VietTESOL International Convention 2026

Professional development plays a crucial role in supporting teachers to implement curriculum reforms effectively, particularly in the context of outcome-based teaching and learning (OBTL) under Vietnam’s 2018 General Education program. Although previous studies have examined OBTL implementation, most have focused on higher education, leaving limited research on Vietnamese EFL high school teachers’ beliefs and experiences regarding professional development for OBTL implementation. This study, therefore, aimed to explore Vietnamese EFL high school teachers’ beliefs about professional development and their experiences with professional development activities related to OBTL implementation. The study employed a mixed-methods approach involving 98 EFL high school teachers, primarily from the Mekong Delta, who completed questionnaires, while six teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. Data from the questionnaires were analyzed using the statistical software SPSS version 20.0, while data from semi-structured interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicated that teachers held positive beliefs about the importance of professional development and continuous professional development in implementing OBTL. However, their experiences with professional development programs were only moderate, and they faced considerable challenges in transferring acquired knowledge into classroom practice. These findings suggest that professional development programs should be more practice-oriented, context-embedded, and responsive to teachers’ professional needs. The findings provide implications for teachers, school administrators, and educational authorities in designing more effective professional development programs to support OBTL implementation in Vietnamese EFL high school.