An investigation into the application of writing portfolios and its relationship with the first year english majored students’ learning autonomy at ULIS VNU

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ******************** NGUYỄN THỊ NGỌC MAI AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE APPLICATION OF WRITING PORTFOLIOS AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS’ LEARNING AUTONOMY AT ULIS-VNU (Nghiên cứu việc ứng dụng Hồ sơ học viết mối tương quan với tính tự chủ học tập sinh viên năm thứ chuyên ngành tiếng Anh trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ, Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội) M.A COMBINED PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HANOI – 2017 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ******************** NGUYỄN THỊ NGỌC MAI AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE APPLICATION OF WRITING PORTFOLIOS AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS’ LEARNING AUTONOMY AT ULIS-VNU (Nghiên cứu việc ứng dụng Hồ sơ học viết mối tương quan với tính tự chủ học tập sinh viên năm thứ chuyên ngành tiếng Anh trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ, Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội) M.A COMBINED PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr Nguyễn Thuý Nga HANOI – 2017 DECLARATION This thesis entitled “An investigation into the application of writing portfolios and its relationship with the first-year English majored students’ learning autonomy at ULIS-VNU” is a presentation of my original research work as the fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at the University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi Hanoi, 2017 Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Mai i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my teachers, supervisor, my colleagues and friends, without those I would never complete this thesis Firstly, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Nguyen Thuy Nga Without her careful guidance and her encouragement, I could not have been able to finish this study Secondly, I would like to express my sincere thanks to my respectful professors of the Faculty of Post-Graduate Department at University of Languages and International Studies for their devotion and their interesting lectures, especially Prof Assoc Le Van Canh, who inspired me to research on this field and Dr Duong Thu Mai, who guided me the very first steps of this thesis I also want to give my big thanks to the students at University of Languages and International Studies for their participation in this study Last but not least, special thanks go to my family and friends who support me during the implementation of study ii ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to explore students’ perceptions writing portfolios and its relationship with learner autonomy in their writing classes The participants of the study are 84 English majored students at University of Languages and International Studies (VNU) with English proficiency level A2 A questionnaire survey was scored by the participants to find out their perceptions of applying the portfolio and its impacts on their writing ability In addition, an autonomous learner checklist was delivered before and at the end of writing portfolio implementation to investigate students’ levels of autonomy as well as to test whether their levels had been changed under the implementation of portfolios The results indicated that students are aware of the application of portfolios especially its advantages and benefits It was also found out that the application of portfolios helps improve students’ level of autonomy Key words: Portfolio assessment, writing portfolio, student perceptions, learner autonomy iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES viii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study Aims of the study Research questions Scope of the study Methods of the study Significance of the study Organization of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 Literature review on Portfolios 1.1.1 Assessment in English Language Teaching 1.1.2 Portfolios as an alternative assessment tool 1.2 Learner autonomy 18 1.2.1 Definition 18 1.2.2 Approaches to fostering learner autonomy 21 1.2.3 Fostering learner autonomy in Vietnamese contexts 22 1.3 Previous studies on portfolios as a tool for promoting autonomy 25 1.4 Conclusion 30 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 31 2.1 Setting and participants 31 iv 2.2 Research questions 35 2.3 Method 35 2.4 Research paradigm and research instruments 45 2.5 Data collection 46 2.5.1 Questionnaire survey 47 2.5.2 Autonomous learner checklist 48 2.6 Data collection procedures 50 2.7 Data analysis 51 2.7.1 Questionnaire analysis 51 2.7.2 The autonomous learner checklist analysis 51 2.7.3 The relationship between the application of writing portfolio and learner autonomy 52 2.8 Summary of chapter 53 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 54 3.1 The application of writing portfolios and its impacts on students’ writing ability 54 3.1.1 Students’ perceptions on the application of writing portfolios 54 3.1.2 The impacts of portfolio assessment on writing ability 63 3.2 The levels of learner autonomy 66 3.3 The relationship between the application of writing portfolios and learner autonomy 69 3.3.1 Normal distribution test 69 3.3.2 T-test analysis results 70 PART 3: CONCLUSION 73 Summary of the study 73 The Pedagogical Implication 74 Limitations to the Study and Suggestions for Further Research 75 REFERENCES 77 APPENDICES I v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ELT: English Language Teaching ULIS: University of Languages and International Studies LA: Learner Autonomy SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Sciences vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Dependent and Autonomous learners ………………………… 21 Table 2: Timeline for writing portfolios………………………………… 32 Table 3: Marking rubrics………………………………………… 33 Table 4: Advantages and disadvantages of modes of data collection… 37 Table 5: Results for pre-portfolio stage section………………………… 54 Table 6: Results for portfolio stage section…………………………… 57 Table 7: Results for reflection section………………………………… 59 Table 8: Impacts of portfolios assessment on writing ability…………… 63 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure CRADLE: Developmental Scheme for Portfolio Assessment 10 (Gottlieb, 1995) ………………………………………… Figure 2: Results for Pre-portfolio stage…………………………………… 56 Figure 3: Results for Portfolio stage………………………………………… 58 Figure 4: Results for Reflection……………………………………………… 62 Figure 5: The impacts of portfolio assessment on writing ability………… 66 Figure 6: Levels of learner autonomy resulting from pre-tests…………… 67 Figure 7: Levels of learner autonomy resulting from post-tests…………… 68 Figure 8: One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test………………………… 69 Figure 9: Paired Samples Statistics…………………………………………… 71 Figure 10: Paired Samples Correlations……………………………………… 71 Figure 11: Paired Samples Test………………………………………… 72 viii students agreed that their time and effort had been paid off, that their writing skills improved thanks to keeping a portfolio, that portfolio is a good assessment system, to name a few; and students also wanted to continue keeping a portfolio for the next term Findings from the questionnaire also illustrate the impacts of writing portfolios on writing ability The aspects were under the influence are writing fluency and accuracy thanks to a series of effective activities during the Portfolio stage such as multiple drafting, revision and teacher’s support Research question 2: What are the levels of the first-year students’ learning autonomy? In order to answer this question, the researcher developed an autonomous learner checklist and delivered to the students before and after the implementation of writing portfolios The data from the checklists indicate the levels of learner autonomy before the implementation were low and medium, whereas those after the implementation mostly are medium and high The figures suggest the transitively move up and show the positiveness Research question 3: To what extent the writing portfolios correlate with learning autonomy? The researcher adopted paired samples T-test to test the data from the checklists to test the correlation The test resulted in p value under 0.05, Mean value difference between the pre-test and post-test roughly 18, standard deviation value of the post-test slightly higher than that of the pre-test Those figures demonstrated the existence of correlation between the writing portfolio implementation and learner autonomy In addition, correlation value r was 0.712, indicating a strong correlation The Pedagogical Implication The analysis of the data and the findings of the study suggest some pedagogical implications for instructors 74 First of all, positive reactions of the students and the results of the analyses show that the instructor should continue using portfolios as an assessment tool However, inferring from the course guide and students’ response the the questionnaire, the researcher has two suggestions to enhance the benefits of writing portfolios: (1) students should be required to write a reflection essay after each writing topic and add it to their portfolios; (2) couse design should integreat portfolios in a longer period of time so that students have more time to dig further and benefit from such a good tool Secondly, according to the results of the data analyses, almost all of the students had positive perceptions towards keeping a portfolio even though none of them had had any experience with portfolio as an alternative assessment tool Nevertheless, they were satisfied with the progress they had and their portfolios provided them with extra source of motivation in learning English Instructors who wish to increase motivation in their EFL classrooms can make use of portfolios rather than traditional assessment Last but not least, according to the results of the study, the students are more autonomous at the end of the portfolio implementation As mentioned in the study, portfolio is one of the assessment tools which may enhance learner autonomy Considering these findings, educators who wish to create a motivating atmosphere with autonomous learners in a classroom may use portfolio as an alternative assessment method Limitations to the Study and Suggestions for Further Research Considering the findings and the feedback of the students gave about keeping a portfolio, some limitations to the study and suggestions for further research are presented in this section The present study was carried out with 84 A2-level students in an EFL setting at ULIS Hence, the findings of the study can be an example for those who are interested in portfolio, but this study cannot be generalized for all levels and all EFL learners A further research can be done with more participants and at different 75 levels to explore the effect of portfolio with students at different levels of English such as beginners, upper-intermediate and advanced Another study can be done in form of an experimental research or action research to apply writing portfolios over a longer period of time and with an extra requirement that demands students to writing reflection essay This kind of study should be done when the researcher is the instructor of the class Teachers who are interested in portfolios can also carry out research on the application of portfolios into other course such as reading, speaking and listening skills However, the form and procedures should be different from writing portfolios 76 REFERENCES Ary, D., Jacobs, L C., & Razavieh, A (2002) Introduction to research in education Australia: Wadsworth, Thomson Learning Aston L, Mallik M 1998 The role of the teacher/lecturer in practice: Adult Branch Annex Report English National Board, London Bailey, K M (1998) Learning about language assessment: dilemmas, decisions, and directions Heinle& Heinle: US Banfi, C S (2003) Portfolios: integrating advanced language, academic, and professional skills ELT Journal, 57(1), 34-42 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/elt/57.1.34 Barootchi, N., & Keshavarz, M H (2002) Assessment of achievement through portfolios and teacher-made tests Educational Research, 44(3), 279-288 Benson P & Voller (Ed.) 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Journal of Second Language Writing, 11(1), 49-72 80 49 Tierney, R.J., Carter, M.A., & Desai, L.E (1991) Portfolio assessment in the reading-writing classroom Norwood, MA: Christopher Gordon Publishers 50 Troudi, S (2009) Recognising and rewarding teachers'contributions In M AlHamly, C Coombe, A Shehada, & S Troudi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 14th TESOL Arabic conference: Finding your voice: Critical issues in ELT Dubai TESOL Arabia Publications 51 Wolf K., & Siu-Runyan Y (1996) Portfolio Purposes and Possibilities Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 40 (1), 30 52 Worthen, B R (1992) Critical Issues that will determine the Future of Alternative Assessment Phi Delta Kappan, 74, 444-454 81 APPENDICES Appendix 1: Questionnaire QUESTIONNAIRE The ultimate purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the application of writing portfolios and learner autonomy This questionnaire has two parts and includes statements about your personal beliefs of how you used portfolio in 1A writing module Think of your actual experience and rate your agreement from to according to the scale given in each part Although you will be asked to provide your name, your responses will be only used in this study anonymous and will never be linked to you personally nor affect your results of the course Your participation is entirely voluntary You can stop doing the survey at any time you want Thank you for your time and cooperation Key words: Portfolios: the collection of first and second drafts of entries with peer’s comments Autonomy: the ability to take charge of one’s own learning Please write your name and your class here: I PART 1: Students’ perceptions of portfolio implementation The following items describe statements about your perceptions of portfolio implementation Indicate your agreement or disagreement with the following statements by writing down one number from to according to this scale: Strongly Disagree Neither Agree Strongly agree disagree No Statements (1) I had known everything about keeping a portfolio at the beginning of the semester My teacher explained to me what I am expected to learn I understood the assessment criteria of the portfolio entries My teacher explained to me the learning outcomes of the course Knowing that our portfolios would be assessed before-hand enhanced my performance in a positive way Keeping a portfolio enabled me to practice what I learnt and have long-term learning Error corrections made by my teacher enabled me to learn from mistakes and to correct them 10 Peer-evaluation enabled me to learn from mistakes and to correct them I got support from other people in addition to my teacher and my classmates Instructor verbal feedback is diagnostic and personalized in order to help improve my drafts 11 My teacher encourages me to review my learning progress both inside and outside class II (2) (3) (4) (5) 12 13 Frequent revision of drafts makes me have a better understanding of my standard of writing Interim drafts should be graded to inform my current standards of writing 14 When I look back on what I did in writing lesson, I believe that this semester was beneficial for me 15 Overall I am satisfied with the studies I have done 16 The effort and the time that I spent to prepare a portfolio were worthwhile 17 Peer review is a useful learning activity 18 Portfolio is a good assessment system 19 My writing skills improved while keeping a portfolio 20 I know how to set learning goals at the various stages of the writing process 21 I have learnt the essential features of a piece of good writing through sharing exemplars 22 I have learnt how to monitor my learning progress through self-assessment 23 My first and my present opinion about portfolio are different from each other in a positive way 24 The activities that I expected to in the beginning and the activities that I did during the term were different from each other 25 I prefer keeping a portfolio to traditional assessment system 26 The scoring of portfolio assessment can reflect my true writing ability 27 I would like to continue keeping a portfolio next term III PART 2: The impacts of portfolio assessment on writing ability The following items describe statements about the impacts of portfolio assessment on writing ability Indicate your agreement or disagreement with the following statements by writing down one number from to according to this scale: Strongly Disagree Neither Agree Strongly agree disagree No Statements (1) I realize that my writing will improve through multiple drafting I believe the fluency of my writing will improve I believe the accuracy of my writing will improve I become a careful and thoughtful L2 writer throughout the semester I find that portfolio assessment will make me actively reflect upon my writing Revision may make my writing more comprehensive I think that ongoing instructor feedback and support will help improve my writing I realize keeping all portfolio entries can let me understand my learning progress better The writing portfolio will accurately indicate my actual writing ability through quality feedback instead of grades 10 11 Portfolio assessment can help me learn various written genres effectively I realize that the selection of best work to be graded makes me aware how much progress I have made IV (2) (3) (4) (5) Appendix 2: Autonomous learner checklist AUTONOMOUS LEARNER CHECKLIST The following items describe statements about your perceptions of being an autonomous learner Indicate your agreement or disagreement with the following statements by writing down one number from to according to this scale: Strongly disagree Disagree Neither Agree Strongly agree (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Criteria I share in the decisions that shape and direct my learning process I view myself as a continual learner and thinker I know why I am learning I know how I am learning I am confident that I can learn I am intrinsically motivated by making progress I know what I am learning I know my strengths in writing skills I know my weaknesses in writing skills 10 I can easily set short term goals for my learning 11 I can easily set long term goals for my learning 12 I actively seek to expand my repertoire of strategies for learning 13 I take initiatives in my learning process 14 I can take control of my learning by using the necessary tactics 15 I can reflect on my work 16 I take time to think about my own thinking 17 I can match strategies to the learning task, making adjustments when necessary 18 I can assess myself objectively V 19 I can assess my peers objectively 20 I ask for guidance from peers or the teacher 21 I am able to transfer classroom learning to the real world VI Appendix 3: Consent form CONSENT FORM Full title of Project: An investigation into the application of writing portfolios and its relationship with the first-year English majored students’ learning autonomy at ULIS-VNU Researcher: Nguyen Thi Ngoc Mai (maid07hut@gmail.com) Y(yes) or N(no) I confirm that I have read and understand the information sheet for the above study and have had the opportunity to ask questions I understand that my participation is voluntary and that I am free to withdraw at any time, without giving reason I agree to take part in the above study I agree that my data gathered in this study may be stored (after it has been anonymised) in a specialist data centre and may be used for future research Name of Participant Date Signature Name of Researcher Date Signature VII ... This thesis entitled ? ?An investigation into the application of writing portfolios and its relationship with the first- year English majored students’ learning autonomy at ULIS- VNU? ?? is a presentation... portfolios and its relationship with the first- year English majored students’ learning autonomy at ULIS- VNU? ?? The research will be done with the interest in discovering how students carry out writing portfolios. .. are the levels of the first- year students’ learning autonomy? To what extent the writing portfolios correlate with learning autonomy? Scope of the study The participants of this study consist of