Teaching physics in Vietnam: Integrating constructivist and sociocultural learning principles with ICT

In order to support industrialising and modernising the nation, to fulfil the learning needs of Vietnamese people and the requirements of globalisation Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has implemented primary, secondary and tertiary educational reforms. One of the objectives of the reforms is to implement information communication technology (ICT) into teaching and learning and innovate teaching and learning methods.

Vietnamese teachers are now facing the challenges of technology-driven education. The critical need for teachers in this context is to acquire new understanding and skills in using ICT to support teaching in the light of a student-centred approach (Harman & Nguyen, 2010). However, there is very little literature to inform Vietnamese teachers on how to use ICT underpinned by a student-centred approach in their teaching context.

The current research investigates a theoretical model that supports teachers/lecturers to implement ICT into their teaching. The model employs sociocultural and constructivist principles to enhance interaction within the learning environment, and improve students’ critical thinking and learning in the field of physics.

Many Asian countries are strongly influenced by Confucian philosophy (Chang, Faikhamta, Na, & Song, 2018). This includes Vietnam. From the Confucian perspective, teachers hold superior social positions, and it is considered that they provide students with academic truth. Pham (2010) argues that the Confucian influence leads to Vietnamese students tending to behave as passive listeners in classes, and that a learning style including cooperation and interaction is not suitable for Vietnamese students. If the current research suggests pursuing an interactive learning style, the influence of the Confucian model on Vietnamese culture will be a significant challenge when introducing and making this learning style worthwhile for learning and teaching practice.

In this paper the theoretical model and research methodologies are explained. The paper then presents findings about how the implementation of this model affects Vietnamese students’ learning. The paper concludes with a discussion of how the model’s implementation benefits learning, and whether the model works in a Vietnamese context under the Confucian influence.