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Using Portfolios to Formatively Assess the Writing Skills of Undergraduate ESL/EFL Students

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English Language Teaching in Pakistan

Part of the book series: English Language Teaching: Theory, Research and Pedagogy ((ELTTRP))

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Abstract

This action research traced the development of a portfolio model for formative assessment in a remedial writing skills course. The context of the study was a private institute of higher education in the city of Karachi in Pakistan. The study attempted to gain insight into the various ways in which portfolios are used along with the associated benefits and challenges. This chapter, however, only reports on the benefits of portfolios which emerged from a thematic analysis of data collected from multiple sources. Findings revealed that portfolios enhanced the writing abilities of students helping them produce paragraphs with better organization and clearer sentences, encouraging them to cite evidence for arguments, and enabling them to demonstrate awareness of metacognitive strategies. Portfolios also allowed students to develop a focus on critical thinking skills rather than merely reproducing content knowledge, and fostered creativity. The chapter concludes with pedagogical suggestions for improving the portfolio model along with recommendations for stakeholders.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A pseudonym.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, USA

    Rabail Qayyum

Authors
  1. Rabail Qayyum
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rabail Qayyum .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. General Civil Aviation Authority, International Aviation Consulting and Training, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Naziha Ali Raza

  2. Dubai Men's College, Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

    Christine Coombe

Appendices

Appendix A: Needs Analysis Questionnaire

Name: _______________________________.

  1. 1.

    How long have you been learning English? (number of years).

  2. 2.

    Do you speak English outside the class? If yes, list all places.

  3. 3.

    How do you rate your writing abilities? â–¡Very well â–¡ Well â–¡ Fair â–¡ Not very well.

  4. 4.

    Do you find it important to learn to write well in English? â–¡Yes â–¡ No.

  5. 5.

    Do you keep a journal or a diary?â–¡Yesâ–¡ No.

  6. 6.

    Do you enjoy writing? â–¡Yesâ–¡ No.

  7. 7.

    How difficult do you find the following areas of writing?

    1. (a)

      Vocabulary â–¡ Very difficult â–¡ Ok â–¡ Easy

    2. (b)

      Style â–¡ Very difficult â–¡ Ok â–¡ Easy

    3. (c)

      Spelling â–¡ Very difficult â–¡ Ok â–¡ Easy

    4. (d)

      Grammar â–¡ Very difficult â–¡ Ok â–¡ Easy

    5. (e)

      Punctuation â–¡ Very difficult â–¡ Ok â–¡ Easy

    6. (f)

      Generating ideas â–¡ Very difficult â–¡ Ok â–¡ Easy

    7. (g)

      Organizing ideas â–¡ Very difficult â–¡ Ok â–¡ Easy

  8. 8.

    How would you like to learn English in this course? Rank your choices from 1 (most important) to 3 (least important)

    1. (a)

      in groups

    2. (b)

      by reading

    3. (c)

      thinking by myself

    4. (d)

      being told by the teacher

    5. (e)

      by rote

  9. 9.

    What do you wish to be able to do after finishing this course on writing skills?

Appendix B: Writing Task

figure a

Appendix C

Post-Intervention Semi-Structured Focus Group Discussion with the Students’ Guide

Your detailed feedback about your experiences of using portfolios will help me to make changes (if needed) for implementing this approach in the future.

  1. 1.

    Please state your name.

  2. 2.

    Did you have any prior experience of using portfolios? What did it involve? Did it involve merely putting all entries together in a file/folder? If yes, then do you now view portfolios differently? Or did your experience of portfolios lead you to dismiss this intervention because of perhaps not having a deeper understanding of the purpose behind portfolios other than an added task for you?

  3. 3.

    How did you feel when you were told that you will be assessed through portfolios?

  4. 4.

    How do you feel now about using portfolios? Have your feelings changed?

  5. 5.

    What were some of the challenges you faced when working on your portfolios? Can you give specific examples? [provide counter-examples]

  6. 6.

    Many of you did not meet the portfolio submission deadline. Why do you think that was so? Were you not interested in portfolios? Or not motivated to use them? Did you feel it did not help to develop your writing skills? Can you share specific examples of feedback that helped you?

  7. 7.

    How did the teacher’s feedback on portfolios help you develop your writing skills?

  8. 8.

    There were some occasions where I felt that some of you had trouble following my instructions, e.g., when I gave you deadlines, some of you didn’t understand those deadlines, why was this confusion? How could it be addressed?

  9. 9.

    I felt that some of you left things till the last minute and that is why you couldn’t meet the deadline. Was that the case? Why?

  10. 10.

    How did not having a regular teacher hinder you? Why wasn’t email beneficial?

  11. 11.

    If you have to pick portfolios or exams which one will you choose and why?

  12. 12.

    What were some of the advantages you think portfolios had for you in developing your writing skills?

  13. 13.

    Do you think portfolios helped you in terms of improving your writing skills? Can you share any anecdotes or specific instances / examples?

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Qayyum, R. (2022). Using Portfolios to Formatively Assess the Writing Skills of Undergraduate ESL/EFL Students. In: Ali Raza, N., Coombe, C. (eds) English Language Teaching in Pakistan. English Language Teaching: Theory, Research and Pedagogy. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-7826-4_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-7826-4_15

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  • Online ISBN: 978-981-16-7826-4

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