Abstract

This study primarily employed a questionnaire survey of 600 lower secondary school teachers in Vietnam’s northern midland and mountainous provinces, supplemented by document analysis, in-depth interviews, observation, and professional discussions. It examined five dimensions of the difficulties teachers encountered in developing their professional capacity and adapting to occupational demands. The findings indicate that teachers experienced the greatest difficulty in providing psychological counseling to students (M = 3.72) and the least difficulty in maintaining a balance between their personal lives and teaching responsibilities (M = 3.36). Based on these findings, the article identifies key management requirements for schools to help teachers overcome professional difficulties and effectively fulfill their professional responsibilities.

Keywords: Career adaptation, difficulties, lower secondary school teachers, professional capacity development, school management.