THE INFLUENCES OF ‘POWER DISTANCE’ ON PRE-SERVICE TEACHER LEARNING IN VIETNAM

Abstract

Globalisation has moved nations to take steps to meet the demands of an increasingly competitive employment market. The Vietnamese Government has introduced a number of initiatives to equip its labour force with the necessary knowledge and skills, one of which is requiring teachers to change their teaching methods toward constructivist pedagogies. This study focuses on pre-service teachers’ learning in Vietnam, where a ‘large power distance’ is widely practiced in education. This article reports on part of the action research study, showing the influences of ‘large power distance’ on pre-service teacher learning in Vietnam. The findings show that the ‘large power distance’ in Vietnamese culture generated both negative and positive influences during the teacher learning process. The findings contribute to the discussions about the role of teacher educators in promoting change for better education in Vietnam. Keywords: Constructivist pedagogies, power distance, pre-service teachers, teacher learning, Vietnamese teachers.Cite as: Nguyen, H.T.M. (2016). The influences of ‘power distance’ on pre-service teacher learning in Vietnam. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 1(2), 38-49.