LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 19:11 November 2019
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

HOME PAGE

Click Here for Back Issues of Language in India - From 2001

BOOKS FOR YOU TO READ AND DOWNLOAD FREE!

REFERENCE MATERIALS

BACK ISSUES

  • E-mail your articles and book-length reports in Microsoft Word to languageinindiaUSA@gmail.com.

  • PLEASE READ THE GUIDELINES GIVEN IN HOME PAGE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE LIST OF CONTENTS.

  • Your articles and book-length reports should be written following the APA, MLA, LSA, or IJDL Stylesheet.

  • The Editorial Board has the right to accept, reject, or suggest modifications to the articles submitted for publication, and to make suitable stylistic adjustments. High quality, academic integrity, ethics and morals are expected from the authors and discussants.

Copyright © 2016
M. S. Thirumalai

Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
11249 Oregon Circle
Bloomington, MN 55438
USA
Custom Search

An Inquiry into Increasing Learners' Writing Ability
Through Traditional Portfolios VS Modern Portfolios

Vahid Norouzi Larsari, Ph.D. Candidate

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the impacts of the application of two portfolios including paper-based and weblog-based electronic portfolios on learners' writing ability. First, a sample OPT was piloted to 20 learners bearing almost the same characteristics of the participants of the main study. This research used EFL learners’ test scores as the data. Next, the test was administered to 90 intermediate EFL learners so as to homogenize them with respect to their proficiency. Out of 90 EFL learner, 60 intermediate learners were selected from an English language institute as the members of the present research in two groups (one experimental and one control groups). In the first step, the course explanation, objectives, and evaluation were introduced to the learners by teacher. The learners of the control group and the experimental group took the pre-test. In both control group and experimental group, the application of portfolios was introduced to the learners. The learners of the experimental group were trained in how to build and construct their personal electronic portfolio by using a weblog, while the learners of the control group were trained in how to improve and gather their work in paper-based portfolios. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were employed for the data analysis. It was found that the effects of the application of weblog-based electronic portfolios as modern portfolios have strong effect on the writing ability. That is to say, weblog-based electronic has a significant effect on the enhancement of the writing ability by EFL learners.

Keywords: EFL learners, Paper-based Portfolios, weblog-based electronic portfolios, Writing, Portfolios

1. Introduction

Nowadays, English for specific purpose plays an important role in training EFL learners in the required English skills for their future job or occupation. For ESP writing courses, the kinds of written texts are various with respect to social contexts, audiences, and the aims of the various kinds of written texts. Therefore, the traditional assessment, relying on learners’ scores on their writing products or exams paying less attention to the learners’ learning improvement is obsolete and cannot endorse the learners’ growth of the goals. In this respect, For preventing from a negative washback, the effect of assessment on language pedagogy and learning, the conformation of the writing instructional method, course goals and aims, and learning assessment should be of important concern (Brown & Hudson, 1998). With less exam-centric assessment, portfolios are considered an alternative method of assessment and are widely used for writing assessment because of their ability to assess cognitive skills and affective attributes of the learners.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Vahid Norouzi Larsari
PhD Candidate in Education Program
No 25. Sardar Jangal Street, Shahid Chamran Avenue, Rezvanshahr City
Guilan Province, Iran. Postal Code: 4384156449
novin.spss@gmail.com
Custom Search
  • Click Here to Go to Creative Writing Section

  • Send your articles
    as an attachment
    to your e-mail to
    languageinindiaUSA@gmail.com.
  • Please ensure that your name, academic degrees, institutional affiliation and institutional address, and your e-mail address are all given in the first page of your article. Also include a declaration that your article or work submitted for publication in LANGUAGE IN INDIA is an original work by you and that you have duly acknowledged the work or works of others you used in writing your articles, etc. Remember that by maintaining academic integrity we not only do the right thing but also help the growth, development and recognition of Indian/South Asian scholarship.