Speaker
Description
Motivation is a key factor in successful EFL acquisition and is influenced by teacher-related components. One of those components is teachers’ social and emotional competence. However, studies investigating the relationship between teachers’ social and emotional competence and student motivation in high school settings remain under-researched. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the influence of English teachers’ social and emotional competence on students' intrinsic motivation at a private high school in Hanoi, Vietnam. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, quantitative data were gathered from 224 high school students via questionnaires, followed by semi-structured interviews with five English teachers to provide a multidimensional understanding of the findings. The results indicated that students hold a positive perception of their teachers’ social and emotional competence, with Social Awareness for equity and inclusion achieving the highest rating. Multiple linear regression analysis also revealed that Social awareness was the strongest predictor of students’ intrinsic motivation, followed by teachers’ self-awareness as an educator. Notably, Emotion management showed no significant independent impact on internal motivation levels despite being highly rated by students. Qualitative findings supported these results, showing that teachers with high social and emotional competence foster warm and supportive environments which reduce psychological barriers and stimulate behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement. The study concludes that professional development for Vietnamese educators should prioritise the cultivation of social awareness and inclusive empathy alongside traditional classroom management techniques to effectively enhance students’ intrinsic motivation to learn English.
Biography
Nguyen Phuong Anh is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor’s degree (Honours) in English Language Teacher Education at the University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Deeply invested in educational research, she explores current psychological trends, such as social and emotional competence or Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), and their relationships with English pedagogy in the Vietnamese context. Her commitment to academic research has also earned her the Second Prize at the university's scientific research competition. Phuong Anh’s current research endeavors aim to explore how learning environments can be optimised by aligning affective variables and psychological factors with effective language instruction.
Trinh Hong Linh, PhD, is an English language lecturer at the University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Her primary research interests include English language teaching methodologies, educational assessment, measurement, and she has published several studies related to these topics. Driven by a commitment to advancing EFL teaching quality, she frequently supervises undergraduate research initiatives, guiding the next generation of English language educators and researchers. Through her academic work, Dr. Trinh seeks to refine language testing paradigms and support student-centered pedagogical practices within the Vietnamese higher education context.
| Affiliate type | University |
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