Speaker
Description
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 influenced by their own experiences of language learning over the years spent in formal education. This study is designed to fill this gap by examining the relationship between an individual’s English language history and their beliefs about English language teaching and learning within the in-service context of Vietnamese EFL teachers. To address this issue, this study used a qualitative narrative inquiry design, collecting written personal reflections from 33 in-service EFL teachers enrolled in a Master of Arts program at a university in Vietnam. The data analysis was conducted using thematic analysis. The results of this study reveal that the three phases of the narrative appeared to have a significant impact on the participants’ pedagogical beliefs: a grammar-translation-dominated formative phase in which the idea of fear of errors occurred; a communicative awakening which was more strongly driven by their instruction at the university than by their informal self-directed learning; and a belief reconstruction phase that was triggered by re-engagement with formal academic study. Therefore, the results of the present study provide empirical evidence for the prevalence of the apprenticeship of observation in the Vietnamese EFL context, with implications for both pre-service and in-service teacher training programs.
Biography
Dr. Ihsan Ali is a lecturer in the English Department at Phenikaa University, Hanoi, Vietnam. His academic and research interests lie primarily in the field of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) studies, with a particular focus on second language motivation, discourse analysis, and critical discourse analysis. He is committed to advancing the understanding of language learning and teaching in various EFL context through rigorous research and scholarly inquiry. His work explores the complex interplay between language, power, and social context, contributing to both theoretical and practical dimensions of English language education. Dr. Ali is dedicated to fostering meaningful learning experiences for his students while actively engaging in research that addresses contemporary challenges in EFL teaching and learning in Vietnam, Pakistan and beyond.
Dr. Dang Quynh Dung is a lecturer in the Chinese Language Department at Phenikaa University, Hanoi, Vietnam. Her research interests include teacher professional development, teachers' beliefs, and the teaching of Chinese as a second language. She is committed to advancing scholarly understanding of language teaching and learning in the Vietnamese higher education context. Her work contributes to both theoretical and practical dimensions of second language education, with a particular emphasis on how teachers' beliefs shape their professional practice and development.
| Affiliate type | University |
|---|