Learner autonomy in foreign language policies in Vietnamese universities: an exploration of teacher agency from a sociocultural perspective

Abstract

Learner autonomy (LA) is generally accepted as an important goal, either explicit or implicit, in language education policies across polities. Fostering LA in educational settings primarily depends on the role of teachers in enacting macro-level policies at the micro level. While various top-down and bottom-up frameworks for language policy implementation have been proposed, little attention has been given to the relationships between the macro and the micro contexts in relation to the policy and practice of LA. This paper, which is part of a larger project, examines these relationships to discuss their implications for fostering LA in the Vietnamese higher education context. It draws on data from interviews and classroom observations with university English teachers who are conceived as policy actors at the micro level. The findings suggest that while the translation of macro LA policies to the micro level can be seen as being characterised by “policy dumping”, LA development in the English language classroom is also reflective of micro-level actors’ exercise of agency. This agency is motivated by teachers’ sense of responsibility towards their students and their academic wellbeing. It is argued that the voices of these policy actors should be granted more reception and credibility in negotiating LA in macro–micro policy processes.

Keywords:

• learner autonomy
• teacher agency
• language planning and policy
• English in Vietnam
• activity system

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers and the editor of Current Issues in Language Planning for their useful comments and feedback.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

T.T. Huyen Phan is Lecturer in TESOL at An Giang University, Vietnam. She is currently a PhD candidate in the School of Education at the University of Queensland. Her research interests include language policy and planning, learner autonomy and TESOL teacher education.

M. Obaidul Hamid is Lecturer in TESOL Education at the University of Queensland, Australia. Previously he worked at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. His research focuses on the policy and practice of TESOL education in developing societies. He is Co-editor of Language planning for medium of instruction in Asia (Routledge, 2014).