Are university EFL students ready for service-learning? A case study from Vietnam

This qualitative study aims to unravel the challenges encountered by university EFL students during Service-learning (SL) projects. Data from semi-structured interviews and observations were gathered from a cohort of five EFL students, who were purposively sampled from a university in Vietnam. The thematic approach was applied to interpret the collected data. The study revealed that EFL students were not fully ready for SL projects since they still encountered major challenges (time management, insufficient formal training and pedagogical skills, limited learning resources and learning management system, transportation problems, and team conflicts) when conducting SL projects. Based on such preliminary findings, implications are recommended for implementing the practice of SL in higher education.