VietTESOL International Convention 2026

Teachers’ engagement in professional development has been considered an important driver of educational development because of its positive results. Research has demonstrated that participating in professional development can transform teachers’ minds, behaviors, and feelings, enabling them to become better versions. In the context of the transition from EFL to ESL in Vietnam, EFL teachers’ participation in professional development as lifelong learners has become increasingly essential. The more teachers participate in professional development initiatives, the better prepared they are to meet the evolving demands of ESL teaching. Despite this importance, it is challenging to sustain teachers’ engagement in professional development because a variety of internal and external variables may promote or constrain teachers’ participation. The present study is carried out to explore EFL teachers’ perspectives on the individual efforts and institutional supports needed to sustain professional development engagement in the shift from EFL to ESL. The qualitative design was adopted, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with four Vietnamese EFL university teachers to collect the data. The results of data analysis indicate the importance of individual variables such as teachers’ willingness to engage in professional development, clear orientations of the pathways for their development, determination for achieving their objectives, critical reflections, and regulations during their learning process. Besides, external supports through flexible professional development policies, openness to teacher change, reasonable workloads, and financial funding were also identified. The study highlights the need for integrating internal efforts with external supports for sustainable professional development engagement and a successful transition from EFL to ESL.