Speaker
Description
The rapid emergence and use of AI-assisted writing tools in education are reshaping EFL writing instructions, as students independently adopt these tools in almost every stage of writing, from brainstorming and drafting to feedback. This shift raises concerns about growing demands on teachers’ digital competence and professional identity. Acknowledging the need to examine teachers’ perspectives on this matter, this phenomenological study attempts to explore the lived experience of 11 Vietnamese EFL teachers in tertiary education with a focus on how they interpret and adapt to students’ AI-assisted writing. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews, followed by thematic analysis method to organize and extract inclusive themes. Findings indicate that while embracing AI-assisted writing tools as an assistant, teachers experience significant challenges in designing assessments that can effectively minimize AI influence on students’ writing and tensions in evolving their professional identity to refine their skills and redefine their roles in writing instruction. Although the small sample size limits generalizability, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how teachers’ digital competence and professional identity evolve, offering implications for targeted professional development in EFL contexts in Vietnam.
Biography
MA Nguyen Do Thi Thao is currently a visiting lecturer at International Education Center, Hanoi University. She earned her Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and Foreign Language Teaching (FLT) from the University of Canberra in 2022. Over the years, she has taught EFL learners of diverse proficiency levels and learning goals, so she dedicates to motivate students to achieve their academic and personal success by employing varied teaching approaches. She also contributed to some projects which aimed to enhance teachers’ pedagogical competence.
Inspired by her extensive experiences in addressing the diverse needs and goals of EFL learners in the classroom, her research focuses on key areas in language education, particularly in testing and assessment, student motivation, teacher professional development, and educational psychology. As she desires to foster an inclusive and dynamic classroom atmosphere, she is committed to enriching her professional development through both practice and scholarly articles.
