Teaching reading in mixed-ability EFL classrooms remains challenging as lower-proficiency learners struggle with grade-level texts. Although scaffolding is widely acknowledged as a strategy for greater accessibility and participation, designing effective scaffolds can be demanding to novice teachers. The growing availability of generative artificial intelligence (AI) offers new possibilities to support teachers throughout this process. Despite growing research on AI in language education, little has been known about how pre-service teachers employ AI to design scaffolds for inclusive reading instruction during their teaching practicum. This study explored how pre-service teachers (PSTs) utilized AI to design scaffolding materials for lower-proficiency learners during reading lessons. A qualitative research design was employed involving seven PSTs and 22 lower-proficiency secondary school learners across an eight-week teaching practicum. Data were collected via lesson plans, scaffold artifacts, reflective journals, and semi-structured interviews before being thematically analysed. Results indicated that PSTs use AI to create lexical, procedural, conceptual, and affective scaffolds that reduce barriers to reading engagement. Learners reported higher levels of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement, including greater participation, confidence, and use of reading strategies. AI was considered as a valuable source of pedagogical assistance although participants noted the need to adapt AI-produced materials to better suit learners and classroom contexts. The study also suggests that AI is a teacher-facing tool for inclusive reading instruction and PSTs preparation.
Higher education is being required to contribute more directly to national development, yet most instruments through which the state currently measures university performance are originally designed for other purposes. Not many are designed to steer the intermediate space between minimum compliance and frontier research performance, where most universities in an absorption-stage economy compete. This paper reframes the problem as one of governance rather than measurement, and develops a governance theory of policy-instrument portfolios organised around distinct governance objects. Drawing on that theory, the Vietnamese Multidimensional Impact Assessment Framework (V-MIAF) is derived as a steering instrument for the currently under-occupied governance space. Five domains are specified, namely workforce skill fit, economic value of knowledge, venture sustainability, collaborative integration, and institutional integrity, with integrity operating as a substrate that conditions the legitimacy of contribution generated elsewhere. Documentary analysis of 2024 institutional reporting from four Vietnamese universities illustrates the analytical visibility the account creates, and a two-gate design couples V-MIAF to Circular 20/2026 and the Autonomy Decree. The contribution is a governance-theoretic account of university impact assessment, an integrity-substrate design, and a portable conceptual logic.
This study examines factors associated with pre-service Natural Science teachers’ competence in using digital learning resources (DLRC) and tests the mediating role of personal readiness. A cross-sectional survey of 330 pre-service teachers was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Pedagogical support showed the strongest direct relationship with DLRC (β = 0.384, p < 0.001), followed by personal readiness (β = 0.308, p < 0.001) and technological support (β = 0.231, p < 0.001). Pedagogical support, technological support, and the digital environment and policies were positively associated with personal readiness. Significant indirect effects through readiness were observed for pedagogical support (β = 0.102), technological support (β = 0.097), and the digital environment and policies (β = 0.057). The model explained 33.6% of the variance in personal readiness and 49.6% in DLRC. The findings identified DLRC as a resource-focused component of professional digital competence and suggest that pedagogical design, accessible technology, institutional conditions, and teacher students’ readiness should be developed in coordination.
Teachers’ geometry competencies are key factors determining the effectiveness of students’ geometry learning. This paper employs a comprehensive research and content analysis to examine the application of van Hiele theory in developing geometry competencies, encompassing geometry knowledge, geometric thinking skills and attitudes, among pre-service mathematics teachers. Research findings demonstrate that organizing teaching around van Hiele’s five-stage process enhances pre-service mathematics teachers’ knowledge of geometric content and teaching geometry, improves their geometric thinking skills, and strengthens positive attitudes towards teaching and learning geometry. The study also emphasizes the role of technological tools in encouraging pre-service mathematics teachers to actively engage in the learning stages according to the van Hiele model. Based on these results, the paper offers recommendations for teacher training programs to improve the quality of geometry teaching by pre-service mathematics teachers, focusing on both content knowledge and effective teaching methods.
This exploratory mixed-methods study investigates Vietnamese EFL educators’ perceptions of AI-driven informal English learning by examining their attitudes toward students’ AI-mediated learning, perceived changes in pedagogical roles, professional challenges, and institutional support needs. Drawing on survey data from a sample of 36 Vietnamese EFL teachers across diverse educational contexts, the study examines attitudes toward AI-mediated informal learning, perceived shifts in pedagogical responsibilities, professional challenges, and institutional support needs. Quantitative findings reveal that the majority of educators recognize the value of AI tools in enhancing students’ motivation and autonomous learning, while also acknowledging a clear shift toward facilitative rather than directive teaching roles. Educators express strong consensus that critical guidance, specific professional training, and institutional support are essential for navigating AI-driven informal learning contexts effectively. Qualitative narrative responses further illuminate the nuanced experiences, challenges, and adaptive practices of educators engaging with students who independently use AI tools. Findings highlight teachers’ recognition of the need to facilitate, complement, and critically guide students’ AI-mediated informal learning processes. While findings are based on a convenience sample and should not be generalized beyond the study population, they provide preliminary insights into how Vietnamese educators are beginning to conceptualize and respond to AI-driven informal language learning. Implications for teacher education and professional development are discussed, emphasizing the preparation of educators for effective engagement with AI-driven language learning contexts.
In the 2018 Mathematics General Education Curriculum, Visual Geometry is expected to help lower secondary students develop spatial reasoning, mathematical representation, and problem-solving competence. However, the teaching of three-dimensional geometry often relies on static illustrations, which may limit students’ opportunities to manipulate, explore, and verify geometric relationships. This article examines the pedagogical potential of GeoGebra 3D in supporting Grade 7 students’ mathematical problem-solving competence in learning the topic of rectangular prisms and cubes. Using a pedagogical design-oriented analysis, the study proposes and analyzes a teaching procedure in which students observe dynamic 3D models, unfold rectangular prisms to construct the lateral surface area formula, and use unit cubes to conceptualize volume. The analysis is grounded in the 2018 Mathematics General Education Curriculum, theories of mathematical problem solving, scholarship on visual geometry and dynamic geometry environments. The proposed activities illustrate how GeoGebra 3D can support students in identifying problems, formulating conjectures, testing relationships, generalizing formulas, and applying knowledge to geometric situations. The article contributes a theoretically grounded instructional illustration for teaching Visual Geometry with digital tools, while highlighting the need for further empirical research to examine its effectiveness in classroom contexts.
The AUN-QA framework requires programs to demonstrate coherence among expected learning outcomes, curriculum design, teaching and learning strategies, assessment, and evidence-based continuous improvement. In economics-related programs, Advanced Mathematics is not merely a foundational quantitative course; it is also a learning environment for developing modeling, problem-solving, collaboration, and decision-making competencies. Drawing on a theoretical review and a reflective synthesis of teaching practices at Lac Hong University, Vietnam, this paper proposes a course-level design for teaching Advanced Mathematics that aligns with program learning outcomes under AUN-QA. The design consists of three mutually reinforcing instructional measures: using Kolb’s experiential learning model to introduce mathematical knowledge through economic scenarios, guiding students through an explicit real-world problem-solving procedure, and strengthening project-based tasks connected to practical economic problems. The paper contributes an alignment matrix linking course learning outcomes, learning activities, and assessment evidence, and offers implementation recommendations for instructors and program managers. The findings support evidence-based course governance, authentic assessment, and semester-by-semester improvement in the attainment of outcomes in economics education. As a design-oriented study, the paper does not aim to test causal effects on student achievement; rather, it develops an instructional framework and assessment evidence system that can be used for future empirical evaluation of CLO attainment.
STEM-oriented instruction has become a core mandate for school teachers, especially mathematics teachers, whose subject plays a foundational role in developing students’ logical reasoning and problem-solving capacity. This paper examines the theoretical foundations of STEM-based mathematics teaching competence among school teachers in the digital era and proposes a conceptual framework for mathematics teacher professional development aligned with current educational reform trends. By synthesizing and analyzing contemporary theoretical approaches such as the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, Professional Learning Communities (PLC), and the Digital Competence Framework for Educators (DigCompEdu) proposed by Redecker (2017) this study develops a professional development model for mathematics teachers comprising: (1) core competencies integrating disciplinary knowledge, pedagogy, and technology; (2) experiential, collaborative, and practice-oriented learning processes; and (3) supportive conditions shaped by digital transformation and school learning cultures. In the proposed framework, TPACK is used to describe the knowledge base that mathematics teachers need for STEM-oriented teaching. DigCompEdu further clarifies how digital competence is involved in designing, organizing, and assessing learning activities. PLC provides the professional setting in which teachers collaboratively plan lessons, examine classroom evidence, receive feedback, and adjust their teaching practices. The proposed framework clarifies the relationship between teachers’ STEM-teaching competence and their digital competence, while suggesting a development pathway that integrates pedagogical innovation grounded in STEM, TPACK, and PLC approaches with digitally enhanced instructional practices. The findings offer both theoretical and practical implications for improving professional development, strengthening mathematics teachers’ competencies, and fostering a digitally responsive STEM education ecosystem.
How can we configure the school mathematics curriculum to develop mathematical thinking? Theories in mathematics education explain it using different terminologies. Firstly, this article reviews theories and nature of curriculum for overcoming contradiction, secondly focuses on developing mathematical thinking in Southeast Asia Region for overcoming and focused on mathematical ways to see it as a part of human character formation, thirdly a theory of mathematical representations (Isoda, 1989 & 2015) is defined based on the ways to see it as, and fourthly mathematization process are explained by the representation theory for explaining how changes the way to see it as. These are illustrated by the cases of operational diagrams in figural representations, including Hanoi’s Tower.
Problem solving has become a central objective of mathematics education in many countries, yet instructional practice often continues to equate success with the rapid production of correct, well-presented answers. This perspective argues that an emphasis on correctness is insufficient to account for the nature of mathematical problem solving as an intellectual and cultural practice. Drawing on research in mathematics education, the paper highlights the crucial roles of beliefs and values in shaping learners’ engagement with non-routine tasks, their willingness to persist in the face of uncertainty, and their views of what it means to “do mathematics”. Beliefs about mathematics, learning, and self-capability interact closely with educational values such as whether speed or depth, outcomes or processes, and competition or collaboration are prioritised in classroom practice. These orientations influence not only how students approach problem solving but also the kinds of learners they become. The article further discusses how teachers and teacher education can support learners in thinking and working more like mathematicians, and illustrates how innovative pedagogical approaches - such as comics-based mathematical tasks - can integrate motivation, values education, and problem solving. It is argued that while correctness remains a necessary condition in mathematics, the cultivation of resilient, reflective, and humane ways of thinking through problem solving should be recognised as a key educational goal.
Without a doubt, the next quarters of the 21st Century will be characterized by accelerated change across all aspects of human life, thanks mainly to breakthroughs in digital technologies. The teaching and learning of mathematics in schools are accordingly affected, for better or worse. Both teachers and students need to be able to navigate these changes - and the uncertainties that accompany them - in ways that optimize the teaching and learning of the discipline, respectively, while maintaining the well-being of mathematics education for all involved. An argument will be made in this paper that what is needed more than ever to facilitate this navigation is something which remains unchanged in a context of continual change, that is, the culturally based values related to mathematics and to its pedagogy. Examples of these include rationalism, fluency, and practice. How values underlie aspects of mathematics education that have become significant in recent years, namely, values alignment, mathematical wellbeing, and mathematics competencies, will be discussed. Understanding the central roles of values in these and other aspects of mathematics education in the 21st Century would thus empower teachers to better interact with students, foster and maintain their mathematical wellbeing, and develop in them relevant mathematics competencies for empowered living in the period of change.
Private higher education has become an increasingly important component of Vietnam’s higher education system, contributing to expanded access, institutional diversification, and workforce development. This study presents a structured literature review of the historical development, policy environment, current status, and future directions of private higher education in Vietnam. Drawing on scholarly publications, policy documents, and reports published between 1990 and 2024, the review synthesizes evidence using a thematic analytical framework. The findings suggest that private higher education has expanded significantly in response to higher education massification, policy reforms, and labor market demands. The sector has diversified academic programs and increased educational opportunities, but continues to face challenges related to governance, quality assurance, financial sustainability, and institutional reputation. The review highlights the importance of policy support, institutional capacity building, and internationalization in enhancing the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of the sector. By integrating historical, policy, and institutional perspectives, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the evolving role of private higher education in Vietnam and offers implications for future policy and practice.
Internationalisation-at-Home has become an important development strategy for Vietnamese higher education sector. In this effort, internationalised Master’s education expands access to global and interdisciplinary knowledge while enhancing professional competence locally without requiring overseas mobility. In practice, access to these educational programs remains challenging due to high costs, English-medium instruction requirements, urban concentration and information barriers. This study examines youth climate actors’ aspirations and their perceived barriers to accessing internationalised Master’s education related to sustainable development. Using a multiphase mixed-methods design, the study analyses collected data from 117 valid questionnaires, six in-depth interviews, and one focused group discussion. Findings show that participants seek globally informed, locally applicable knowledge, interdisciplinary capacity, professional legitimacy, and collective action networks for sustained climate work and policy engagement. Meanwhile, perceived barriers include limited access to program information, inflexible formats, the limited affordability of tuition fees, scholarship uncertainty, high language requirements, and limited recognition of climate-related experience in admissions. The article argues that internationalised Master’s education should be evaluated not solely in terms of its scale of expansion, but also in terms of the extent to which intended learners can identify, access, and apply what they have learned meaningfullyto sustainable development practice.
In the context of growing global and national efforts to integrate sustainability into teacher education, understanding how teachers perceive and enact the Sustainable Development Goals is essential for strengthening education for sustainable development. This study investigated the awareness, attitudes, and actions of 158 Vietnamese in-service teachers across the economic, social, and environmental domains of the Sustainable Development Goals. A 51-item questionnaire grounded in UNESCO’s learning objectives for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals was administered using a four-point Likert scale, and the mean interpretive scale adapted from Alico and Guimba (2015) was used for interpretation. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and one-way ANOVA in SPSS 26. Findings revealed high levels of awareness and attitudes, but only moderate-to-high levels of action. The lowest scores were observed for for Sustainable Development Goal 10 in awareness, Sustainable Development Goal 5 in attitudes, and Sustainable Development Goal 14 in actions. Although awareness and attitudes were strongly correlated, their associations with actions were considerably weaker, indicating a persistent attitude-action gap. No significant differences were found across gender or teaching levels. These results highlight a clear knowledge-practice gap and suggest that teacher education programs in Vietnam should more explicitly integrate locally relevant sustainability issues, participatory pedagogies, and institutional support structures to translate teachers’ strong cognitive and affective orientations into consistent classroom practice.
Project-based learning has gained increasing attention in language education. As a learner-centred instructional approach, project-based learning has been confirmed effective in fostering engagement and enhancing real- world skills. To provide a comprehensive understanding of how project-based learning influences language learner engagement and learning outcomes, this literature review synthesises and analyses recent empirical studies examining the influence of project-based learning on student engagement and learning outcomes in both global and Vietnamese language learning contexts. Accordingly, the review analysed 39 empirical studies based in EFL/ESL contexts. Findings of the included studies indicate that project-based learning enhances student motivation, language competence, and collaborative learning while also fostering critical thinking and learner autonomy. However, most studies relied on short-term interventions and self-reported measures. Few studies have examined long-term impacts of project-based learning, as well as integrated skill development in this setting. The effects of project-based learning on language learners in higher education and in diverse cultural contexts have also been underexplored. Thus, this review contributes to the growing body of research by providing a deeper understanding of how student engagement develops in project-based learning contexts. The study highlights that future research agenda needs to further explore the long-term and broader impacts of PBL so that language teachers, curriculum designers, educators and policymakers can make more informed decisions about its implementation in Vietnam and other contexts.
In education systems shaped by hierarchical traditions and collectivist cultural values, school leadership is not only exercised through formal authority but also through the everyday negotiation of relationships, trust, and professional legitimacy. This study examines how power dynamics shape teacher-leader relationship building in Vietnamese lower secondary schools, with attention to how principals navigate authority within a hierarchical and collectivist cultural context. Drawing on a post-structuralist lens, the research employed a qualitative multiple-case study design. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews with 18 participants (principals, deputy principals, and teachers) across three public schools. The findings show that hierarchy remains a strong structuring force, but authority is continuously produced and legitimised through relational and moral work. Principals combined formal decision-making power with relational strategies - such as recognition, informal dialogue, and community-building - to foster trust and collaboration, while simultaneously shaping the terms under which teacher voice and dissent could be expressed. Cross-case comparison further indicates that leadership practices were contextually negotiated, resulting in different configurations of hierarchical, hybrid, and more participatory approaches. The study contributes to educational leadership scholarship by offering a culturally grounded account of how authority and relationality intersect in everyday leadership practice, with implications for leadership development and policy design in hierarchical and collectivist education systems.
Connectivism has been widely mentioned in language education research to explain learning in networked and technology-rich environments. However, the literature remains difficult to interpret as a coherent evidence base, because connectivism has been used in different ways - as a learning theory, as a pedagogical orientation, or only as a descriptive lens). This article reviews what the literature reveals about connectivism in language education through a systematic scoping review with an evaluative synthesis. The analysis maps the learning ecologies where connectivism is most visible (e.g., LMOOCs, social media communities, blended online learning, and emerging AI-mediated contexts), and examines how studies operationalize “connections” (social interaction ties, resource curation, and platform/algorithmic mediation). Across studies, the most consistent reported outcomes relate to engagement, participation, learner agency, and digital literacies, while stronger evidence for measured language development is less common and often not well aligned with network indicators. Overall, the review suggests connectivism is currently more robust as a design rationale than as a tested explanatory theory in language education. The review concludes by outlining priorities for future research, focusing on clearer construct definitions, better indicator-outcome alignment, and comparative designs across ecologies.
The beliefs and self-assessed instructional competences of pre-service mathematics teachers regarding the teaching of mathematical proofs play a crucial role in their professional development. This study involves a survey with 295 pre-service mathematics teachers from selected universities in Vietnam’s southern region, aiming to explore their beliefs and instructional practices regarding teaching mathematical proofs. Findings indicate that many pre-service teachers felt confident about basic proof concepts and methods, yet a substantial proportion reported insufficient knowledge of mathematical proofs and proof teaching, revealing internal contradictions in their self-perceptions. In addition, their self-assessed teaching competencies do not reflect their beliefs, especially in designing learning activities, organizing instruction, and assessing high school students’ performance. The gap between pre-service mathematics teachers’ beliefs and instructional practices is a core issue to address in current mathematics teacher training. The results yield important implications for mathematics teacher training and new research directions.
Amid global efforts to enhance inclusive education, the gap between educational policy and the effective acquisition of sign language remains a significant challenge, particularly in developing contexts like Vietnam. This study explores the interplay between national standardization policies and the pedagogical implementation of technology for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. We introduce WeSign, an interactive software system designed to support Vietnamese Sign Language education by moving beyond traditional passive repositories. Through an AI-powered module, WeSign provides real-time feedback on fingerspelling and sign formation, fostering a self-directed learning environment. A mixed-methods approach was employed, comprising a needs assessment survey of 30 educators across three specialized institutions and a pilot evaluation involving 30 participants at a specialized school in Hanoi. Usability, measured via the System Usability Scale, yielded an overall mean score of 92.58 (“Best Imaginable”), indicating high acceptance among both teachers (94.00) and students (92.30). These results suggest that integrating AI-driven interactivity into the curriculum offers a promising framework for aligning with specific pedagogical requirements and Vietnam’s Circular on National Standards for Vietnamese Sign Language. The study demonstrates that integrating AI-driven interactivity into the curriculum effectively meets specific pedagogical requirements and aligns with Vietnam’s Circular on National Standards for Vietnamese Sign Language. Scholarly and policy implications highlight the system’s potential to bridge educational gaps by providing a standardized, scalable platform for curriculum-aligned material development, thereby supporting the long-term autonomy and social integration of learners with hearing impairments.
This study investigates teachers and students’ usage of artificial intelligence (AI) in language teaching and learning in Vietnam. Descriptive, correlational, and linear regression analyses are utilised to explore and compare perspectives of about 200 teachers and 700 students from eight universities in Vietnam on the usefulness of using AI in their teaching and learning of foreign languages. The findings show that there are very few differences in the views of both groups on the issue and that AI tools’ use for testing has the strongest impacts on language teaching and learning. However, teachers and learners’ AI competencies do not have any impact on their perceived usefulness of AI-powered tools. The study results are significant in the country’s discussion on how to use AI effectively for education in general and for language teaching and learning in particular.
