Impacts of Portfolios on Students’ Writing Performance: A Case Study at A University in Hanoi

Tóm tắt

This research aims to investigate the effectiveness of using writing portfolios to improve English language writing skills and students’ perceptions of this practice at a university in Hanoi, Vietnam. The study adopts action research using both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, namely questionnaires and writing assignment evaluations. The results of data collection from 50 second-year English majors shows notable gains in the participants' overall writing scores, as well as in each of the evaluation categories, including task achievement, coherence and cohesion, grammar, and vocabulary. Additionally, most of the students feel this practice has a positive influence on their writing skills, and adopting writing portfolios is something that should be continued in their studies. However, they do find this a time-consuming activity and the quality of some of their peers’ reviews does not meet their expectations. This study's findings provide a reference for teachers and practitioners involved in teaching writing skills. Appropriate action for further application of this activity is suggested at the end of the paper.