Is Digital Competence Enough? Rethinking Teaching Effectiveness in Vietnamese EFL Higher Education.

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Title: Is Digital Competence Enough? Rethinking Teaching Effectiveness in Vietnamese EFL Higher Education.
Authors: Le, Nhung Thuy Thi1 nhungltt@hub.edu.vn, Bui, Huynh Manh1 huynhbui1105@gmail.com
Source: International Journal of Special Education. 2026 Special Issue, Vol. 41, p505-510. 6p.
Subject Terms: *Effective teaching, *Language teachers, *English language education, *Institutional environment, *Digital literacy, *Educational technology, Quantitative research
Geographic Terms: Vietnam
Abstract: The increasing integration of digital technologies in higher education has raised expectations for language teachers to develop strong digital competence to support technology-enhanced learning environments. However, empirical evidence regarding whether teachers’ digital competence contributes to teaching effectiveness remains limited. This study therefore examined the relationship between EFL teachers’ digital competence and their teaching effectiveness. A quantitative correlational research design was employed. Data were collected from 879 EFL lecturers working in Vietnam. Pearson product–moment correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between the two constructs. The findings indicated that lecturers reported relatively high levels of both digital competence and teaching effectiveness across most dimensions. However, the correlation analysis revealed that digital competence did not have a significant relationship with teaching effectiveness. These findings suggest that digital competence alone may not necessarily lead to improved teaching performance. To explain this result, the study proposes an interpretive perspective in which the influence of digital competence operates indirectly through the pedagogical integration of digital technologies, while institutional factors such as technological infrastructure, professional development opportunities, and technical support also shape instructional effectiveness. The study highlights the complex and context-dependent nature of technology integration in EFL higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of International Journal of Special Education is the property of International Journal of Special Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Le%2C+Nhung+Thuy+Thi%22">Le, Nhung Thuy Thi</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> nhungltt@hub.edu.vn</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Bui%2C+Huynh+Manh%22">Bui, Huynh Manh</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> huynhbui1105@gmail.com</i>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22International+Journal+of+Special+Education%22">International Journal of Special Education</searchLink>. 2026 Special Issue, Vol. 41, p505-510. 6p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Effective+teaching%22">Effective teaching</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+teachers%22">Language teachers</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22English+language+education%22">English language education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Institutional+environment%22">Institutional environment</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Digital+literacy%22">Digital literacy</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+technology%22">Educational technology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Quantitative+research%22">Quantitative research</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Vietnam%22">Vietnam</searchLink>
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  Data: The increasing integration of digital technologies in higher education has raised expectations for language teachers to develop strong digital competence to support technology-enhanced learning environments. However, empirical evidence regarding whether teachers’ digital competence contributes to teaching effectiveness remains limited. This study therefore examined the relationship between EFL teachers’ digital competence and their teaching effectiveness. A quantitative correlational research design was employed. Data were collected from 879 EFL lecturers working in Vietnam. Pearson product–moment correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between the two constructs. The findings indicated that lecturers reported relatively high levels of both digital competence and teaching effectiveness across most dimensions. However, the correlation analysis revealed that digital competence did not have a significant relationship with teaching effectiveness. These findings suggest that digital competence alone may not necessarily lead to improved teaching performance. To explain this result, the study proposes an interpretive perspective in which the influence of digital competence operates indirectly through the pedagogical integration of digital technologies, while institutional factors such as technological infrastructure, professional development opportunities, and technical support also shape instructional effectiveness. The study highlights the complex and context-dependent nature of technology integration in EFL higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of International Journal of Special Education is the property of International Journal of Special Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 6
        StartPage: 505
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Effective teaching
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Language teachers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: English language education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Institutional environment
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      – SubjectFull: Digital literacy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational technology
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      – SubjectFull: Quantitative research
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Vietnam
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Is Digital Competence Enough? Rethinking Teaching Effectiveness in Vietnamese EFL Higher Education.
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            NameFull: Le, Nhung Thuy Thi
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            NameFull: Bui, Huynh Manh
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            – D: 05
              M: 01
              Text: 2026 Special Issue
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              Y: 2026
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              Value: 41
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