Teaching in the Age of AI: Vietnamese Teachers Reframing Identity and Practice
摘要
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming educational practices and prompting renewed reflection on teacher identity. This qualitative study investigates how Vietnamese secondary school teachers perceive AI and reinterpret their professional roles and classroom practices in response. Data from in-depth interviews with 15 teachers reveal that AI is widely viewed as both pervasive and inevitable, yet requiring careful human oversight. Participants emphasized that AI should support rather than replace teachers, reinforcing the importance of professional judgment. Teachers reported a shift from traditional roles as knowledge transmitters toward epistemic mediators who guide students in evaluating and using AI-generated information. Despite this emerging identity transformation, classroom integration remains cautious and uneven due to centralized curriculum constraints, uncertainty about pedagogical use, and limited institutional guidance. The findings suggest that Vietnamese teachers are at an early stage of negotiating AI integration, balancing technological possibilities with established educational norms. The study highlights the need for context-sensitive professional support to facilitate responsible and meaningful AI adoption in centralized educational systems.