Vietnamese EFL High school Teachers’ Perceived Difficulties and Proposed Suggestions in Implementing a Competency-based English Teaching Curriculum

Abstract

English competency has been known as a crucial skill in different social contexts. At secondary schools in Vietnam (both lower and upper), the focus of English teaching does not place only on the development of the four language skills. Rather, it puts a strong emphasis on how to help learners fully develop their competence in language use. The current study aims to investigate Vietnamese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ perceived difficulties in implementing a Competency-based English teaching curriculum (CETC). Ten teachers working at different high schools in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam volunteered to participate in the study. The study was designed as an exploratory study employing a qualitative approach. To collect data, semi-structured interviews were employed. The results showed that the teachers generally encountered many difficulties reflected in different aspects during the implementation including (1) student-related factors, i.e., low level of motivation in classroom participation, mixed language proficiency, (2) teacher-related factors, i.e., traditional teaching manner, lack of pedagogical knowledge for Competency-based teaching, insufficient English language proficiency, and (3) institution related factors such as large class size, poor facilities for English teaching and learning, lack of authentic materials and learning resources for both of the teachers and the students, and the influence of high stake form-based assessment. Accordingly, possible implications and suggestions to help teachers overcome their difficulties in implementing the CETC are highlighted. It is hoped that this can shed light on the teachers and give insights to the development of competency-based EFL teaching contributing to the improvement of the English teaching quality.