Implemented Activities of English Language Teachers’ Professional Development: A Case Study in Hong Linh Province in Vietnam

Language teachers’ professional development (TPD) has been regarded as a process that started from teachers’ training at tertiary education and continues in jobembedded learning activities for teachers at their school. Many researchers have found a wide range of professional learning activities used in both several Western and Asian countries. This casestudy data came from different sources including the interview with the principal, the questionnaire for Englishlanguage teachers, class observation, and documents to identify nine activities used to promote English language teachers’ PD in one secondary school in Hong Linh province in Vietnam. These activities are described in detail and linked to the typical characteristics of the social, economic, cultural, and political context of Vietnam that can provide some implications for educational policymakers, leaders, and teachers themselves.

The International Journal of

Adult, Community, and Professional

Learning

Implemented Activities of English Language Teachers’ Professional Development

A Case Study in Hong Linh Province in Vietnam

HAI-NGOC TRAN AND HONG-THU THI NGUYEN

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADULT,

COMMUNITY AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

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ISSN: 2328-6318 (Print)

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Teachers’ Professional Development:

A Case Study in Hong Linh Province in Vietnam

Hai-Ngoc Tran,1 Ha Tinh University, Vietnam Hong-Thu Thi Nguyen, Hanoi Law University, Vietnam

Abstract: Language teachers’ professional development (TPD) has been regarded as a process that started from teachers’ training at tertiary education and continues in job-embedded learning activities for teachers at their school Many researchers have found a wide range of professional learning activities used in both several Western and Asian countries This case-study data came from different sources including the interview with the principal, the questionnaire for English-language teachers, class observation, and documents to identify nine activities used to promote English language teachers’ PD in one secondary school in Hong Linh province in Vietnam These activities are described in detail and linked to the typical characteristics of the social, economic, cultural, and political context of Vietnam that can provide some implications for educational policymakers, leaders, and teachers themselves

Keywords: English Language Teachers, Professional Development Activities

Introduction

eacher professional development (TPD), which includes the processes and activities designed to improve or enhance the professional job-related knowledge, skills, or attitudes

of teachers so that they, in turn, can design instructional programs to improve student learning (Guskey 2000; Loucks-Horsley et al 1998), is considered to be a significant part in students’ learning improvements and school achievements For the last few decades, four important trends have emerged in the global literature on language teacher professional development (TPD) First, the role of language teachers’ professional learning is as equally important as pre-service teacher training at institutions of higher education (Lieberman and Mace 2008) Second, the traditional view of language TPD including “in-service workshops” and certificate/degree upgrading programs has moved to more school-based learning activities (Opfer and Pedder 2011; Webster-Wright 2009) Third, TPD is taking place in learning communities (Little 2012) Finally, TPD has a central place in sustainable educational reforms (Fullan 2011; Lieberman and Mace 2008; Ping, Schellings, and Beijaard 2018)

This research was carried out within these developments in a secondary school in a district in Hong Linh province in Vietnam, where there have been very little scholarly contributions to the world literature in teacher training The research question is, “What are the activities of English-language teachers’ professional development for better teaching and learning implemented in a secondary school in a district in Hong Linh province in Vietnam?” This paper presents a case study of a single secondary school in Hong Linh province Qualitative data were collected from the school principal using interview, questionnaires for English language teachers, direct observation of TPD at school, and document analysis The paper aims to enrich the world literature on English-language teachers’ PD and recommends several solutions for educational policymakers, leaders, principals, and teachers in Hong Linh province in particular and in Vietnam in general

1 Corresponding Author: Hai-Ngoc Tran, No 449, 26 March St., Institute of Continuous Training, Ha Tinh University,

Ha Tinh City, Hà Tĩnh Province, 05119, Vietnam email: ngoc.tranhai@htu.edu.vn

T

Theoretical Perspective

Over the last few decades, the emphasis in research and practice on language teacher education

has shifted toward teacher professional learning that is multi-faceted and job-embedded (Vescio,

Ross, and Adams 2008; Webster-Wright 2009) Thus, today language teacher training is viewed

on a continuum that begins during pre-service teacher training and continues throughout the

teachers’ teaching job (Kwakman 2003; Little 2012) Research on language teacher professional

learning has concluded that it is an ongoing process by which language teachers get new subject

knowledge, responsibilities, and teaching method skills (Lai, Li, and Gong 2016; Yurtsever

2013; Opfer and Pedder 2011; Ping, Schellings, and Beijaard 2018) When successful, teacher

development not only results in enhanced capacities for teaching and learning because teachers’

growth and development impinges upon student learning and achievement in particular and

school improvement in general (Correnti 2007; Newmann, King, and Youngs 2000) Meissel,

Par, and Timperley (2016, 169) even state that “quality teaching makes a difference in student

learning…The professional learning of teachers is a central factor in determining the quality of

teaching.”

Opfer and Pedder (2011) and others have tried to provide professional learning activities for

language teachers Two typical types of language TPD have different activities that occur inside,

such as school-based workshops or observations of other teachers, as well as outside the school,

such as workshops or degree/certificate upgrading programs Researchers have also differentiated

professional learning on an individual basis, such as self-study or online learning, or in a group

or community setting, such as teacher research group or team observation Finally, language TPD

has been distinguished by voluntary engagement in the activity of the teachers or by external

forces such as the principal, district, or provincial educational authorities as well as whether it is

mandatory or voluntary

This different perspective toward language TPD has led researchers or teachers to explore

opportunities by which language teachers learn at their workplace (Timperley 2011) The

professional learning of language teachers can take place via formal structures such as

professional development programs, teacher research groups, observations of other teachers,

mentoring, and coaching (Little 2012; Timperley 2011; Webster-Wright 2009) Teachers also

learn through informal interactions when they engage in collaborative shared assessment and

informal discussions (Little 2012)

Workplace norms also shape teachers’ attitudes and beliefs toward TPD in schools

(Rosenholtz 1989; Tran, Hallinger, and Truong 2018) Researchers from several East Asian

societies such as China, Hong Kong, Singapore, or Thailand have also mentioned socio-cultural

aspects on understanding teachers’ attitudes toward collaboration and professional learning

Confucian norms—including hierarchical social relationships and other beliefs (Borton 2000;

Vasavakul 2019; Nguyen 1984), which are evident in many East Asian nations—make teachers

believe in learning for a better future For example, in Vietnamese culture, a good or perfect

person is not only professionally competent but also displays moral qualities that are in harmony

with Confucian norms (Dalton et al 2001; Vasavakul 2019) This creates the identity of the

“good teacher,” which seeks continued learning and development in terms of both moral qualities

(duc) and subject knowledge and teaching skills (tai) (Nguyen 2003) This feature has also been

observed in Hong Kong (Hallinger and Liu 2016), Thailand (Somprach, Tang, and Popoonsak

2016), Singapore (Hairon and Dimmock 2012), and mainland China (Qian and Allen 2013;

Wang 2016) In Vietnam, TPD of teachers in general, and language teachers in particular, is

interpreted as a part of the teacher’s personal development, professional identity, responsibility

and growth

Method

A case study research design was used in this study (Yin 2014) It was a means of finding out different activities of language TPD in a secondary school in Hong Linh province in Central Vietnam In this section of the paper, the sample selection, the methods of data collection, and data analysis for this study will be described

Sample

The purposeful sampling, designed to yield “information-rich cases whose study will illuminate the questions under study” (Patton 2015, 169), is applied in this study This school was identified

to be effective by the district education authorities, DETS, based on the achievements of teachers’ achievements such as the number of good teachers’ titles, the students’ achievements, and so on This secondary school—Cam Thanh—is located in a rural commune in Cam Xuyen district, Hong Linh province This school educates pupils living in the agricultural commune Most members are involved with growing rice, pigs, and chickens However, according to the principal, because of their traditional fondness for learning, parents often encourage their children in education The school reports showed that teachers and pupils of this school have gained many awards such as the excellent school of the district certificates in recent years Cam Thanh is one of the leading secondary schools in Cam Xuyen district according to DETS For the purpose of the study, the principal and five English-language teachers were selected to participate in this data collection process

Data Collection

Data presented in this paper came from semi-structured interviews with the principal, open-ended questionnaires completed by fives teachers, and our direct observation of professional development activities at Cam Thanh School Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain information about the principal’s perspectives and leadership practices and the nature of professional learning activities for English language teachers at school (Patton 2015) Teachers’ perspectives were collected from an open-ended questionnaire that focused on English-language teachers’ needs and motivations as well as professional development activities used in their school All five questionnaires distributed at the faculty meeting were returned (100% response rate) To gain further details and check on what had been reported in the interview and questionnaires, teacher professional development activities were also observed over a period of two and half months—nearly an academic term These observations offered multiple perspectives and enabled the use of triangulation as a means of checking the credibility of different perceptions (Patton 2015)

Data Analysis

The “within-case analysis” was used in this case study, including developing detailed write-ups for Cam Thanh School (Patton 2015; Yin 2014) Analytical procedures first involved coding data based on the different data sources After completing the case record, we reanalyzed the data focusing specifically on identification of English-language TPD activities employed in Cam Thanh School Open coding and axial coding were used in order to generate both lists of activities within which they were utilized (e.g., provided externally or school-based, job-embedded or taught)

Results

Cam Thanh School employed many professional development activities for English-language

teachers They can be divided into two categories: external and internal The activities outside the

school, initiated by Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), Provincial Education and

Training Service Department (PETS), or District Education and Training Service Department

(DETS), included workshops and courses, “good teacher competitions,” and degree upgrading

The school-based internal activities comprised the following: weekly professional meetings, class

visits (observations), yearly scientific studies or experienced initiatives, seminars,

coaching-mentoring, and self-learning We could identify nine professional development activities in

which English-language teachers engaged at the school We classified these into two groups

based on the nature of activities: external and school-based activities

External Professional Development Activities

Workshops and Short-Time Courses

These are the most common type of professional development for English teachers, organized by

DETS or PETS They occur at a scheduled time, often after school, during the weekend, or

during the summer During the time of the educational forms since 2010, including textbook

replacement for the sixth and seventh grades and teaching-method forms, there were more

intensive workshops and courses These were designed to enable teachers to study the new

curriculum and new teaching methods (student-centered teaching approach) According to

Principal Hoa, only one or two out of five English teachers attend courses during the academic

year because the others have to teach It is usually the group leader who attends and who will

train the rest of the teachers after the workshops Summer workshops were obligatory for all

teachers regardless of age, gender, or experience; however, teachers could be absent if their

reasons were approved by relevant authorities Following the workshops and courses, teachers

were encouraged to disseminate and apply the new learning in their classrooms Principal Hoa

said, “observing and being observed are promoted for teachers to get feedback and exchange

experiences From that, new knowledge is gained, and new techniques are trialed.” She realized

this when she noted, “I think that those workshops and courses are necessary, especially those

relating to the English subject textbook replacement and teaching methodology reform at present

to meet the requirements of MOET However, it is more important that the new knowledge

learning from those workshops and courses is applied successfully to our classrooms Thus,

follow-up activities for drawing experiences are valued and encouraged.”

Almost the teachers had similar views For example, one teacher wrote, “when we attended

the workshop, we did not have much time for demonstration and practice because there were too

many people at the workshop Those workshops gave more focus on specialists just giving

presentations, rather than conducting demonstrations We need demonstrations because we really

learn when we try these new skills learnt from such demonstrations, observe and being observed

at our classes in the school Those experiences are valuable to us as active learning” (Teacher 1

[T1])

Degree Upgrading

Degree upgrading was used in this school; however, “younger teachers are more interested in the

degree upgrading strategy than older counterparts” (T2) Although the required degree for

lower-secondary-school teachers involved a three-year training, through the interview and

questionnaires, it became evident that there was a tendency among younger teachers to continue

upgrading their certification to university degrees They explained that they were still young, and

they wanted to upgrade before they became older and busier with their family A three-year part-time course for upgrading took a long part-time and posed many difficulties It involved spending five days at school and two days on the upgrading class This made them stressed and tired: “this is much harder for female teachers because they have to take care of their families and their children” (T2) Thus, Principal Hoa said, she has encouraged and supported those teachers during their certification upgrading For example, “when our teachers have classes or tests on weekdays, other teachers are assigned to replace them After they have completed their course, graduates are often praised for their great efforts and awarded a small gift as recognition from the school.” According to school reports, all the five teachers are university degree-holders now

“Good Teacher” Title Competitions

“Good teacher” competitions were organized by the PETS and DETS English teachers in this school also registered to sit for competitions “Good teacher” titles were targeted by almost all teachers; however, it took teachers a long time and a good deal of energy to reach that objective They needed to be good teachers at a lower level before registering to participate in the competition for the higher title As usual, after being recognized as good teachers at the school level for two or three years, those teachers were encouraged to register to sit for the good teacher competition at the district level The same procedures were followed by good teachers at the district level who wanted to get a higher title (at the provincial or PETS level) According to the school reports, there was only one good teacher at the provincial level, two good teachers at the district level, three at the school level The “good teacher” title does not last for long If teachers want to maintain this title, they need to attain it twice consecutively This is desirable but very challenging, according to the teachers Teachers’ comments, for example, were “we had much eagerness and motivation, together with pressures and challenges when taking part in good teacher competitions…Sometimes, we felt exhausted for spending a lot of time, energy, and intellect to get the title” (T2 and T4)

Not all teachers want to register for these competitions Some were reluctant because of pressures or the difficulty level Candidates had to spend almost the whole school year trying to meet the three main criteria before being recognized as “good teachers”—passing the competition (written English-language proficiency test and taught lessons), having good students

of the same or above level, and having their scientific studies or experienced initiatives recognized as being of a good standard by the equivalent management level (DETS or PETS) When candidates failed, they felt ashamed; a sense of “losing face,” as a feature of Confucian influence, is often overwhelming for them That is why one teacher in their mid-forties wrote, “I have been recognized as a good teacher at DETS level for five times, and now I am bored with taking part Many pressures and stresses are on me Sometimes, I only register because I respect the principal and do so for the good of the school, I have to register In fact, I do not want to” (T3) Usually, experienced and competent teachers who are not young are asked to sit for these competitions to ensure the likelihood of success

School-Based Professional Learning Activities

Weekly Professional Meetings

According to the principal, weekly meetings were organized around groups of subjects There were two main departments: nature and society According to the school documents, the nature department consisted of the following subjects: math, physics, chemistry, English, and biology There were six subjects in the society department: literature, history, geography, civic education, music, and physical education Teachers of lower-secondary schools were often in charge of teaching two closely related subjects: math-physics, math-chemistry, history, literature-geography, and so on At the college, teachers had been trained to be able to teach two closely

related subjects; however, there are not enough teachers to teach subjects such as civic education

and technical subjects Therefore, one teacher may need to teach more than two subjects until

they made up eighteen periods per week Every Thursday afternoon (teachers of this school had

to teach only in the morning), teachers gathered first at all-school staff meeting for about half an

hour or an hour and then met in subject sections to discuss professional matters in detail

The principal said she tried to have short meetings for the whole staff to keep them informed

of matters such as the date of “good teacher” or student competitions The observations revealed

that teachers also liked the shorter staff meetings and longer professional meetings in their

subject sections During the observation time, most topics for professional meetings were related

to textbook replacement, class visits, and teaching-methodology reform because MOET

demanded all professional matters focusing on textbook replacement and teaching-methodology

reform to achieve success Teachers were interested in discussing and exchanging ideas on

specific lessons in the textbooks including the procedures of the lesson and how to encourage

students to actively engage in class activities These were very important for teachers because of

the new emphasis, as Principal Hoa said “Now, the student-centered approach encouraged

students to actively take part more in pair-work and group-work More practice for students and

promotion of students’ creativity are also the target of the reform So, it is understandable that

English teachers need to work harder because English is more and more vital.” Teachers also

discussed how they applied the new teaching methods in their classes and how it has worked

“We try to learn more about the new textbooks and teaching method in order to become familiar

with those changes and to teach better We have many discussions about that I feel as if I have

made progress after attending these activities” (T4)

We witnessed many discussions, even heated debates, among teachers on professional

matters It appeared that, sometimes, only collegial and hierarchical relationships in the

Vietnamese culture could keep teachers together after such very “strong” discussions Mutual

respect and a caring attitude allowed them to focus on professional matters and prevented them

from leading to negative discussions such as pessimism on the policy of textbook replacement

and teaching-methodology reform Of course, heated discussions are compromised between

teachers and oldest or team leader had a significant role in mediating the conflicts This

collaboration provided an ongoing dialogue about professional development, as one teacher with

ten years’ teaching experience wrote, “we learned what is expected partly through working with

colleagues in the professional meetings What the principal talks about, including textbook

replacement and teaching method reform, matches what we talk about in the meetings, which

matches our planning, which matches the overall objectives, but there is still flexibility within all

these things” (T1)

Observations

The principal and the teachers agreed that class visits were regularly used in this school It was a

regulation that each teacher had to observe at least one lesson each week Teachers of other

subjects were also encouraged by the management board to observe one another Principal Hoa

said, “I believe that observing and being observed are both helpful and important, especially for

teachers in general and English teachers in particular at this educational level No teacher is

perfect A teaching teacher’s error can be prevented by learning from his or her colleagues’

errors Thus, every teacher can learn something useful from his/her colleagues, even errors.”

Almost all teachers agreed with the principal’s ideas Teachers observed one another, and

they could exchange experiences and ideas both in terms of subject knowledge and teaching

skills (such as class management, lesson procedures, and so on) Observations were frequently

encouraged on special occasions such as the Communist Party’s Birthday, Vietnamese Teachers’

Day, or International Women’s Day, as educational leaders would like to welcome such

important celebrations After observations, teachers were given time to discuss and provide

feedback to evaluate experiences by clarifying the good points and weak points, which need improving in the future

Many teachers, especially young ones, regarded this activity as useful because they linked it with topics discussed at professional meetings or from workshops Trying new ideas and techniques in classes, observation, following discussions, and experience drawn from application should be a necessary, helpful, and ideal cycle of professional development for teachers This does not run as smoothly and effectively as desired For example, our field notes documented that there were two teachers observing an English lesson for Class 7A during the birthday of the Communist Party, but only two teachers gathered to discuss the observation Two others had classes, and one was busy observing another lesson During these occasions, one teacher could observe more than two lessons a day Missing teachers could not contribute their opinions to the observed teachers’ lessons and, in turn, they could not learn much from others This shortcoming was also realized by Principal Hoa She explained, “I know this…but it is difficult to organize it better Teachers register to have their classes observed and the teacher leader of the department writes the time on the notice board Other teachers just arrange their time to observe those lessons Although teachers cannot learn very much from those observed lessons if they do not take part in discussions after observing, I think they can still learn more or less from those observations.”

Many teachers found it difficult to ask other teachers for permission to observe their lessons Several reasons can be found, as in this young teacher’s writing “When you are observed, you have to prepare more carefully than usual You also have to divide the steps of the lesson more specifically In addition, you are more nervous when being observed When you see someone there looking at your actions and taking notes, it is not comfortable at all It is also uncomfortable

to wait for comments during the discussion after the observation” (T5)

We also witnessed a male teacher refusing a young female teacher permission when she asked to observe his lesson After hearing her suggestion, he laughed, saying, “maybe another time I have not prepared carefully today, and this lesson is not interesting at all It is a math exercises practice lesson” (field notes, January 18, 2019) It is more challenging when teachers are observed for assessment The principal, the deputy principal, the teacher leader, and other teachers could be observers Observed lessons are graded as A (good), B (credit), or C (average) These observed lessons contribute to the final grading of a teacher at the end of the school year Thus, the discussions after observation were not always helpful Young teachers “often had few ideas or kept silent to the lessons of older or more experienced counterparts with many rewards” (T2) One young teacher explained, “older and good teachers often teach better than us We just listen to learn from the older teachers” (T5) Our observation confirmed this We believe that the sense of hierarchical thinking and “losing face” in the Vietnamese culture is evident here in the attitude of the young teacher when the young teacher did not want to have comments on an older counterpart’s mistakes (see, for example, Borton 2000; Vasavakul 2019) If an older teacher makes mistakes or receives negative comments—and, therefore, a B or C grade—they feel ashamed in front of the young teachers

Yearly Scientific Studies or Experienced Initiatives

English teachers at this school are required to write about scientific studies or experienced initiatives every school year The experienced initiatives activity is more appropriate because teachers do not have much time or money to spend on conducting real research Moreover, many teachers did not know how to conduct research Principal Hoa stated, “indeed, older teachers like

me were not taught how to conduct a study because at the time, our country was at the war against the American invasion We were just trained to teach Younger teachers are also taught at universities and colleges but taught little, and it is not current They do not know much except action research.”

However, this strategy makes teachers spend time on self-learning Teachers are encouraged

to write a report on what they had done to improve a lesson or to explain their new findings The

procedures of registering and assessing scientific studies or experienced initiatives for teachers at

this school were required by MOET This strategy was not considered effective for teachers’

professional development within this school Four teachers indicated this Because it was done

yearly as a criterion for good teacher’s title or ranking after an academic school year, teachers

sometimes found it difficult to find relevant topics and areas for their experienced initiatives “I

think sometimes, having a scientific study is not easy at all and even too formal It does not

always relate closely to our everyday teaching in the class” (T2) However, according to two

teachers, it is useful for teachers who write their own experiences like a form of action research:

“besides reporting the useful practices and experiences to my colleagues in professional

meetings, I want to write a report in written form to help others have a look at them in detail and

in depth Today, we can get great support from the internet to do this hard task” (T1)

Seminars

According to Principal Hoa, seminars are often organized in association with professional

meetings Teachers are assigned to read books or professional journals to find about new topics

or new knowledge This includes general knowledge and professional knowledge Teachers

summarize or review the material Then, during the meeting, the teacher presents the material to

his or her departmental colleagues Discussions are encouraged and questions are then asked to

promote further understanding This encourages self-learning of teachers Teachers have to read

books and journals to help them “improve the knowledge including life or professional

experiences and practices” (T4) This could help teachers become more confident when speaking

or talking in front of an audience Principal Hoa said that “this strategy is necessary for teachers

in general and English teachers to self-study and to make our teachers become familiar with

doing a presentation in front of others Because of the learning style our teachers have been used

to, they are not confident in front of other people They are becoming better with this and with

the help of the Internet today.” All five teachers wrote of the advantage of this strategy in their

questionnaires Sometimes, the English teachers organize an English-speaking club for the

students, or a seminar called hai hoa dan chu (“taking turns picking flowers”) Teachers take

turns picking up a strip of paper (called a flower) and talk about the situation written on it It is

useful when the questions relate to teaching professional knowledge such as teaching method

situations or a language knowledge subject item

It takes time to prepare for this kind of seminar, as Principal Hoa revealed “In order to have

one [the kind of seminar], teachers have to think of questions Sometimes, they choose the topic,

then, they ask all teachers to write out one or two suggested questions They gather then select

and make a final list of questions and write them on strips of paper…In short, it is challenging for

teachers to organize this But it is very interesting and worth doing.” All teachers had similar

views They noted the usefulness of this activity so that all can attend They also wrote that they

did not have much time to prepare for this

Coaching-Mentoring

When a new English-language teacher is recruited, a more experienced and competent teacher is

appointed as the newcomer’s mentor The mentor is responsible for instructing the new teacher in

professional matters The new teacher can observe his or her mentor’s lessons He or she can ask

questions relating to lesson plans, curriculum, and so on New teachers of less than two years

teaching must observe other teachers’ lessons at least twice a week According to the principal,

observations are useful for new teachers because they are often good at subject knowledge, but

they are not very skilled in methods of teaching “They [novice teachers] should get used to real

practice in the classroom and gain some more experience of teaching skills.” Novice teachers