Speaker
Description
Service-learning, as a form of experiential learning method, provides preservice teachers opportunities to bridge theory and practice by engaging in meaningful, community-based teaching experiences. Although research on service-learning has been increasingly conducted worldwide, empirical studies examining its impact on teacher professional identity, particularly in the Vietnamese EFL context, remain limited. This study investigates how service-learning shapes the professional identity of EFL preservice teachers through a four-week community-based teaching project at Truyen Tin Orphanage. Adopting a qualitative approach, the study examines how participants interpret and negotiate their teaching experiences in an authentic educational context. The findings indicate a shift from idealized, theory-driven perceptions toward more context-sensitive and student-centered understandings of teaching. This transformation is mediated by adaptive responses to classroom challenges, reflective engagement, and interaction with diverse learners. Rather than viewing identity development as a direct outcome of experience, the study highlights it as a dynamic process shaped through continuous negotiation between individual beliefs and contextual demands. The study contributes to the literature by emphasizing adaptive agency as a key mechanism linking experiential learning and professional identity development in EFL teacher education.
Biography
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong is an English major student specializing in English Language Teaching at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance, Vietnam. Over the past four years, she has actively participated in various service-learning projects across different fields, gaining practical experience in community engagement and educational activities. Through these experiences, she has applied her theoretical knowledge in English language teaching to real-life contexts, developing skills in lesson planning, student interaction, and reflective practice. Her academic interests include English language teaching methodologies, experiential learning, and the integration of community-based service experiences to enhance teaching and learning outcomes.
Hoang Thi Ngoc Hien has been working as a full-time lecturer and Assistant Dean of the Faculty of English at Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance, Vietnam since 2019. She holds a BA from Ho Chi Minh City University of Pedagogy, Vietnam and an MA in Applied Linguistics from University of Curtin, Australia. With prior experience at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Ton Duc Thang University, her teaching career focuses on innovation and student success. Her research interests range from language acquisition, English language teaching (ELT) methodologies including using AI tools in learning and teaching languages, task-based language teaching (TBLT), drama techniques, data literacy for teaching, to service-learning.
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