Factors Affecting EFL Lecturers’ Implementation of Blended Learning in Vietnamese Universities

Blended learning (BL) has become increasingly common in EFL programs in Vietnamese universities. However, evidence suggests that its implementation has been confusing and ineffective. This chapter addresses various factors that have impacted the implementation of BL in English teaching and learning in Vietnamese universities. The chapter is based on research investigating how EFL lecturers managed the integration of blended learning into their teaching. Qualitative data was gathered from 20 EFL lecturers from ten different universities in Vietnam. Findings revealed three crucial sets of factors: (i) personal, (ii) institutional, and (iii) sociocultural and economic factors. Personal factors consisted of the lecturers’ perspectives of BL, their BL-based pedagogies, and their sense of professional agency. Institutional factors consisted of policies; course syllabuses and textbooks; the university’s technological infrastructure; and professional development, support, and incentives. The sociocultural and economic factors were the pervasiveness of Confucian teaching traditions and Vietnam’s economic context. Four lecturers who were managing the implementation of BL effectively revealed that personal and institutional factors were aligned. However, three-quarters of the lecturers blamed their failure on two sets of factors. The concomitant sociocultural and economic factors were believed to negatively impact how the lecturers implemented BL. The chapter concludes by proposing a set of implications within a conceptual framework that would contribute to an effective implementation of BL in EFL education in Vietnamese universities.