Building Teacher Capacity in English Language Teaching in Vietnam: Research, Policy and Practice(Routledge Critical Studies in Asian Education)

This timely volume opens a window on issues related to English language education in Vietnam. The authors consider that teacher quality is the key factor to be considered if the national English language curriculum outcomes are to be achievable. Aiming to shed light on key issues recently observed in the Vietnamese landscape of English language education, it examines the complexity of the institutionalization of the standardized English proficiency policy, which has been in force since 2008. That policy uses the Common European Framework of References for Languages (CEFR) as the model to set the standards and levels of proficiency for teachers, learners and state employees. The book presents both the theoretical and practical aspects of the standardization movement in English language education. The contents comprise a series of extended research-based chapters written by experts of language-in-education policy and planning in and about Vietnam from a range of perspectives including teachers, English language curriculum developers, teacher educators and researchers. The rich coverage of the book includes current discussion on English language education in Vietnam ranging from policy to practice, making it highly relevant to English teachers, teacher educators, and scholars, in Vietnam and worldwide, who aspire to broaden their horizons and professionalism.

Table of Contents:
List of abbreviations List of figures and tables Foreword Introduction English language teaching in Vietnam: Aspirations, realities and challenges (Le Van Canh) Problematising Pre-service English Language Teacher Education Curriculum (Hai-Ha Vu and Diana L. Dudzik) Risk, uncertainty and vulnerability: primary teachers’ emotional experiences of English language policy implementation (Laura Grassick) Exploring teacher learning in mandatory in-service training courses: challenges ahead (Le Van Canh) Teachers’ professional learning in the context of language education reforms (Hoa Thi Mai Nguyen, Tram Do Quynh Phan, and Manh Van Le) Leveraging teaching knowledge to develop teachers’ classroom English: Working at scale (Donald Freeman and Anne Katz) University lecturers’ perceived challenges in EMI: Implications for teacher professional development (Lê Thị Thùy Nhung) Teachers’ implementation of computer-assisted language learning in the context of educational change in Vietnam. (Nguyen Thi Hong Nhat) An evaluation of the intercultural orientation of secondary English textbooks in Vietnam: How well are students prepared to communicate in global contexts? (Minh Thi Thuy Nguyen and Phuong Hong Cao) English as a Lingua Franca for Vietnam: Current Issues and Future Directions (My-Hau Thi Ho and Hanh Thi Nguyen) Building teacher capacity for ELT in Vietnam: Ways forward (Le Van Canh and Roger Barnard) Index

About the Author :
Le Van Canh is an associate professor in applied linguitics at Vietnam National University, Hanoi. He has been involved in English language teacher education in Vietnam for the past 40 years. His publications centre on second language teacher education in response to the enactment of innovation in Vietnamese ELT. For the last few years, he, as a teacher educator, promotes teacher research among Vietnamese ELT teachers in an attempt to bridge global disciplinary discourses with local practices. His research interests are teacher education, language planning and policy, and context-based TESOL pedagogy. Hoa Thi Mai Nguyen is a senior lecturer in the School of Education at The University of New South Wales, Australia, and specialises in teacher education and development, mentoring, TESOL, and sociocultural theory. She has experience teaching and training pre-service and in-service teachers in Asia and Australia. She has had two authored books, two edited books and over 15 book chapters and 20 articles in well-regarded peer -reviewed journals and international prestigious publishers. She is also an honorary research fellow at the University of Sydney and a visiting scholar at King’s College London. Nguyen Thi Thuy Minh is an associate professor in the English Language and Literature Academic Group at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her research interests include pragmatics in language teaching and learning, interactional competence development, language pedagogy and language teacher education. She has published widely in mainstream TESOL and applied linguistics journals and reputable edited books, and co-authored several teachers’ handbooks and school resource materials. She is currently serving on the editorial board of the Asian Journal of English Language Teaching published by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Roger Barnard is an associate professor in applied linguistics at The University of Waikato, New Zealand. Over the past fifteen years, he has worked with academics in Vietnam and many other Asian universities on collaborative research projects, resulting in several publications; most recently, R.Barnard & Z. Hasim (Eds.), English Medium Instruction Programmes: Perspectives from South East Asian Universities, published in 2018.

Review :
The contributors to this book present a wide range of key issues relating to the current state of English language teacher education in Vietnam, combining political perspectives and theoretical insights with empirical studies. The book will be immensely valuable to students, teachers and researchers working in Vietnam, as well as to many others in relatable contexts involved in building the capacity of English language teachers. Roger Barnard, University of Waikato, New Zealand This book is an insightful compilation which will appeal not only to educators, teachers, and researchers, but also administrators, policymakers, and those who are concerned with teacher professional development, ideologies, and practices in the face of educational reforms. Trang Thi Thuy Nguyen, ELT Journal, Volume 74, Issue 2, April 2020