The transformation of position and teaching practices of foreign-trained Vietnamese EFL teachers

Although there has been a substantial body of research on Vietnamese academics participating in their degree programs overseas, there is an imbalance as it is relatively limited in our understanding of their engagement in their communities upon their return to their home communities. This issue is significant as Vietnamese academics, especially EFL teachers, return to their home countries and institutions upon completion of their degree programs overseas. The return then requires a re-adaptation and possibly a transformation in their perspectives and practices. This study is part of a larger project that investigates the re-adaptation of EFL teachers in higher education in Vietnam after their postgraduate programs overseas. The entire project explores the (mis)alignments in the perspectives of EFL teachers during pre-, while-, and post- TESOL postgraduate programs towards their expectations of what they will learn, what they have learned, and how they can contribute to improving teaching and learning qualities at their institutions in Vietnam. This study specifically contributes to the understanding of Vietnamese academics’ transformation of their positionings in their degree programs overseas and how the transformation of positioning results in the transformation of their teaching practices in their home institutions.