The Teachers' Perceptions of the Effects of Self-Directed Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: At a High School in Vietnam

The goal of this qualitative research is to gain a deeper understanding of Vietnamese teachers' perceptions of the effects of self-directed learning during the COVID-19 pandemic at a public high school in the North of Vietnam. The theory of definitions and the model of self-directed learning is a solid theoretical foundation for analysis and evaluation of teachers' responses. The research used 12 individual interviews and 1 focus group to collect data from June 25, 2021, to July 8, 2021. Self-directed learning belongs to the learners themselves, but the relationship between teacher and student is not lost. In other words, this relationship changes from the relationship between the decider (teacher) and implementer (student) to mentor (teacher) and decider (student). However, in certain cases, teachers still have their role to change. On the other hand, the context of the epidemic is a common factor affecting many education systems, including Vietnamese education. In addition, the learner is also a separate individual. Therefore, these things have made it difficult for Vietnamese high school teachers to think about their lesson design.