Teacher readiness for reciprocal teaching in Vietnamese primary schools: a constructivist grounded theory informed by social cognitive theory

Introduction This study examines how Vietnamese primary school teachers’ social and psycho-professional experiences shape their readiness to implement Reciprocal Teaching (RT) in the classroom with implications for self-determined professional development. Anchored in Social Cognitive Theory and employing a Constructivist Grounded Theory approach, the research explores the dynamic interplay among teachers’ personal beliefs, environmental contexts, and instructional practices, and examining these dynamics through core heutagogical concepts like self-determined, critical reflection, and teacher empowerment. Methods Nineteen teachers participated in semi-structured interviews, comprising five with prior RT implementation experience and 14 without, all having completed comparable professional training. Through iterative open, focused, and theoretical coding, four interconnected domains of readiness emerged: personal beliefs, cognition, and self-efficacy; behavioral strategies, regulation, and modeling; environmental affordances and constraints; and reciprocal dynamics reflecting continuous interactions among these domains. Results Through heutagogy, findings indicate teacher readiness emerges as a fluid, context-specific process molded by educators’ self-guided reflection, strategic adaptations, and evolving professional agency. Discussion A key theoretical insight positions self-efficacy as both a prerequisite and an outcome of RT implementation. This grounded framework enriches teacher education by clarifying how heutagogical approach function in professional learning contexts, offering practical strategies to cultivate lasting teacher autonomy, confidence, and pedagogical innovation in diverse educational environments.