VIETNAMESE HIGH-SCHOOL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF TPACK IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Abstract

Technology-driven changes have led to the needs for knowledge and skills to integrate information and communication technology into instructional activities. This competence, described as the TPACK (technology, pedagogy and content knowledge), attracts relatively extensive scholarship in education. Further research, however, remains essential to develop further insights into teachers’ TPACK for foreign language education. Against such a backdrop, this study was conducted to examine Vietnamese teachers’ perceptions of TPACK in an EFL context. A 34-item survey adapted from Bostancıoğlu and Handley (2018) was used to collect data from 120 English teachers of 33 high schools in two Mekong Delta’s provinces of Vietnam. Quantitative analysis showed that the teachers had a high level of basic computer and office technologies, and pedagogical content knowledge, but they rated their ability to integrate technologies with pedagogical content knowledge just above the average level. No significant differences in their TPACK were observed in terms of their teaching experience, technology training, and gender, except for technology use frequency. The findings confirm that trainers and educators should pay closer attention to supporting teachers both pre-service and in-service to develop TPACK as an integrated ability, instead of knowledge of technology per se. Besides, teachers’ TPACK levels interact with the use frequency, so it is crucial for teachers to use technology frequently to increase their TPACK self-efficacy. Article visualizations: