Embedding Sustainable Development Goals in EFL via Task-Based Language Teaching: Insights from Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions

Grounded in the growing need to align language education with global sustainability goals, this study examines teachers’ and students’ perceptions of integrating Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction through Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT). Conducted in a Vietnamese multidisciplinary university, the intervention embedded SDG-oriented tasks across six units of a twelve-week course. Participants included six teachers and 346 first-year students. Data were collected through open-ended questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations, and teaching diaries. Findings indicate that students perceived significant gains in sustainability consciousness across cognitive, affective, and behavioural dimensions, while also reporting positive impacts on language development, particularly in speaking and vocabulary. The intervention was perceived to foster transversal skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. Both teachers and students reported positive perceptions of the SDG-embedded TBLT approach, emphasizing its capacity to engage learners with authentic, real-world issues while supporting language learning. Nevertheless, challenges related to time constraints, limited resources, and teacher readiness were identified. The findings support the pedagogical value of SDG oriented TBLT as a practical and scalable approach to embedding sustainability education within EFL contexts. Implications for curriculum design, teacher education, and future research are discussed.