Vietnamese adult learners as Confucian Culture co-present groups in workplaces

Abstract

This paper focuses on learning that takes place outside formal classrooms within groups or teams. Based on the conceptual framework of informal learning, adult learning and lifelong learning, it investigates how two contrasting groups of adult learners in Vietnam, Mekong doctors and Hanoi hairdressers, learn, interact, and collaborate through their informal learning experiences in the workplace. These are two ‘co-present groups’ or two ‘complex systems’. For Vietnamese learners, the challenges of Confucian heritage culture, or the lack of awareness of cultural differences, created obstacles to collaboration and participation. The contribution to this Special Issue argues that co-present group learning applies well to non-Western Confucius-based cultures and other countries with similar values, despite this lack of awareness of cultural differences.

Keywords:

• Informal learning
• group learning
• co-present groups
• Confucian Culture
• Vietnamese learners

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hong Hanh Tran

Hong Hanh Tran—I am a bilingual professional with distinctive skill sets and experience, sound knowledge and judgement in adult education and training. Work experience includes training specialist, ELICOS teacher, curriculum developer and coordinators for established and high-profile organisations such as the United Nations—Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); the Agence de Medicine Preventive (subcontractor of the World Health Organisation and the World Bank); and RMIT University in Vietnam, and different RTOs in Australia. I obtained a Master’s degree in Lifelong Learning: Policy and Management from the Institute of Education, University of London, England, UK under the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship and a PhD degree in Technical, Further and Workplace Education from the University of Melbourne in 2020 under the Endeavour Fellowship and Scholarship. I am now working as Education Performance Coordinator for a government school in Melbourne, Victoria.