Online Professional Learning Communities for English Language Teachers at Vietnamese Economics Universities

This chapter examines the need for the establishment and implementation of online professional learning communities (PLCs) for English language teachers at Vietnamese economics universities (VEUs) through the lens of Organisational Learning Theories. Using a mixed-methods approach involving questionnaire and interview as data collection instruments, the authors explore the perceptions of English language teachers at four economic universities in Vietnam about online PLCs. In particular, the study investigates the teachers’ views of online PLCs, the values of online PLCs for their professional development, and challenges for developing online PLCs. Findings show that the teachers well perceived the benefits of online PLCs in responding to their ongoing professional learning needs, and there was a strong demand for an electronic database system for resources sharing and online learning management. However, the study also found social and structural factors that constrained effective online PLCs in these institutions. The chapter makes specific recommendations for the development of online PLCs in VEUs that are sensitively tailored to the contexts and the teachers’ needs.