Understanding geography teachers' varied responses to competency-based curriculum reform in Vietnam : A qualitative typology

Title data

Dang, Tien Dung:
Understanding geography teachers' varied responses to competency-based curriculum reform in Vietnam : A qualitative typology.
In: Teaching and Teacher Education. Vol. 172 (2026) . - 105365.
ISSN 1879-2480
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2025.105365

Project information

Abstract in another language

This qualitative study investigates Vietnamese geography teachers' perceptions and experiences with implementing competency-based curriculum (CBC) reform. Through typology-building content analysis of semi-structured interviews with 21 teachers, three distinct profiles were identified: passively adaptive, transformative-adaptive, and pioneering. Analysis revealed these profiles systematically differ across professional roles, past professional experience, reform-oriented beliefs, school culture, and training quality. Rather than fixed categories, the typology captures dynamic orientations, suggesting that teachers may transition along this continuum given supportive institutional and professional conditions. The findings suggest the need for differentiated professional development strategies tailored to the specific characteristics and constraints of each profile. While grounded in Vietnam's context, the study offers transferable insights for other centralized, exam-driven systems where structural constraints and teacher agency interact to shape curriculum implementation.