This podcast episode of Language Innovators features a conversation between Dr. Linh Phung, Nik Wolfe, and Dr. Vu Tran-Thanh regarding the shifting landscape of English language teaching in Vietnam. Dr. Vu discusses his research on Generation Z language teachers, highlighting how his research participants are moving away from the traditional view of teaching as a "noble" profession. Instead, they view education as an educational service and teachers as humans with different identities.
The discussion explores the intersection of personal branding, socialization and commercialization of education, and the negotiation of teacher identity in a digital age.
Dr Vu Tran-Thanh (Trần Thanh Vũ) obtained his PhD in Education from Durham University, United Kingdom. Vu is the founder and administrator of the TESOL Research Collaboration Network, a professional learning community for Vietnamese teacher-researchers. He has been appointed to the Editorial Board of the London Review of Education journal, beginning in 2025. He used to serve on the Steering Committee of the Teacher Educator Interest Section of TESOL International Association. As a researcher, Vu has presented at various international conferences and has published several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. His research interests include various areas of language teacher education, such as teacher research, identity, agency, and professional development, as well as queer inquiry, peacebuilding, and CALL.
Highlights
1. Three Core Findings: Teachers as providers of an educational service, Teachers as humans having separate professional and personal lives, Gen Z teachers' intrinsic motivation for interdisciplinary professional development
2. Negotiating Authority and the "Democratic" Classroom
3. Identity Navigation in the Digital Age
4. Neoliberalism and the "Mini School"
5. Institutional Constraints
6. Final Advice
More information
Eduling website: https://eduling.ai
Eduling app: https://app.eduling.ai
Access to the article: https://eurokd.com/doi/10.32038/lter.2026.04.01
TESOL Research Collaboration Network: https://www.tereconet.org/
Summary of the podcast on our website: https://www.eduling.ai/post/teachers-are-also-human-a-focus-on-gen-z