Teachers’ Perception of Professional Development through Lesson Study to Implement the Vietnamese General Education Program 2028

Abstract

Professional development through lesson study is a teacher training model that is widely applied around the world. This exploratory research was conducted to understand teachers' perceptions of professional development through lesson study to implement the general education program 2018 at lower secondary schools in Thai Nguyen City, a northern city in Vietnam. 90 English teachers from 37 lower secondary schools in Thai Nguyen City were chosen as the subjects of this study. Questionnaires and interviews were employed as the two data collection instruments to collect information about teachers' perceptions of professional development through lesson study. The data collected was analyzed quantitatively using Microsoft Excel to calculate the percentages and qualitatively using the conceptual content analysis method, then the data was familiarized, coded and analyzed. The research findings reveal that while teachers recognize the benefits of lesson study for professional development, its implementation at Thai Nguyen lower secondary schools has been limited in both frequency and attention. Most teachers agreed that lesson study significantly improves lesson planning quality and enhances teachers' knowledge, which in turn positively impacts students' achievement. These findings were consistent across both the online questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. However, challenges were also identified, including a lack of understanding of the lesson study process due to time constraints and limited knowledge. Additionally, many teachers prefer working in isolation, making it difficult to organize collaborative groups. These challenges were echoed in both the quantitative and qualitative data, highlighting key areas for improvement in fostering a more collaborative and supportive professional development environment for teachers in Thai Nguyen City.