VietTESOL International Convention 2026

Vietnam is currently undergoing a systemic shift in English language education, moving from a traditional EFL model toward an ESL framework. This transition demands significant changes in pedagogical practices, yet implementation success hinges largely on the underlying beliefs and professional agency of the teachers involved. This research-oriented oral presentation explores teacher cognition within this evolving landscape, specifically examining how Vietnamese tertiary-level educators perceive their roles and exercise agency amidst policy-driven changes.
Adopting an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the study first utilizes a survey with 150 English language teachers to map broad patterns in beliefs regarding the transition. Subsequently, narrative inquiries with ten participants provide deep, qualitative insights into personal and professional struggles, successes, and negotiations of identity that occur as they adapt to new instructional demands. Findings indicate a tension between individual teacher agency in classroom practice and the perceived constraints of institutional policies.
The session discusses the implications of these findings for teacher professional development, arguing for more sustained, bottom-up support mechanisms that empower teachers as active agents of change. By understanding teacher cognition, stakeholders can better design implementation strategies that are pedagogically sound, socially sustainable, and regionally connected within the Vietnamese context.