EFL teaching and learning at a Vietnamese university: What do teachers say?

Abstract

This paper reports part of a study that documents the factors affecting the efficacy of teaching and learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Vietnamese higher education from the teachers’ perspectives. Individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve EFL teachers at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH), Vietnam. The study explored both positive factors and negative factors affecting teaching quality. The findings show that an updated syllabus, modern teaching methods, and adequate facilities and equipment are positive factors identified by the teachers. Nevertheless, there are still many negative factors hindering the efficacy of English teaching and learning, including: insufficient time for English subjects; lack of speaking component in tests and examinations; unequal students’ English abilities; large class sizes; limited support from university leaders; and students’ limited efforts and motivation. The teachers were also given the opportunity to express their expectations about an ideal EFL training program, which included: a balance between financial profit and education quality; more independence for teachers and students in teaching and learning; placement tests; good and enthusiastic teachers; well-equipped classrooms; small class sizes, and student autonomy.