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Abstract
Competency-based reform has reshaped language education, positioning communicative competence as a central curricular goal. In Vietnam, the Competency-Based English Teaching Curriculum (CBETC) embodies this shift; however, its classroom enactment remains theoretically underexamined. Many existing studies often frame implementation as a procedural or belief-driven process, overlooking the systemic and contextual factors that shape teachers’ professional activity. This paper addresses this conceptual gap by proposing Activity Theory (AT) as an analytical lens for examining teachers’ enactment of CBETC. Grounded in Vygotsky’s (1987) sociocultural theory and Engeström’s (2009) third-generation activity system model, the paper conceptualizes enactment as an object-oriented, socially mediated activity constituted by the interaction among subject, tools, rules, community, and the division of labor. Through a theoretical analysis, it explicates how contradictions—particularly between competency-oriented goals and exam-driven structures—shape and constrain teachers’ practices. By advancing a systemic and relational reconceptualization of curriculum enactment, this study contributes to theoretical debates on competency-based reform and provides a conceptual foundation for future empirical research.
Keywords: Activity Theory; curriculum enactment; competency-based education; English language teaching
