ABSTRACT
Teacher education in Vietnam includes training programs from early childhood, primary to secondary education. This paper focuses on the quality of teacher education preparation which requires attention from the government toward fundamental and comprehensive educational reform. Despite efforts in innovative curricula, teaching methods and creating opportunities for students to join scientific research activities, it is shown that the competence of pre-service teachers needs further development. The research reported here performs strategic SWOT analysis involving qualitative methods to examine the situation in Vietnam and categorize solutions for improving teacher education quality. It could be achieved by redesigning the curriculum as disciplines by balancing theoretical and practical knowledge; creating more internship opportunities for students from the second to the final year; and boosting assessment in teacher education. Assessment could be conducted by surveying students’ and graduates’ satisfaction of the curricula and schools for their teachers’professional and pedagogical competences. Besides strengthening students’ achievements during their studies by the successful provision of formative assessment, it may hold the key toward improving the quality of teacher education overall.
