-to-face and technology-mediated learning practices.
Employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods research design, quantitative data are first collected through a structured survey administered to students and lecturers, followed by qualitative interviews to elaborate and contextualise the survey findings to provide deeper insights into how a sustainable physical-digital balance in TELL can be conceptualised and sustained within the context of Vietnamese higher education. Quantitative data are analysed using descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis to examine relationships among digital competence, pedagogical practices, perceived balance, student engagement, and learning outcomes, with digital overload considered as a moderating factor. Qualitative data are coded and analysed using thematic analysis.
The findings contribute theoretically by operationalising the concept of physical-digital balance as a measurable construct within sustained TELL, and practically by offering evidence-based insights for educators and institutions seeking to design balanced and sustainable digital learning environments in the context of higher education. Pedagogical implications are discussed.