4 PROFESSIONAL LEARNING SUPPORT NEEDS OF "NATIVE ENGLISH-SPEAKING TEACHERS" AT FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTRES IN VIETNAM

The recruitment of "native English-speaking teachers" (NESTs) is commonly practised in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) countries. This case study focuses on NESTs teaching in the setting of Vietnamese Foreign Language Centres (FLCs)--an under-researched non-state English language educa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The European Journal of Applied Linguistics and TEFL 2024, Vol.13 (2), p.65
Main Authors: Luong, Phan Nhu Hien, Burns, Anne, Ellis, Neville John
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Case studies
Education
Educational evaluation
Educational reform
English as a second language
Language instruction
Methods
Teachers
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Summary:The recruitment of "native English-speaking teachers" (NESTs) is commonly practised in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) countries. This case study focuses on NESTs teaching in the setting of Vietnamese Foreign Language Centres (FLCs)--an under-researched non-state English language education sector. The case study investigates NESTs' professional learning support needs (PLSNs) across public and private FLCs. In-depth semi-structured interviews with 12 NESTs and 11 educational leaders revealed similarities and differences in the PLSNs of NESTs in public and private FLCs. What was most striking was the mismatches in the perceptions of the PLSNs of NESTs between educational leaders and teachers. This study calls for a need to listen to NESTs' voices and to consider the PLSNs of NESTs in English language reform policies and practice. The study puts forward implications for NESTs, policymakers, and educational leaders at a time of educational change in Vietnam and similar contexts. KEYWORDS EFL, professional learning support needs, native English-speaking teachers, educational leaders, foreign language centres.
ISSN:2192-1032