Challenges in pedagogy education: A quantitative study of lecturer and student perspectives at Vietnamese pedagogical universities

Abstract

Pedagogy is a fundamental component of teacher education in Vietnam. However, both lecturers and students report persistent obstacles such as low student engagement, limited access to authentic practicum settings, and constrained resources. To examine the difficulties experienced by lecturers and students in pedagogy education at five Vietnamese pedagogical universities, as well as to identify systemic and instructional barriers along with actionable recommendations, a cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted among 50 lecturers and 500 students using structured questionnaires. The survey items covered curriculum scope and pacing, teaching methods, student motivation, resource availability, and assessment practices. Descriptive statistics summarized the responses. Most lecturers identified insufficient student motivation as a significant challenge and noted the absence of practical teaching contexts. More than half of the students considered the pedagogy content overly dense for the allotted time and reported weak learning strategies. Additional issues included unclear assessment criteria, shortages of instructional materials, and variability in lecturers’ pedagogical capacity. Both individual and structural constraints such as limited student engagement, inadequate instructional support, curriculum overload, and scarce practice opportunities, hamper pedagogy education. Addressing these challenges requires curriculum streamlining, stronger school–university partnerships to expand practicum experiences, investment in teaching resources, adoption of student-centered pedagogies, and targeted support for student learning and faculty development.