Primary Research on the Design of the Education Workforce in Vietnam

Ann Nielsen, Yeukai Mlambo, and Hang B. DuongArizona State University

Background PaperTransforming the Education Workforce

The Education Workforce Initiative (EWI) was established in response to a recommendation from the Education Commission’s LearningGeneration report to explore new ways of diversifying and strengthening the education workforce. The Transforming the EducationWorkforce report is one of EWI’s key contributions to catalyzing this thinking. It draws on recent evidence and provides thought leadership on how to rethink the education workforce. For the full report and other supporting documents, please visit EducationWorkforce.org.

The Transforming the Education Workforce report was informed by a set of commissioned background papers and primary research reports. This paper is a result of primary research undertaken in Vietnam by Arizona State University and focuses on the design of the education workforce in Vietnam.

For questions or more information about this paper, please contact: info@educationcommission.org

Please reference this publication as: Nielsen, Ann, Yeukai Mlambo, and Hang B. Duong (Arizona State University). 2019. “Primary Research on the Design of the Education Workforce in Vietnam.” Background Paper for Transforming the Education Workforce: Learning Teams for a Learning Generation. New York: Education Commission.

1 | Page

EducationWorkforce(Re)design:PrimaryResearchReportofFindingsVietnamFieldworkAnnNielsen,1YeukaiMlambo,1andHangB.Duong21. IntroductionThisreportsummarizesaresearchstudythatexploredthecurrenteducationworkforcetoinformpotentialareasofrefinementforimprovingthequalityofeducationforallstudentsinVietnam.Usingagrassrootsapproachthatviewedtheschoolasthemainarenaforteachingandlearning,theresearchfocusedonunderstandingthelivedrealitiesofVietnamesestudents,teachersandothersintheeducationattheschoolanddistrictlevelsfromtheirperspectives.Thereportwasalsoinformedbyinputsfromworkshopswherestakeholdersexchangedtheirperspectivesonpossibilitiesoftransformingtheeducationworkforceparticularlythrougheffectivecollaboration.Thefollowingobjectivesguidedourwork:

(1)Understandingtheexperiencesofstakeholderswhomakeuptheeducationecosystemattheschoollevels,particularlytheirperceptionsofhowrolesandfunctionswithineducationalsystemsmightchangeinthefaceofglobalizationandtechnologicalchangesinthe21stcentury.(2)Engaginginaparticipatoryreimaginingoftheeducationworkforceatdifferentlevelsoftheeducationsysteminformedbyempiricalresearch.

Basedontheresearchfindings,thereportmakesrecommendationsregardingeducationworkforceredesignwithimplicationsforSTEMeducationtocontinuetosupportqualityandinclusiveeducationforchildreninVietnamaswellasinothersimilarcontexts.2. MethodologyAsthefocusofthestudywasonpreviouslyun-orunder-exploredtopicsparticularlyinnewcontexts,qualitativeresearchwasconsideredthemostsuitablemethodologyinconductingthisresearch.Furthermore,aqualitativeresearchapproachwassupportiveofunderstandingofthecurrentcontextasaprerequisitetointroducingnewwaysofknowinganddoing(Jamshed,2014).

1ArizonaStateUniversity 2 Lehigh University

2 | Page

Forthisstudy,asanexploratorymethodology,qualitativeresearchalsoallowedforanunderstandingofthemultiplewaysinwhichdifferentstakeholdersexperienceandperceivethecurrenteducationworkforcewhileprovidinganopportunitytogenerateandexplorenewpossibilitiesthroughdialogue(Figure1).Initialresearchreviewedthemostcurrentliteratureandconductinginterviewswitheducatorsgloballytounderstandbroadapproachestoeducationalworkforceredesign.3Stage2focusedintwocountries:GhanaandVietnam.DataandfindingswithinthisreportreflectdatacollectedinVietnamonly.FollowingengagementwithlocalstakeholdersinStage2,twoone-dayworkshopswereconductedinVietnam(November2018andOctober2019)togaininsightfrompractitionersinthefieldintohoweducationalworkforcerolesandfunctionsmightevolvebasedonthecurrentneeds,challengesandconstraintsinthecurrenteducationalsystem.Figure1.ResearchDesign

DatacollectionandanalysisDatacollectionforthisreportoccurredinVietnaminthemonthsofNovember2018andOctober2019.Thedatacollectionutilizedqualitativemethodologieswithinasocialconstructivistapproach.Theresearchteamengagedprimarilywitheducationalstakeholdersattheschoollevelwhohaveparticipatedineducationdeliverytostudents.Alimitednumberofinterviewstookplacewithdistrictlevelofficials.Acombinationofin-depthinterviews,focusgroups,visualmethodologiesandworkshopswereusedwithschoolstaff,teachers,parentsandotherstakeholders(includingdistrictofficials).

3 StageOneresearchwasdesignedtoinformtheresearchstudyinVietnamaswellastheEducationCommission’srecentreport:EducationCommission(2019).TransformingtheEducationWorkforce:LearningTeamsforaLearningGeneration.NewYork:EducationCommission.

3 | Page

ThedatacollectionwasconductedinHanoi,HoChiMinhCityandCanTho.Theselectionoftheregionsanddistrictswereaimedatprovidingdiverserepresentationsofeducationdelivery,primarilyintheurbanareasofVietnam.4SelectionofresearchsiteswascoordinatedandapprovedthroughtheMinistryofEducationandTraining.AsshowninTable1,thedatacollectionincludedin-depthinterviewsandfocusgroups,thephotovoiceandworkshops.Datawascollectedoverthecourseofayear.

In-depthInterviews(November2018).Indepthinterviews(IDI)wereconductedwithsomeparticipantsandprovidedanopportunityfortheresearcherstodeveloprapporttogaindetailedinsightsespeciallyonsensitivetopicssuchasindividualopinions,currentchallengeswithinthesystemandspecificexamplesthathighlightareasofgrowth.IDIsallowedforfollow-upquestionsandprobingtoarriveatamorenuancedunderstandingofindividualperceptionsandexperiences.

FocusGroups(November2018).Focusgroupswerefacilitator-guidedgroupdiscussionsaroundaparticulartopic.Asagroupactivitytheyallowedparticipantstoshareandcomparetheirexperiencesandperceptionswitheachotherwiththepurposeofgeneratingnewideasonatopicofsharedimportance.Focusgroupswereusedtoengagestakeholderstodiscusscurrentchallengesaswellaspotentialsolutionsandfutureopportunitiestoimprovetheeducatorworkforcebothatthedistrictandschoollevels.

Photovoice(November2018).Aqualitativemethodlinkedtocommunity-basedparticipatoryresearch(CBPR),involvedselectedparticipants(studentsandteachers)takingphotographsandusingthestoriesaboutthosephotographs,photoelicitations,to“expressneeds,history,culture,problemsanddesires”intheireverydayrealitiesthatwereofimportancetothem(Nykiforuk,Vallianatos&Nieuwendyk,2011,p.104;Wang&Burris,1997).Inthephotovoicemethodology,participantswereprovidedwithtabletsfor2-3dayswithinstructionstocaptureimagesrelatedtoteachingandlearning.Thereafter,inafocus-groupsettingguidedbyafacilitator,participantsengagedinadiscussiontocontextualizethephotosandprovidedapreliminaryanalysisofthephotographstheyselected(Wang&Burris,1997).

WorkforceRedesignWorkshop(November2018).Followinganalysisofthequalitativedata,differentscenarioswerecreatedaspromptsduringaone-dayredesignworkshop.Scenariosbasedonthedatacollectedframeddifferenteducationdeliverychallengesfoundduringdatacollection.Focusingonabductivereasoning,theaimoftheworkshopwastocollectivelyandcreativelycomeupwithplausiblesolutionsthatincludedifferenteducatorrolesandsupportsthatcouldbepossibleinaredesignededucationsystemincludingfutureworkforceneeds(Zheng,2017).

4 TheresearchteamrequestedpermissiontoconductresearchinruralareasofVietnambutwasnotgrantedofficialaccesstoschoolsinruralareas.

4 | Page

AdaptiveLearningPlatformWorkshop(October2019).ThereportwasalsoinformedbyinputsfromtrainingworkshopsrelateddirectlytoeducatorsintheSTEMfield(mathinstructors)whowerepartofapilotstudyofadaptivelearningplatformsformathinstruction.TheseworkshopswereconductedinHanoi,HoChiMinhCity,andCanThoinOctober2019.Participantsintheworkshops(teachers,schooladministrators,DOETrepresentatives,universityfacultyandpre-serviceteachers)providedadditionalperspectivesontheeducationworkforce,relatedtoadaptivelearningplatforms,educatorcollaboration,andtheirpotentialtoreformVietnam’seducationworkforce.Overall,theresearchapproachprovidedanopportunitytoseetheeducatorworkforcefrommultipleperspectiveswithintheeducationalsystem.Aftertranscribingtheinterviews,focusgroupsandphotovoiceelicitations,alldatawasanalysedinanongoingcyclicalpatterndrawinguponpost-intentionalphenomenologicalmethodologies.Post-intentionalphenomenologicalresearchseekstobetterunderstand“thewaysinwhichwefindourselvesintheworld,”(Vagle,2014,p.122)whichwascapturedthroughinterviewandfocusgroupdata.Visualdata,collectedthroughthephotovoicemethodologyprovidedasecondarylevelofunderstandingthelivedexperiencesofeducatorsandstudentsandwasanalysedusingbothopenandstructuredanalyses(Collier&Collier,1986).Theunitofanalysesfocusedonthefollowingkeyareas:Socialorder:thecontextinwhichtheschoolislocated,includingwithinlocaland

nationalpoliciesandpriorities.Arenasoftheschoolspaces:thefeaturesofthesethatreflecthowpolicieshavebeen

takenupintermsofbeliefsandvalues(e.g.,norms,routines,rules,facilities,expectations)

Setting:thepeopleinactionwithinthearenawhointeractwitheachotherandcreateorconstrainopportunitiesforpupillearning.

5 | Page

Table1.Datasourcesandresearchparticipants

Researchquestions Datasources StakeholderGroup

(1)Understandingtheexperiencesofstakeholderswhomakeuptheeducationecosystemattheschoollevels,particularlytheirperceptionsofhowrolesandfunctionswithineducationalsystemsmightchangeinthefaceofglobalizationandtechnologicalchangesinthe21stcentury.

-Individualin-depthinterviews-Focusgroups-Photovoice

Schoolleaders,districtofficials,teachers,schoolsupportstaff,students

(2)Engaginginaparticipatoryreimaginingoftheeducationworkforceatdifferentlevelsoftheeducationsysteminformedbyempiricalresearch.

-Facilitatedworkshops-Informalcommunications

(Pre-service)Teachers,schoolleaders,districtofficials,schoolsupportstaff,educators,communitymembers,parentadvisorygroupmembers.

3. KeyFindingsThissectionfirstpresentsfindingsfromthephotovoice,highlightingstudents’perspectivesasembeddedparticipantsofeducationalecosystems.Wethenpresentthefindingsoftheeducators(i.e.teachers,schooladministrators,DOETrepresentatives,universityfacultyandpre-serviceteachers)whoareembeddedactorswithintheeducationalecosystem.Thefindingsrelatedtotheeducatorsincludeddatafromthein-depthinterviews,focusgroups,photovoice5andworkshops.

5 Visualdataisincludedwithinthefindingsasitrelatedtotheoverallthemes.Whilevisualsinsomeinstancesalignwithmultiplethemes,forpurposesofthisreport,thevisualsaredisplayedoncewithinthereportandarereferencedbynameininstanceswhentheyrepeatacrossthemes.Additionally,somevisualscapturedbystudentsandadultsdemonstratesimilarthemes.However,photoscapturedbyeducatorsarenotincludedinthe

6 | Page

ItisimportanttonotethatthefocusoftheresearchwasnottoimaginehowtofixtheVietnameseeducationalsystem.Instead,theaimwastounderstandthecurrentexperiencesofindividualswithinthesystem,andtheirrolesandfunctions,mightbereimaginedforthefutureeducationworkforceredesign.3.1. Students:Whattheyvalueassupportintheirlearning3.1.1. PeercollaborationandpeerteachingStudentsnotedthattheyvaluedpeercollaborationasakeycomponentoftheirlearning.Studentsreflectedonopportunitieswheretheywereabletolearnfromeachotherinadditiontohowtheyorchestratedtheirownpeercollaborationsandpeerteachingoutsideofschoolhours.Bothprimaryandsecondaryschoolstudentsnotedthevalueoftechnologyasatoolforcollaborationandsecondarystudentsprovidedevidenceofhowtheyusetechnologytoextendtheirlearningbeyondtheclassroom.PeercollaborationandteachingwasmentionedpositivelybystudentsacrossVietnam.

Yes,we'resendingout,weareusingMessenger(Facebook)tosendingtoothers,chitchattingwiththeirfriends,sharingthe[assignment]resultstotheInternet.Soifwedon’thavewifi,we'reblind,blind,totallyblind.Iagree,wecannotdoeverythingjustbyreadingbookslikethestudentsbookstheygaveus,it'snotenough.(SecondarySchoolStudent)

Studentvisualdatademonstratedthatstudentsperceivedcollaborationandpeerteachingtobefluidacrossbothphysicalanddigitallearningenvironments.Studentphotosreflectedimagesofspacestheyengagedincollaborationbothwithintheclassroomandoutsideoftheclassroom(seeImages1-4).Withintheclassroom,studentsreflectedonhowteachersarrangetheclassroomtofacilitatecollaborationamongpeers(seeImage3).Studentssharedphotosreflectinghowtheycollaboratedthroughtheuseoftechnology.Thiswasespeciallyprominentamongyoungerstudents’visualdata,perhapshighlightinghowembeddedtechnologyisalreadyintheirdailylives.

studentfindingsandviceversa.AcompletelistingofvisualsincludedwithinthestudyareavailableintheAppendix.

7 | Page

Image1.

Image2.

Image3.

Image4.

3.1.2. Accesstolearningspacesbeyondtheclassroom

Studentsnotedthattheyvaluedusingmultiplespacestostudybothwithintheschoolsettingaswellasinotherlocationssuchastheirhomesandonline.Formanystudents,learningspaceswheredefinedbytheirimmediateneeds,especiallyastheyrelatedtosucceedingatschool.Whilestudentssharedthattheylearnedextensivelyintraditionalclassroomsettings,theyalsoindicatedthatnonclassroomlocationswereimportanttotheirlearning,especiallyrelatedtostudying,citizenshipdevelopmentandusingtechnology.Below,studentsdiscussdifferentlocationswithintheirschoolusedforlearningbeyondtheclassroom:

Thisisourlibrarywhichisverylargeanditisapeacefulandasilentplace.So,wecanspendourtimeself-studyingorjustconcentrateonourworkverywell.(SecondarySchoolStudent1)Inourschool,therearealsolabs,computerroomsformanysubjects.Wecandoexperiencestheretoo.Veryrealknowledge.(SecondarySchoolStudent2)

8 | Page

Visualdataalsoreflectedlearningenvironmentsthatwerebeyondtheclassroom.Studentssharedphotosthatincludedsportsfields,publicandschoolcelebrations,andonlinespacesthatsupportedtheiroveralllearning.

Image5.

Image6.

Image7.

Image8.

3.1.3. Healthandwelfarerelatedservicesatschool(e.g.,guidancecounsellors,psychologists)

Students(andeducators)notedtheintensepressureplaceduponstudentstosucceedinschool.Muchofthepressureexperiencedbystudentswasdrivenbyparentandsocietalexpectationstoperformwellonqualifyingexamsforpost-secondaryeducationopportunities:

…studyingforVietnamhighschoolstudentsisprettyheavy,Ibelieve.Yeah.Andstudents,especiallyatthisage,canhavealotofhealth,physicalhealthandmentalhealthissues;theyneedsomebodytotalktobecausetheydon’thavethatkindofrelationshipwiththeteachersorbetweenteachersandstudents.Ibelievethatweneedmoreofsomebodywhowecantalkto,tounderstandandhearourstories.Itwillrelievethestress.(SecondarySchoolStudent)

Visualdatademonstratedtheintensityoftheschooldayforstudents.Whilestudentssharedimagesofclassroominstructionwheretheyengagedinlearning(seeImage9),theseimagescontrastedwithwaysstudentsworkedtocopeundertheintensepressuretheyfeltatschool(seeImage10).InImage10,astudentshared

9 | Page

howshecompartmentalizedherdaytocopewiththestressshefeelssheisunderfromschool:

Youseethatithasfivesections.Thefirstsectionhereisourmainsubjectthatwestudyeveryday.This[section]ismoreaboutlikeextra,extraclasses.This[section]iswhereyoucanputthosethingsthatarenotsoimportantbutyoudon'twanttothrowitaway[Laughs].Theyputithere[pointstosection].Thisplaceis,especiallyforgirls,skincare.Everybodywantstohavebeautybecauseattheendoftheyearweallwanttolookpretty,inouryearbook!Noonedoesn’twanttolookuglylikethat.Right?Sowearetakingourskincarewhilestudyingatthesametime..This[section]ismypersonalinterest.Itshowssomeoneadmireandwhoinspiresme[K-Pop].Thisismyidol.Andthegroup’ssongsinspiremeinmywork.They[K-Pop]saythatdon'tpressureyourselftoomuch.Liveyourlifeinsteadofstudyingtoomuch.(SecondarySchoolStudentreferringtoImage10)

Image9.

Image10.

3.1.4. DesireforchoiceandflexibilityineducationalpathwaysStudentssharedthattheydesiredmoreopportunitiestopursueeducationaltrajectoriesthatweremorecloselyalignedtotheirpersonalinterests.Studentsgreatlyappreciatedopportunitiestoengageinsports(seeImages2,5,7and8),theartsandsocialsciencesandworkedtocreatetheirownclubstopursuetheseinterests.Severalofthemmentionedthattheirparentshaveextremelyhighexpectationsofthem,particularlyintermsofacademicperformance.Inparents’views,non-academiclearningsuchasartseducationdonotleadtohighpayingjobs;asaresult,studentsareexpected(bytheirfamilies)tostudyveryhardsothattheyhavethepotentialtobecomerespectedprofessionalsinsociety.

[Theparents]askedustothink:whatwouldyoudowiththiskindofartisticeducation?Howareyougoingtoearnyourlivingwithsingingorplayingthepianoortheguitar?It’sjustyoudon'tmakemoneyfromthosethings.Andifyoudon'tlistentous,youdon’thaveasustainableandenjoyablelifelateron.Thatiswhytheywantustobedoctors,teachers,lawyers.(SecondarySchoolStudent1)Thisisweirdbutsomeparentsthinkit’snormalwhentheywantustogototheextraclassfromthemorninguntil10PM.Yeah,it’strue.(SecondarySchoolStudent2)

10 | Page

3.2. Students:Whattheywouldliketochangeorwouldlikemoreofintheirdailyschooling

3.2.1. Betterparentalawarenessoflearninginthe21stcenturySomeschoolsthatparticipatedinthisresearchstudyhadinteractivesmartboardsinclassroomsandspecialistteacherswhotaughttechnologyclassestostudents.Intheseschools,studentshadaccesstocomputerlabsanddemonstratedfluencyinusingtechnology.Students(andeducators)demonstratedakeeninterestinusingtechnology,especiallythroughthephotovoicesubmissions.Inthecurrentsystem,technologyisusedasatooltosupportlearning.However,manynotedthatparentswereamainchallengetotheuseoftechnologyasatooltoaccelerateandsupportlearning.

Yes,we'resendingout[notes,homeworkresults]usingMessenger(Facebook)toothers.Aswearechitchattingwithfriends,wearesharing(homework)resultsviatheinternet...theschool’sstuffisnotenoughforourentranceexam.Wehavetodomoreathome.Soif,wedon’thavewifi,we'reblind,blind,totallyblind...wecannotjustdoeverythingbyreadingbookslikethestudentsbookstheygaveus,it'snotenough...butparentsthinkweareusingourphonestoplaygamesinsteadofstudying,andthey’rechecking...bythetimeIholdmyphoneinmyhand,mymomandparentssay:youneverdoyourhomework,you’realazygirl.(SecondarySchoolStudent)

3.2.2. Moreopportunitiestoengageintheartsandstudentdriven

activities/clubsStudentsexpressedinterestforopportunitiestoengagemoreactivelyintheartsbutduetolittlechoiceandlimitedtimeintheschoolcurriculum,thiswassomethingtheyexploredinactivityclubs.Whileactivityclubswereheldonschoolgrounds,studentswereresponsiblefororganizingsuchactivitiesandexpressedfrustrationthattheybarelyhavementorshipandsupportfrombothteachersandparentstoleadtheseclubs.Specificareasofinterestwereinpopcultureandmusic.

Iactuallysaythatweneedtopaymoreattentioninclubsandmoreonsubjectslikeartsactivity.Ithinkthisisnotonlytheschoolproblem.Itisaparentproblemtoo.Manystudentsarenotallowedtodowhattheywantbecausetheirmomswantthemtohaveasuccessfullife.Thatisthedifferencebetweenourparentsandourselves.Thatthewaywethinksuccessfuliswearehappywithwhatwearedoing,whileourparentsmainlythinkthatwe'llneedtohaveafinejob,agoodhouse,ortobedoctor…Sotheypushustostudyasmuchaspossible.Teachersalsosayyoushouldpaymuchattentionbecausethefinalexamisarrivinginafewmonths.So,that'swhytheydon'tthinkthattheclubsareimportanttostudents.(SecondarySchoolStudent)

11 | Page

3.3. Educatorsinthesettings:Whattheyvalueandwhatchangestheywouldliketoseemovingforward

3.3.1. Greaterautonomyattheschoolleveltodetermineeducationactivitiesandpersonnel

Bothschooladministratorsandclassroomteachersnotedthattherewasaneedformoreagencyandautonomyattheschoollevel,especiallyinareasthatrelatedtostaffingandprofessionaltrainingdecisionsaswellasparentinvolvement.Studyparticipantsnotedthatthediversityofstudentpopulations(i.e.studentswithdisabilities,studentlearningprogressions)didnotalwaysalignwithgeneraleducationalpoliciesandsocietalexpectationsofeducation.

[A]ttentionshouldbepaidtotherelationshipbetweenteachersandstudents’parents.Thepowerofparentsinthepastwasverylittlebuttheirsayhasrecentlybecomebigger.Forexample,iftheschoolneedstoorganizeanactivity,theparents'associationonlyneedstoraisetheirvoicesothattheactivitycanberemoved.Suchinvolvementmighthindertheeducationalprocessoftheschool.Becauseiftheschoolwantstoorganizetheactivityforeducationalpurposesbutparentsdonotseeanyeducationalintentinthat,theycandismissit,whichwillnotbringaboutanyeducationalresults...thereshouldbereasonablepoliciesonthelevelofparentalinvolvementinschoolactivities.Ontheonehand,parentscanbeconsultedaboutthoseactivitiesbuttheyshouldnothavetoomuchpower,theiropinionsshouldbeconsideredasreference.(Teacher)

Infact,withinsomeoftheworkshopdiscussions,educatorssuggestedreducingparentalinfluenceineducationaldecisionmaking.Forthem,theparentstendedtobedrawntocompetitions/contestswhichalignswiththetheirwishesbutdoesnotdevelopstudent’sacademicknowledgeproperlyandcontradictstheschool'sdevelopmentgoalsforstudentlearning.Wewillnotdiscussin-depththisissueherebecauseofthenecessarilylimitedscaleofthisreport.

Visualdatareflectedschoolconditionsthatwereoftenchallengingforeducatorstoaddressindependentlyyettheyrelatedtoworkingconditionsfortheadults(andthelearningenvironmentsforstudents).Theconditionsofsomeschoolbuildingsdemonstratedfacilitiesthatwereingreatneedofrepairtomaintainsafety.Theincreasingchallengeofschoolsinurbansettingsbeingsituatednexttohighriseapartmentbuildingspresentsdifficultiesforeducatorstoprovidequalitylearningenvironmentsforallstudents,especiallyduetoovercrowdingofclassrooms.Parents,teachersandschooladministratorsnotedthisasanextremechallengeforteachersandstudentsandexpressedfrustrationthateducationalpoliciesdidnotallowforschooladministratorstohavemorelocalauthoritytoaddresstheseissues.

12 | Page

Image11.

Image12.

Image13.

3.3.2. TeachershiftingrolesandeducatorcollaborationInatimewheretechnologyisrapidlychangingtheworld(Schwab,2015)andtheteachingprofessionfacesincreasingpressuretoadapttostudentpopulations,teachersandotherstakeholdersrealizetheimportanceofhowtheroleofeducationsystemextendsbeyondacademics.Interestinincludingbehavioralhealthsupportstoassistindevelopingmorepro-socialbehaviorswasemphasizedacrossstakeholders(parents,teachers,schooladministrators,MOETofficials).Also,educatorsnotedthesignificanceofnon-academiceducatorswhomighthaveapositiveeffectonthefunctioningoftheentireschoolbody.Forexample,inonelocation,theStudentActivityDirectorwashighlightedasakeyfigureinstudents’dailylearningasthisindividualestablishedasenseoforderbysimplyorganizingthemotorbikeparkinggaragesothatstudentscouldparktheirmotorbikesefficientlyandsafelybeforeheadingintoclasses(seeImage16).Inaddition,theStudentActivityDirectornotedthatafocusonmoresupportstafftosupportlearningisstillcritical.Thisprovidedanexcellentexampleofhowtargetedsupportrolescanhaveatremendousimpactonlearningandwell-beingofstudents.

Ifschoolneedstohavesomepersonneltosupportstudents'learning,Ithinkthereshouldbemoreteachers,likesupportingstaff,notnecessarilyasupervisorinthedisciplinearea,butinlearning,tosupportlearning.(StudentActivityDirector)

Itisnecessarytoaddanumberofpositions,forexamplesomeonetoteachlifeskillsforstudentsorcommunityintegrationeducation,someonethatguidesstudentstoself-studywhichisalsoveryimportant,forexamplethroughlearningprojectstodevelopstudents'thinkingabilitiestobemoreawareofreallifeproblemsinsociety.Inaddition,itisalsoimportanttosupportstudentsin

13 | Page

learningotherlanguages,theseareareasIfindveryimportantinthe4.0era[theIndustrialRevolution4.0].(Teacher)

Havingsupportstaff--whetherinacademicornon-academicpositions--couldprovidemoretimeandspaceforteacherstoengageincollaborativeworkwhichactuallywasnotmentionedasadailypracticeattheschoollevel.Infact,visualdatafromeducatorsdidnotreflectevidenceorwasunabletocapturemomentsofeducatorcollaboration.Instead,currentevidencesuggeststhatteacherswerelikelytofocusonthefacilitationofstudentcollaboration,andonhowtheywereworkingtodeploymodernteachingmethodologieswithinclassrooms.

Image14.

Image15.

Image16.

Although“teachercollaboration”didnotcomeupclearlyinteacherphotovoicedata,mostparticipantsatthetrainingworkshopinOctober2019acknowledgedtheimportanceandbenefitsofteachercollaboration.Infact,analysisofdatafromteacherinterviewsandpersonalcommunicationsindicatesthateducators’awarenessoftheincreasingneedforcollaborationcanbeexplainedintwoways.First,educatorsbecameacutelyawarethattheirrolesandfunctionsasteacherswerechanging.Educatorscommentedthatwhileinthepast,teachers’primaryroleusedtoimpartknowledge,theynowconsideredthemselvestobefacilitatorswhoassiststudentsindevelopingtheirfullpotentialandcapacities.Second,inthefaceoftechnologicalchanges,educatorsnoted,itwasmuchmoreconvenientforthemtoconnectwithcolleaguestodocollaborativework.Asevidencedinthenextsectionrelatedtotechnologicalapplicationinschool,usingSkypeandotheronlineplatforms,teacherswereabletoconnectwithotherteacherstomaketheirclassesmoreeffectiveandengaging.Ingeneral,theyfounditimperativeandbeneficialtoestablish

14 | Page

formsofmutualsupportorcollaborationamongeducatorsincludingnon-academicstafftoachieveaneducationpurpose.

WhenIwas12,myteachersweregurus.AsaVietnamesesayinggoes‘WithoutateacherIdareyoutomakeyourwayinlife,’teacherswouldlectureandwestudentstookasmanynotesaspossible.Itwasjustone-waylearning.Butnowstudentsaremuchsmarter.Theyquestiontheinformationandwant[theirvoices]tobeheard.We[teachers]can’tknoweverything.Weneedtoworktogether,withotherteachers,withourownstudents,tolearntogether.(Teacher).

Itisevidentthattheteacherswereawareoftheirshiftingfunctionsandappearedtoreadilygraspopportunitiestocollaborateforeffectiveteaching.However,inordertomaketeachercollaborationhappen,educatorssuggestedanumberofspecificconditionswhicharepresentedinthelastsectionofthisreport(seePolicyRecommendations).3.3.3. Greaterharnessingofdigitaltechnologies:Therewasastrongbeliefamongparticipantsthattechnologywillplayakeyroleinteachingandlearninginthefuture,butfeweducatorsreportedhavingexperienceusingtechnologyforlearningintheirownclassroomsandschools.Infact,visualdataregardingtechnologywasnotasprominentforeducatorsasitwasforstudents.Onevisualofstudentsinacomputerlabdemonstratedstudent’saccesstotechnology.Whiletechnologywasalsoembeddedinmanyclassrooms(whiteboards,powerpoints),itwasnotvisuallyhighlightedbyeducators.

Image17.

Inaddition,therewereideasraisedabouthowmobiledevices,forexample,mightbeharnessedforlearning(beyondtheirusefor‘research’etc).However,astechnologybecomesimportantforlearning,somepointsabouttheuseoftechnologywillrequire‘rulesofuse’especiallyattheschoollevel,butbroadlyintermsofuseoftechnologyfordatamanagement,planningattheschoolanddistrictlevels.Forexample,attheschoollevel,policiesabouttheuseoftechnologywouldneedtochangeforsecondaryschools.Teacherswouldneedtobetrainedonhowtoleveragetechnologyformoreengagingandeffectivelearning.Forexample,aneducatorsaid:

15 | Page

WeshouldtakemoreadvantageofITadvancesinteaching.Weareusingtechnology,studentsareusingtechnology,butit’snotalwaysusedproperly,noteffectively.Forexample,mystudentsspendmuchtimeonsocialmedia,surfingFacebook,etc.ImyselfusePowerPointsandvideosinmyclass.Theclasswasindeedmoreinteractiveandengaging.ButIknowmanyteachers,thoughapplyingfancytechnologies,stillgowithteacher-centeredmethod.(Schoolprincipal)

Theprincipal’sremarksrevealthattechnologyisonlyatooltoenhanceteachingquality.Nomatterhowsophisticatedthetoolis,ifnotusedforthecorrectpurpose,itwouldnotbringimprovementinlearningperformance,butcoulddoharmratherthangood.Infact,mostparticipantsinvolvedinthesecondworkshop(Oct.2019)wereMathinstructorswhowereimplementingtheadaptivelearningpilotprogramorwerefromthecomparisonschools.JustasmostotherteachersintheSTEMfieldinVietnamwheretherehavebeenmanyattemptstopromoteSTEMeducationtowardstheindustrialrevolution4.0(Nguyen&Dang,2019),Mathteachersexpressedparticularlyhighexcitementofapplyingtechnologyintheirteaching.Nevertheless,fewtalkedaboutpedagogicalrationaleforusingtechnologyaswellastheultimategoalthattheeducationwasheadingtowards.Anotheraspectofapplyingtechnologyforeffectiveteachingconcernsteachercollaboration.Asmentionedearlier,educatorssawenormousbenefitsoftechnologyinengagingcolleaguesandotherstakeholdersintheirownprofessionalwork.Intheworkshoponadaptivelearning(Oct.2019),educatorsexchangedideasrelatedtoaspectsofeffectivecollaborationandhowALEKS(anadaptivelearningpilotprogram)wouldassisttheminformingteamstoassiststudents’learning.GiventhecommitmentofVietnamesestakeholderstotechnologicalapplicationinteachingandlearning,adaptivelearningappearstohaveagreatpotentialtoinformteachercollaborationandcontributetopromotingSTEMeducationinVietnam.

ALEKSisverypowerful.Itgeneratesalotofstudentdata.Wecanuseitnotonlyforevaluatingstudents’performancebutalsoforimprovingourownteachingpractice.Ihaveusedonlyasmallamountofstudentdata.Butweareexcitedtoworktogetheroncewemakefulleruseofthedata.Wecandokindofactionresearchandimproveourpracticefromthat.(Teacher)

AdaptivelearningisnewinVietnambutIbelievethatthecommunityofeducatorswhoareusingthistechnologyinSTEMeducationisgrowing.Andtheyhavetheirownonlineforum,assistingeachother,discussinggoodpractices,andsharingthematerials.IwanttojointhemandseehowIcanlearnfromthemaswellassupportthem.(DOETrepresentative)

16 | Page

3.3.4. Modernizationofteachingpractices,mindsetsandlearningenvironments

Inordertomeettheneedsofdiversestudentsinthesamelearningspace,educatorsnotedtheirdesiretoseecurriculumandinstructionbecomemoremodernizedsoitischallengingforallstudents.Teachersnotedthattheyhavehadextensivetraininginfacilitatingpeercollaborationandfrequentlyutilizedavarietyofengagementstructurestocoordinatepeercollaborationandteachingwithintheirdailyteaching.However,changestothecurriculumalsoneedtoensurethatlearningdoesnotfollowarotelearningmodelasiscurrentlythecase.

Whenwetalktoolderpeople,Irealizethatthereisarealgapwhichshouldbealsoafundamentalchangeregardingteachingmethods.Teachingmethodscandecidemanythings,includingthearrangementoftablesandchairs.Formanyyears,thetablesandchairshavebeenarrangedlikethat,inthefutureorinafewyears,theywillbearrangedincirclestofacilitateconnectionandinteractiveactivities.(Pre-ServiceTeacher)

InVietnam,theConfucianspirithasbeenabsorbedinthepeople'smindsetforthousandsofyears,andaccordingtome,itisimpossibletorejecttheConfucianthoughtbutmaybethereisawaytomakeuseofConfucianismasasocialmodelorsomethinglikesocialstandardsbuthowitcanbesimilartotheKoreanmodel,maybetohaveamoreaccurateandstandardizeddirectionbecausewecan'tbecomeaWesterncountry.(Teacher)

Asforworkplaceconditions,participantswidelynotedtheimportanceofensuringtheconditionsofworkwereadequateforteachingandlearning(Images11-13).Overcrowdedclassroomswereparticularlyimportanttonoteastheyhaveimplicationsforteachingpractices,especiallyrelatedtoteachersshiftingrolestofacilitatelearninginmorestudent-centeredteachingpractices.

…intherecentincidentaseveryoneremembers,theteacherslappedstudents(inQuangBinh),accordingtome,thereasonwasthatteachershadtomanagenearlyfiftystudents,whichwasagreatpressureforthem.Inaddition,salariesforteachersarealsoinadequate.Inpart,becauseteachersarealsopeople,sotheyareoutofcontrolandhavesuchviolentactions,whichisalsooneofthechallenges.(Teacher)

3.3.5. EnhancedcapacityforprovidinginclusivelearningenvironmentTeachersrecognizedthatexistingstaffdonothaveskills,confidenceandexperiencetosupportstudentswithdisabilities.Theynotedtheneedfor‘resourceteachers’(specialists)whocansupportteacherswithstrategiesandapproachestoensureallchildrencanparticipateinlearning.Whileintegrationofstudentswithspecialneeds

17 | Page

intomainstreamschoolswaswelcomed,teachersnotedthattheyhaveneithertheskillsnorthematerialstoadequatelyservethesestudents.Atoneschool,aparentofastudentwithadisabilityhadbeenforcedtoquithisjobtosupporthischildatschool.Thisparentattendedschooldailywithhischild,waitingoutsidetheclassroomduringeachschoolday.Teacherswouldsendthechildouttohisfatherasneeded(i.e.calmthestudentdownortoprovideindividualizedinstructiontothechild);however,thefatherwasnotallowedtosupporthisstudentinsidetheclassroom.Theparentexpressedgreatfrustrationintheeducationalsystem.Hesharedthathehadresearchedthepoliciesandrightshischildhad;however,afterwritingtomultipleunitswithinthemiddletierofthesystem,hewasnotabletogetmiddletierofficialstorespond.Later,theauthoritiesindicatedthattherewasnoqualifiedstafftoprovideadditionalsupport,eventhoughthepolicystatedthatthechildwasentitledtoit.

Currently,wehaveonlyonestudentwithadisability.Hisparentfollowshimtoclassandsitsoutsidetheclassroomtocontrol(him)...Becauseitisinclusiveeducationhere,westillhavesuchspecialstudents.(SchoolPrincipal)

Someschoolsrecognizedthattheyservedstudentswithdisabilitiesbuttheyreflectedthatthesestudentsprovidedahinderancetothelearningenvironmentofthewholeclass.

Forexample,thereisaspecialneedsstudentin[teacher'sname]class.Theteacherinthatclassneedstopaymoreattentiontothestudentbecausewehavetheinclusiveeducation,whichdoesn’tseparatethespecialneedsstudentfromtheregularstudents.Infact,theyshouldbestudyingataseparateschool.Becausewhileotherstudentsarepayingattentiontotheteaching,thespecialneedsstudentisnotwellbehaved,theteachermuststopteachingtohandlehim.(Teacher)

Visualdataprovidedbyeducatorshighlightedwaysthatschoolswereworkingtobemoreinclusive,forexample,providingenvironmentalcuesforappropriatestudentbehavior(seeImage18wheredirectionalarrowsareplacedonstepstocuestudentstomoveappropriately)

Image18.

18 | Page

4. ConcludingRemarksandImplicationsforPolicyFieldworkinVietnamrevealedthateducationstakeholders(includingbutnotlimitedtoteachers,students,schoolstaffanddistrictofficials)takeprideintheirengagementwithteachingandlearningactivities.Inmanyinstances,despitechallengeswithlargeclasssizesanddisparityinresources,manyVietnameseeducatorswereresourcefulandinnovativeinworkingaroundlimitations.ThefindingspresentedaboveshouldnotbeinterpretedasareflectionofalleducationinVietnambutsimplyasasnapshotofthelandscapeintheselectedschools.Thesefindings,aswellastheprocessesbywhichtheywerearrivedat,provideastartingpointtounderstandthefuturedirectionsforeducationinVietnamandhighlightthevalueandimportanceofincludingallstakeholdersineducationworkforcereformsthatmaybeproposedinthefuture.Basedontheresearchfindings,wesuggestfiveareasforimprovementthatdirectlyimpacteducationworkforcereformandshouldbeconsideredatthenationalpolicyandschoollevels.4.1.InvolvingeducationstakeholdersindesigningtheeducationworkforceforthefutureAsthemainimplementersandbeneficiariesofeducationinVietnam,teachers,staffandstudentshavethenecessaryexperiencetounderstandtheircontextsaswellastheirneeds.Theyarethosewhoarebestsituatedtoperceivetheirownshiftingrolesandfunctionsandaredirectlyimpactedbythechangededucationworkforce.Itisimperativeforstate-anddistrict-levelpolicymakerstoengagewiththesestakeholdersinplanningandreformingtheeducationworkforce.Thisengagementshouldalsoincludecooperatingwithcommunitiesandresearchersinwaysthatpolicymakingcanbeinformedbymultiplesourcesoffeedbackandempiricalresearch.4.2.AttendingtoequityinconditionsofworkConditionsofworkincludebutarenotlimitedtoclassroomspacesandsizesandtheassistancethatwouldbeneededtomanageandeffectivelyteachlargeclasses.Forbothelementaryandsecondaryeducators,learningenvironmentswereoftenovercrowded.Inruralareas,participantsnotedthatworkplaceconditionswereespeciallychallengingandoftenbarelymetrequirementstomeetbasichumanneeds(i.e.washrooms,safety).Improvedworkconditionsareimportantforattractingandretainingaqualifiededucationworkforceandensuringstudentsreceivequalityeducation.4.3.Needforon-goingandupdatedteachertrainingprogramsTherewasanemphasison‘welfare’asbeingimportantbutalsoasacorepartofteacher/educatoridentitiesandcommunityrelationships.Currently,whileteachersandsupportstaffrecognizethatadditionalservicesmaybenecessaryforstudents,

19 | Page

theyalsoacknowledgethatadditional(andspecialized)assistancewouldbewelcomedparticularlyforstudentswithdisabilities(learning,physical)andbasichealthneeds(routinehealthexams,dentalcare)whicharecurrentlylackingineducationservicedelivery.Additionally,educatorsnotedthevalueofmovingtowards‘facilitator’roleratherthanthesourceofknowledge.Therefore,continuousprofessionaldevelopmentandupdatedteachertrainingprogramswouldbeneededtoensurethoserolesareservedeffectively.4.4.FacilitatingteachercollaborationtosupportinterdisciplinarySTEMeducationcurriculumAssuggestedintheEducationCommission’s2019report,“ittakesateamofprofessionalstoeducateachild,”meaningthateducatorsneedtoworktogethertobeeffectiveandassistlearnerswiththegreatestneeds(EducationCommission,2019,p.12).ThisparticularlyholdstrueforSTEMeducation,aninterdisciplinaryfieldofpracticethatshouldbebuiltinacrossthecurriculumratherthaninagivensubjectorclassinisolation.InVietnam,asSTEMhasbeenthefocusoftherecenteducationalreform(Nguyen&Dang,2019),itiscriticaltocreaterelevantconditionsforSTEMeducatorstodevelopandimplementaninterdisciplinarycurriculum.TomakecollaborationamongSTEMeducatorseffectiveandsustainable,thereshouldhave:

- mechanismsinwhicheducatorsaregivenenablingconditionsfordevelopingformsofprofessionallearningcommunities(Hairon&Tan,2017)

- acommonlyagreedsetofprotocolsormodelstoguideeducatorsandadministratorsparticularlyatdistrictandschoollevelsalongthestagesofcollaborationsoastomakefulluseofthecurrentresources,skills,andexpertiseofthelocalworkforce● agreedonprotocolsforpartnershipswithcommunityresourcessuchas

industryandprofessionalorganizations● agreedonmodelsofpracticewithineducationalsettings

4.5.HarnessingtechnologyfortheIndustrialRevolution4.0Teachersaswellasstudentsdemonstratedthevalueoftechnologyasatooltoenhancelearning.Someschoolswithinthisstudyhadtechnologyembeddedincomputerlabsandclassroomshadsmartboardswhichteachersusedtoprojectlearningmaterials.However,teachersneedtobeempoweredtobeabletoleveragetechnologyforlearningexperiencesthatenhancestudents’problem-solving,creativethinking,andadaptability.Specifically,teachersneedto:

- havethenecessaryconditions(leadership,time,resources,andsupport)tounleashtheirownpotentialandcreativity

- beguidedbyempiricalevidencefromresearch/evaluationtoensureproperandimpactfulapplicationoftechnologyintheirteachingpractices.

Studentsatboththeprimaryandsecondarylevelsdemonstratedawarenessandeaseinusingtechnology.Inallareas,demonstrationofhowtouseelectronictabletsforphotocaptureandphotostoragewastakenoverandledbystudents.However,

20 | Page

properapplicationoftechnologiesineducation,particularlyinthefieldofSTEM,requiresabalanceofthehigh-techskillsandhigh-touchskills(Thornburg,2002).Ingeneral,nomatterwhattechnologyisused,itiscrucialtomakeameaningfulconnectionbetweentechnologyandthebroaderaimofeducation.Thisconnectionshouldfocusonnourishinghumanconnectionandhumannessforthedevelopmentofwholelearners.

21 | Page

ReferencesCollier,J.,&Collier,M.(1986).Visualanthropology:Photographyasaresearch

method.UNMPress.EducationCommission(2019).TransformingtheEducationWorkforce:Learning

TeamsforaLearningGeneration.NewYork:EducationCommission.Hairon,S.,&Tan,C.(2017).ProfessionallearningcommunitiesinSingaporeand

Shanghai:Implicationsforteachercollaboration.Compare:AJournalofComparativeandInternationalEducation,47(1),91-104.

Jamshed,S.(2014).Qualitativeresearchmethod-interviewingandobservation.JournalofBasicandClinicalPharmacy,5(4),87-88.

NguyenC.T.andDangV.S.(2019)STEMeducationinVietnam:toolsandmethods[GiáodụcSTEMtạiViệtNam:côngcụvàphươngthức].Retrievedfrom:http://hdll.vn/vi/thong-tin-ly-luan/giao-duc-stem-tai-viet-nam-cong-cu-va-phuong-thuc.html

Nykiforuk,C.I.J.,Vallianatos,H.,&Nieuwendyk,L.M.(2011).Photovoiceasamethodforrevealingcommunityperceptionsofthebuiltandsocialenvironment.InternationalJournalofQualitativeMethods,10(2),103-124.

Schwab,K.(2015,December).TheFourthIndustrialRevolution:Whatitmeansandhowtorespond.ForeignAffairs,1–7.Retrievedfromhttps://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2015-12-12/fourth-industrial-revolution

Thornburg,D.D.(2002).Thenewbasics:Educationandthefutureofworkinthetelematicage.ASCD.

Vagle,M.(2014).Craftingphenomenologicalresearch(pp.121-146).WalnutCreek,CA,LeftCoastPress.p.122

Wang,C.,&Burris,M.(1997).Photovoice:Concept,methodology,anduseforparticipatoryneedsassessment.HealthEducationandBehavior,24(3),369-387.

Zheng,D.(2017).Designthinkingisambidextrous.ManagementDecision,56(4),736-756,https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-04-2017-0295

22 | Page

AppendixVisualDataStudentVisualData

Image1 Image2 Image3 Image4 Image5

Image6 Image7 Image8 Image9 Image10

EducatorVisualData

Image11. Image12. Image13. Image14. Image15.

Image16. Image17. Image18.

23 | Page

The International Commissionon Financing GlobalEducation Opportunity

educationcommission.org