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VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST – GRADUATE STUDIES
NGUYỄN THỊ HUYỀN TRANG
USING PORTFOLIOS TO IMPROVE THE TENTH GRADERS’
WRITING SKILLS AT DIEN CHAU 4 HIGH SCHOOL:
A QUASI – EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH (Nghiên cứu thử nghiệm về việc sử dụng hồ sơ bài tập để nâng cao kĩ
năng viết cho học sinh lớp 10 – Trường THPT Diễn Châu 4)

M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 60 14 10
1.2.3.2. The Process Approach
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1.2.3.3. Product approach or Process approach?
1.3. Portfolios in Writing
1.3.1. Definition of portfolios:
1.3.2. Types and Contents of portfolios

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2.3.7. Data analysis
CHAPTER 3: MAJOR FINDINGS, DISCUSSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1. General Introduction
3.2. Findings
3.2.1. Results from pre-test and post-test
3.2.2. Results from the students‟ reflection
3.2.2.1. The improvement in writing skills
3.2.2.2. Changes in emotional states
3.2.2.3. The fostering of cooperative learning
3.3. Discussion of findings
3.4. Recommendations

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4. Limitations of the study
5. Suggestions for further studies
References
Appendix 1: The Pre-test and Post-test
Appendix 2: Students’ Pre-test and Post-test Scores
Appendix 3: Map of 8 Units in Semester Two of English 10
Appendix 4: Handout for the Correction Symbols
Appendix 5: Students’ Portfolio Scores
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LIST OF ABBREVIATION
(in alphabetical order)

Df: Degree of Freedom
EFL: English as a Foreign Language
ESL: English as a Second Language
N: Number
P – value: Probability value
Std. Deviation: Standard Deviation
Std. Error Mean : Standard Error of the Mean

although they have got the information relating to the topics in the previous lessons as
reading, speaking or listening.
Secondly, the students usually lack vocabulary to express their thinking. This is a
common imperfection of many students in high schools as well as in colleges.
Thirdly, due to the limited class time, the students may find it difficult to learn and
to master because they have little time to practice and do not receive peer correction and
the teacher‟s feedback. Thus, they can not realize their mistakes and correct them.
Another reason may lie in the way of assessing students‟ attainment. In fact, the
only way to assess the students‟ writings is a mini-test in the middle and a 45-minute test
near the end of the term.
Therefore, the students‟ underdeveloped writing skills have been of major concern
to educators. Teachers are becoming more creative in the classroom in finding ways to
encourage students to want to write and to do their best when they write. An innovative
and effective method for restructuring traditional composition courses is using portfolios as
a method of learning and assessing students‟ writing skills.

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Since many previous researches on writing portfolios indicate that they enhance
students‟ motivation and consequently learning, we used them in our teaching context
though with some adaptations to suit our specific needs. We assumed that if our students
found these activities helpful and enjoyable, they would be more motivated to learn and
become better writers.
For the above reasons, the following experimental study was conducted in response
to such problems: “Using portfolios to improve the tenth graders’ writing skills at Dien
Chau 4 high school: A quasi – experimental research”, which can be translated into
Vietnamese as stated in the thesis title.
2. Objectives of the study
This quasi – experimental research was conducted with an intention of evaluating
the effectiveness of adopting portfolios in teaching writing to improve the tenth graders‟
writing skills. Especially, this study aims at examining the level of impact that portfolio

develop portfolios and how to score them. So that the teacher can make a final judgment
about his / her student‟s over all performances considering the fact that any pieces of
writing should represent students‟ knowledge in grammar, vocabulary, skills of organizing
and outlining and their ability to write independently.
Third, the outcome of this study shows the effectiveness of portfolios on students‟
writing performances so that teacher could make decisions whether portfolios should be
used in the future or not and how to use them most effectively.
7. Design of the study
The study is divided into three main parts, which are presented as follows.
Part A is the Introduction, which states the rationales, the objectives, the scope,
research questions, the methodology applied in the realization of the research as well as its
significance.
Part B, the Development, consists of three chapters.

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Chapter I is the literature review which is relevant to teaching writing, portfolios
and portfolio assessment. Specifically, it deals with a definition of writing, the importance
of writing, approaches to teaching writing. This chapter ends with a theoretical background
on portfolio including definition of portfolio, the contents of portfolio, principles in using
portfolio, portfolio assessment, stages in implementing portfolio and its effects on students
writing performance.
Chapter II is the study. This chapter describes some background to the study and
procedures for carrying out the quasi – experimental research including the data collection
method, the context, participants, sampling, instruments, procedures of data collection and
data analysis.
Chapter III discusses the major findings and discussions of findings,
recommendations to teaching writing to the tenth graders at Dien Chau 4 high school.
Part C, the last part of the study, is the conclusion where all the main contents of
the study are summarized and limitations of the study and suggestions for further studies
are presented.

research inspiration, accidents, trial and error, or whatever a message with a definite
meaning…writing is a process of deliberate decision” (p.9).
In language teaching, writing is defined as a productive and taught language skill.
Oshima & Hogue (1991, p.3) wrote “it takes study and practice to develop this
skill…writing is a process, not a product”. Tribble (1996, p.3) considered writing as “a
language skill which is difficult to acquire”. He added that “writing normally requires
some form of instructions. It is not a skill that is readily picked up by exposure” (p.11)
In short, the word “writing” itself may imply an act, a process or a skill, which
needs practice and study to develop. It requires both physical and mental powers from the
writers.
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1.2.2. The importance of writing
Ur (1996) categorized writing purposes into three sub-categories. Firstly, writing is
used as “a convenient means for engaging with aspects of language other than the writing
itself” (p.162). Through writing activities, students attend to and practice a “particular
language point”. Secondly, writing is considered “as an end”. Accordingly, various
writing activities, including „micro‟ and „macro‟ activities, invite students to develop their
writing skills. The third kind of writing combines “as both means and end” (p162). It is a
mixture of “purposeful and original writing and learning or practice of some other skills
or content” (p162).
Doff (1988, p.148) provided a detailed comment on the importance of writing at
lower levels of learning English as a foreign language “students’ need for writing is most
likely to be for study purposes and also as an examination skill. The main importance of
writing at this level is that it helps students to learn”.
Tribble (1996, p.7) made a list of reasons why school students have to involve
writing in their study. He stated that writing has the positive effects on their creativeness
and first language acquisition. Accordingly, writing gives school students opportunities for

Stage 4: Choosing a writing task and producing the product, using skills, structures,
vocabulary they have been taught.
1.2.3.2. The Process Approach
The process approach to writing has been seen as an improvement over the
traditional methods of writing instruction in recent years and has been widely implemented
in teaching writing in the first language and the second language as well. Many educators
are positive towards the process approach and think that the students will benefit greatly
from this approach (Raimes 1983, Stewart and Cheung 1989, White and Arndt 1991).
A process approach to writing and the teaching of writing means devoting
increased attention to writers and the activities in which writers engage when they create
and produce a text. It differs much from the product approach which gives primary focus
on the texts. Clark (2003, p.7) described the process approach:
“Reacting against pedagogy oriented towards error correcting and formulaic
patterns of organization, the process approach as it evolved during the 1960s and 1970s,

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was concerned with discovering how writers produce the texts, developing a model of the
writing process that would enable them to write more effectively and continue to improve
as writers”.
Leki (1991) states that the process approach is an approach to teaching writing that
places more emphasis on the stages of writing process rather than on the final product.
Stone (1995, p.232) notes that “process writing is learning how to write by
writing”. This current emphasis in writing focuses on the process of creating writing rather
than the end product (Tompkins, 1990).
It is noticeable that process writing is “interpretational, learner-centered and not
specifically related to examinations” (Pennington 1995, p.707).
Reid (1993) provided a different view in dividing writing stages into basic stages
such as planning, drafting, revising and editing, and four other stages externally imposed
by teachers, namely pre-writing, responding, evaluating and post-writing. This distinction
is helpful for teachers to apply the most productive intervention in the students writing

Stage 4: Responding
This stage is important to the success of students‟ writing. It gives them a sense that
their writing is purposeful, e.g. it is produced for someone to read and react to. In the
context of teaching writing, this stage also brings in assistance to student writers to
improve their writing through feedback of the teachers or fellow students.
Stage 5: Revising
When students revise, they review their texts on basis of the feedback they have
received from the responding stage. Hedge (1988, p.23) wrote, “revision involves assessing
what has already has been written and deciding on points like these…”. The points she
mentioned here includes clear expression, inclusion of important points, coherence,
vocabulary, repetition, arrangement of paragraphs and links between sections.
Stage 6: Editing
At this stage, students do some finishing work of their writing for teacher‟s
evaluation. Students make final “readjustments and check accuracy so that the text is
maximally accessible to the reader” (Hedge, 1988, p.23).

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Stage 7: Evaluating
Evaluating a piece of writing means assigning scores to it. It is often done with the
final draft.
In summary, the process approach describes writing as a multi-stage process that
the writers have to go through. It may include prewriting, planning, responding, revising,
editing, evaluating and post-writing. Good writers will follow these stages in a recursive
order, which requires their re-visit of any stage during their writing to make it a “real”
activity.
1.2.3.3. Product approach or Process approach?
Both approaches can benefit students in their writing. Deciding on which approach
to use depends on many factors such as the teacher, the students, and the genre of the text.
Product writing is the approach that imitates a model text; considers organization of
ideas more important than ideas themselves; and focuses on one draft; features highlighted

1.3.2. Types and Contents of portfolios
Many teachers and experts have offered suggestions on portfolio contents based on
their experience with using portfolio assessment.
According to Mandell and Michelson (1990), portfolios are often grouped into
three types:
(i) Showcase – student only puts best example or best product in for each
objective
(ii) Cumulative – student places all work relevant to each objective into the
portfolio
(iii) Process – student places pre/post-samples of work for each objective into the
portfolio
Valencia and Place (1994) also divides portfolio into 4 types, namely:
(i) the showcase portfolio which includes the student‟s best work;
(ii) the evaluation portfolio which includes specified and marked work;

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(iii) the documentation portfolio which includes student work systematically kept
by the teacher but not marked;
(iv) and the process portfolio which contains ongoing work and student self-
reflection.
The portfolio can take many forms. Some of these include: a folder of papers, a
three-ring notebook, a box containing multimedia, a diskette, and a totally online portfolio.
A guide is useful for understanding the arrangement and context of the portfolio, such as a
table of contents, student comments or narrative (either or written), or self-reflection paper.
Essential components of portfolio suggested by Campell, Melenyzer and Nettles et
al. (2000) should be:
- table of contents with pages numbers
- personal introduction describing the students background and capstone
experience
- program outcomes, with artifacts linked to the outcomes.

a portfolio (Valencia, 1990). All of these are not used all of the time. But on the last page
of the portfolio, there should be a summary report by the students and by the teacher
according to Wang (2003).
1.3.3. Portfolio assessment
A portfolio assessment is a procedure used to plan, collect and analyze the multiple
sources of data maintained in the portfolio. A portfolio used for educational assessment
must offer more than a showcase for student products; it must be the product of a complete
assessment procedure that has been systematically planned, implemented, and evaluated.
Portfolio assessment emphasizing the process instead of the result is a type of
alternative assessment. The assessment is aligned with instructional tasks and offers
immediate feedback to instructors. The interpretation and design require professional rater
judgment (O‟Malley & Pierce, 1992).
Portfolio assessment keeps the records of a student‟s work over time and in a
variety of forms to show the student‟s development and abilities. It can collect the
information from both alternative and standardized assessments (O‟Malley & Pierce,
1992).

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Portfolio assessment allows continuous and authentic assessment of student
progress. It can be integrated into the literacy program (Manning & manning, 1995). For
process-oriented teachers, using portfolio assessment is an excellent way of evaluating
students‟ progresses (Hoy & Gregg, 1994). The records kept in portfolios can offer a
foundation for teachers to discuss the progress and future plans with the students
(Goodman, Goodman & Hood, 1989).
Overall, collection, a display of a variety of performances, context richness,
displayed evaluation, selection, student centered control, reflection, and measuring growth
according to different parameters and over a period of time are important elements of a
portfolio (Hamp – Lyons & Condon, 2000).
1.3.4. Why do we use portfolio assessment?
This question can be answered through the comparison of advantages of using

of classwork, and are not separated from class activities like test term.
 Has clear goals. They are decided on at the beginning of instruction and are clear
to teachers and students alike.
 Gives a profile of learner abilities in terms of:
 Depth: It enables students to really show the quality of their work, which is
done without pressure and time constraints, nd with the help of resources,
reference materials and collaboration with others.
 Breadth: students can demonstrate a widw range of skills.
 Growth: It shows students‟ efforts to improve and develop, and
demonstrates progress over time.
 Caters to individuals in heterogenerous class. Since it is open-ended, students can
show work on their own level. Since there is choice, it is flexibly suitable to
different learning styles and allows expression of different strengths.
 Develop social skills. Students are also assessed on work done together, in pairs or
groups, on projects and assignments. Therefore their social skills will be developed
accordingly.
 Develops independent and active learners. Students must select and justify
portfolio choices; monitor progress and set learning goals.

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 Can improve motivation for learning and thus achievement. Empowerment of
students to prove achievement has been found to be motivating.
 Is an efficient tool for demonstrating learning. Different kinds of products and
records of progress are all reflected in this powerful tool – the portfolios. Changes
over time are also clearly shown.
 Provides opportunity for student-teacher dialogue. Enables the teacher to get to
know each and every student. Promotes joint goal-setting and negotiation of grades.
Some writing teachers over the last 20 years have begun to rely on portfolio
assessment to change their classroom, as Burham explains, from a “grading environment”
to a “writing environment” (p.137). He asserts that portfolio grading systems allow

Stage 6: Assessing the portfolios and giving feedback;
Stage 7: Student – teacher conferences;
Stage 8: Follow – up.
In summary, different authors apply different stages in implementing portfolios.
These models are somewhat cumbersome and involves a great amount of cooperation from
other partners in an educational community. Therefore, each researcher should take their
own context into consideration to determine the stages of portfolio implementation.
1.3.6. The Benefits of Using Portfolios
There are a number of identifiable advantages in using portfolios in English writing
class. First, students are given the opportunity to write more and to rewrite or revise what
they have written. Refocusing is important because as time elapses between drafts, students
distance themselves from their writings and are able to resee what they have written
allowing for objective revision (Nadell, Mc Meninman, & Langan, 1994). Second, students
can prepare different types of writing that can benefit them in the future as college students
or as members of the workforce. Because different types of writing are included, students
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opinions and to provide specific support for those opinions. Peer criticism in the classroom
acquaints students with the points of view of others. It requires that students seek and
accept help, reinforcing the team concept that is prevalent in the work environment.
Additionally, peer criticism aids students in sharpening their knowledge about essay
structure and grammatical rules. In order to evaluate someone else‟s paper, students must
know what to look for and be able to justify their comments. In the role of partner,
according to James Britton (1997), students generate and refine their writing system. In
easier terms, what Britton means is that students are free to explore what other writers do.
They are able to think critically about other writers‟ techniques, and in responding to their
peers they are able to apply their value systems (Britton, 1997). Allowing students to
respond also builds a warmer community of writers and these writers, once they get over
the initial hesitation about leaving themselves open for criticism, learn to appreciate