Teacher Agency and Curriculum Changes: A Case Study of Two English Teachers in Vietnam and Their Implementation of the New Textbooks Policy at the Classroom Level

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study investigated how English teachers in Vietnam exercise their agency in the implementation of the new multiple textbooks policy, introduced under the 2018 curriculum, from the ecological perspective. The study employed a case study methodology to gain in‐depth insights into the perceptions and practices of two upper secondary school teachers from the Mekong Delta. Data collection involved interviews, observations, field notes and textbooks, offering a comprehensive examination of the teachers' perspectives, decision‐making processes, and instructional practices in the context of the new curriculum. Data was then analyzed thematically. The research identified key findings related to how the participants engaged with the new textbooks. They enacted their agency via their participation in the choice of textbook, teaching methods, teaching content, and teaching activities. In addition, teacher agency enactment was manifested in three common modes including acceptance, adaptation, and resistance. The factors from iterational, practical‐evaluative, and projective dimensions had impacts on teachers' agency in implementing the selected textbooks. The findings of this study shed light on the practical implications of curriculum implementation in the Vietnamese English as a foreign language context.