Vietnamese Primary Teachers' Autonomy in the Context of Educational Reform

ABSTRACT Vietnam's 2018 General Education Curriculum Reform (GECR) aims to enhance teacher autonomy in designing competency‐based and student‐centred learning. However, how this autonomy is enacted in practice remains underexplored. This qualitative study investigates how Vietnamese primary teachers interpret and exercise autonomy in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment under the 2018 GECR and the challenges they face. Data were drawn from semi‐structured interviews with 21 participants—including teachers, principals and academic group leaders from three public primary schools representing diverse contexts. The study employs team‐based thematic analysis to identify patterns of teacher autonomy and constraints. Findings show that while teachers exercised substantial autonomy in adapting curriculum content, selecting pedagogical methods and employing formative assessments, their autonomy remains uneven across domains. In particular, summative assessment requirements and accountability pressures continue to structure key instructional decisions, producing a contextually negotiated form of ‘bounded freedom’. The findings further suggest that teacher autonomy is shaped by two mechanisms: asymmetrical reform sequencing that reinforces assessment control, and cultural norms of hierarchy and collective conformity that position autonomy as adaptive alignment with institutional expectations rather than individual professional discretion. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of ‘bounded autonomy’ and underscores the need for structural, professional and cultural supports to enable meaningful teacher autonomy and agency.