Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation
EFL online assessment under abrupt disruption: Vietnamese tertiary teachers’ adaptive strategies for sustainable digital assessment
Thuy Thanh Pham 1 * , Hoang Huy Nguyen 1
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1 University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam
* Corresponding Author
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Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation, Online First, Article No: e44169
https://doi.org/10.33902/SEDT.202644169

Article Type: Research Article

Published Online: 18 Mar 2026

Views: 18 | Downloads: 7

ABSTRACT
Abrupt disruptions such as pandemics and political or economic crises can destabilize established educational practices and accelerate digital transformation, raising concerns about the sustainability, fairness, and quality of online assessment. This case study investigates how Vietnamese tertiary EFL teachers adapt their online assessment practices during periods of abrupt change. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with twelve EFL teachers. After the data were analysed thematically, six recurring characteristics of teachers’ coping strategies for online EFL assessment were identified and conceptualized into a relational framework. These characteristics were organized into three paired constructs—diversity and relativity, decentralization and deconstruction, and localization and personalization—which are mutually reinforcing rather than independent. The framework illustrates how teachers respond to disruption by diversifying assessment forms and tools while recognizing the context-dependent nature of “effective” solutions; by seeking greater agency and redesigning conventional assessment practices toward alternative formats; and by tailoring assessment decisions to local constraints and learner needs. The study proposes this framework as a transferable basis for teachers (and institutions) to design adaptive online assessment strategies during future disruptions, supporting more resilient and sustainable digitally mediated assessment practices.
KEYWORDS
crisis-responsive teaching digital transformation educational resilience online assessment teacher agency tertiary education
In-text citation: (Pham & Nguyen, 2026)
Reference: Pham, T. T., & Nguyen, H. H. (2026). EFL online assessment under abrupt disruption: Vietnamese tertiary teachers’ adaptive strategies for sustainable digital assessment. Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation. https://doi.org/10.33902/SEDT.202644169
In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Pham TT, Nguyen HH. EFL online assessment under abrupt disruption: Vietnamese tertiary teachers’ adaptive strategies for sustainable digital assessment. Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation. 2026. https://doi.org/10.33902/SEDT.202644169
In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Pham TT, Nguyen HH. EFL online assessment under abrupt disruption: Vietnamese tertiary teachers’ adaptive strategies for sustainable digital assessment. Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation. 2026. https://doi.org/10.33902/SEDT.202644169
In-text citation: (Pham and Nguyen, 2026)
Reference: Pham, Thuy Thanh, and Hoang Huy Nguyen. "EFL online assessment under abrupt disruption: Vietnamese tertiary teachers’ adaptive strategies for sustainable digital assessment". Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation (2026). https://doi.org/10.33902/SEDT.202644169
In-text citation: (Pham and Nguyen, 2026)
Reference: Pham, T. T., and Nguyen, H. H. (2026). EFL online assessment under abrupt disruption: Vietnamese tertiary teachers’ adaptive strategies for sustainable digital assessment. Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation. https://doi.org/10.33902/SEDT.202644169
In-text citation: (Pham and Nguyen, 2026)
Reference: Pham, Thuy Thanh et al. "EFL online assessment under abrupt disruption: Vietnamese tertiary teachers’ adaptive strategies for sustainable digital assessment". Sustainable Education and Digital Transformation, 2026. https://doi.org/10.33902/SEDT.202644169
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