Perspectives of English Teachers on the Effectiveness of the General English Program on Students’ Employability: A Case Study in Vietnam

This chapter reports teachers’ perspectives on (i) the effectiveness of a General English program in a Vietnamese university with regard to enhancing students’ employability and (ii) factors influencing the effectiveness of the program. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 14 teachers of English as a foreign language and analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The study found that the General English program is believed to help develop students’ employability mainly through the development of English receptive skills, soft skills, and intercultural competence. The findings suggest that the effectiveness of the program was affected by (i) students’ motivation and shyness, (ii) teachers’ English proficiency, teaching quality, and commitment, and (iii) administration and management issues. The chapter provides implications to improve the effectiveness of the General English program, with a focus on enhancing students’ employability.