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Description
This quantitative survey research investigates the lesson planning practice and competence of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Vietnam. Data were collected from 143 EFL teachers who were currently teaching at various primary, secondary and high schools in Vietnam. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted to explore the participants’ overall level of (i) lesson planning competence (i.e.,Emergent, Competent, Expert; MOET, 202018), (ii) their lesson planning habits (i.e., ability to identify students’ characteristics and contextual factors, formulate learning objectives, design assessment activities, sequence and organize instructional activities, etc.), (iii) the typical challenges that teachers faced during the lesson planning process they encountered, and the potential relationships between these factors. Findings highlighted that most teachers were highly competent at lesson planning (M=4.0; SD= .58). Of the different sub-skills of lesson planning, teachers felt most confident about selecting and sequencing lesson activities (M= 4.17) and least confident about formulating lesson objectives (M=3.94) and reflecting after the lesson (M=3.98). It is also not surprising to find out that teachers mostly used ready-made lesson plans that go with the textbooks (69.2%) and materials from the Internet (61.5%). The most commonly listed challenges among teachers were large and heterogeneous class (81.1%) and limited class time (57.3%). The study had important implications for targeted professional development programs and institutional support aimed at fostering more effective lesson planning practices. It also prompted teachers to rethink their planning stance and engage with research-informed materials like the FLTC Book series to elevate their competence.
Keywords: EFL teachers, lesson planning, professional development, Vietnam, quantitative research
Biography
Dr. Cao Thuy Hong (Hong Cao) is currently a lecturer (of English Language Teaching Methodology) at the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University-Hanoi (ULIS, VNU-H). She has special interest in English Language Teaching, English Language teacher education, gifted education and career development. She has conducted both qualitative and quantitative research; and has published in the fields of Second Language Acquisition, Pragmatics, Gifted education, Assessment and Career Development. ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4378-0150
Dr. Tran Thi Hieu Thuy (Thuy Tran) has been an EFL/ ESL teacher, teacher educator, English textbook writer and material developer for 20 years. She is currently a lecturer at VNU University of Languages and International Studies and works closely with MOET to design and deliver training courses for in-service English teachers. Her research interests include English Language Teacher Competences, Blended Learning, and Multimodal Instructions. She has published in the fields of Teacher Education and Applied Linguistics.
