A study on perceptions towards the use of writing portfolio among english – majored sophomores in faculty of foreign languages, hanoi pedagogical university 2

HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

PHAN THI KHANH HOA

A STUDY ON PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS THE USE OF
WRITING PORTFOLIO AMONG ENGLISH –
MAJORED SOPHOMORES IN FACULTY OF FOREIGN
LANGUAGES, HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2

BACHELOR THESIS

Major: English Language Teaching

Hanoi, 2019


HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

PHAN THI KHANH HOA

A STUDY ON PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS THE USE OF
WRITING PORTFOLIO AMONG ENGLISH –
MAJORED SOPHOMORES IN FACULTY OF FOREIGN
LANGUAGES, HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2

BACHELOR THESIS

Major: English Language Teaching

Supervisor: Pham Thi Tuan

Hanoi, 2019


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Ms. Pham Thi
Tuan. She is very enthusiastic to give me the valuable suggestion for the problems
that I had during the process of doing the research.
Besides, I would like to extent my appreciation to all the lecturers at Faculty
of Foreign Languages for their help and support.
My special thank also goes to the second-year students at Faculty of Foreign
Languages, Hanoi Pedagogical University 2. If it hadn‟t been for their support, I
wouldn‟t have completed the research on time.
Last but not least, I am grateful to my close friends for their contribution to
my study.

ii


STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP

Tittle:
A STUDY ON PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS THE USE OF WRITING
PORTFOLIO AMONG ENGLISH – MAJORED SOPHOMORES IN
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, HANOI PEDAGOGICAL
UNIVERSITY 2
(Graduation paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the Degree of
Bachelor of arts in English)
I certify that no part in this study has not been copied by me from any other

person„s report without acknowledgment and this work is written by my best under
the instruction from my supervisor.
Date of submission: May, 2019.

Student

Supervisor

Phan Thi Khanh Hoa

Pham Thi Tuan

iii


ABSTRACT
Writing is considered to be one of the most challenging skills in leaning a
foreign language. Thus, having an effective writing learning strategy is a big
concern of many language learners. Among writing learning tools, writing portfolio
is one of the most popular tools that learners use in their English learning. The study
was to identify students‟ perceptions towards their writing learning and the use of
writing portfolio. The research was carried out among 60 second-year Englishmajored students in Faculty of Foreign Languages, Hanoi Pedagogical University 2.
To achieve the research aims, survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews
were used to collect the data for analysis. The research findings showed that the use
of writing portfolio had certain positive effects on students‟ writing learning.
Besides, students had both positive and negative views towards this learning tool.
The research also suggests some implications for the use of writing portfolio in
students‟ writing learning.
Key words: Writing, writing portfolio, perceptions

iv


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

1. HPU2: Hanoi Pedagogical University 2
2. FFL: Faculty of Foreign Language

v


LIST OF THE TABLES AND FIGURES
Tables:

Table 1

Students‟ ranks of writing aspects to be focused when writing English

Table 2

Students‟ views towards their English writing

Table 3

Students‟ perceptions towards the use of writing portfolio

Table 4

Students‟ views towards other benefits of using writing portfolio

Figures:

Figure1

Students‟ frequency of English writing practice

Figure 2

Students‟ time spent on practicing writing English

Figure 3

Writing steps that students follow when practice writing English

Figure 4

Students‟ difficulties when writing English

Figure 5

Aspects of writing students often make errors in

Figure 6

The students‟ purposes of keeping a writing portfolio

Figure 7

Students‟ frequency of writing when using portfolio

Figure 8

Students‟ time spent on their portfolio

Figure 9

Students‟ writing process when using portfolio

Figure 10

Students‟ opinions about the effect of keeping a writing portfolio on
their writing

Figure 11

Students‟ opinions on keeping a writing portfolio

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................. ii
STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ................................................................. iii
ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………………iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................... v
LIST OF THE TABLES AND FIGURES ....................................................... vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................ vii
PART A. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1

1. Rationale ..................................................................................................... 1
2. Significance................................................................................................. 2
3. Scope of the study ....................................................................................... 2
4. Aims of the study and Research questions ................................................... 2
5. Methods of the study ..................................................................................... 3
6. Design of the study........................................................................................ 3
PART B. DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................. 4
CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................... 4
1. An overview of writing ................................................................................. 4
1.1 Definition of writing ................................................................................... 4
1.2 The importance of writing........................................................................... 4
2. An overview of writing portfolio in writing learning ................................... 5
2.1. Definition of writing portfolio ................................................................... 5
2.2. The types of writing portfolio .................................................................... 6
2.3. The effects of writing portfolio on writing skills ....................................... 7
CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY.................................................................. 10
1. Participants .................................................................................................. 10
2. Data collection instruments ......................................................................... 10
2.1. Survey questionnaire ................................................................................ 10
2.1.1. Reasons for using Questionnaire: ......................................................... 10
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2.1.2. Description of questionnaire ................................................................. 10
2.2. Interviews ................................................................................................. 11
2.2.1. Reasons for using Interview .................................................................. 11
2.2.2. Description of interview ........................................................................ 11
3. The procedure of data collection ................................................................. 12
CHAPTER III: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .......................................... 13
1. Students‟ perceptions towards their writing learning. ................................ 13

1.1 Students‟ frequency of English writing practice....................................... 13
1.2 Students‟ time spent on practicing writing English .................................. 14
1.3 Writing steps that students follow when practicing writing English ........ 15
1.4 Students‟ ranks of writing aspects to be focused when writing ................ 15
1.5 Students‟ difficulties when writing English .............................................. 16
1.6 Aspects of writing students often make errors in...................................... 17
1.7 Students‟ views towards their English writing ......................................... 18
2. Students‟ perceptions towards using writing portfolio in writing learning 20
2.1 As for the group of students using writing portfolio in writing learning.. 20
2.1.1 The students’ purposes of keeping a writing portfolio .......................... 20
2.1.2 Students’ frequency of portfolio writing ................................................ 21
2.1.3 Students’ time spent on their portfolio ................................................... 21
2.1.4 Students’ portfolio writing process ........................................................ 22
2.1.5 Students’ opinions about the effect of keeping a writing portfolio on
their writing ..................................................................................................... 23
2.1.6 Students’ perceptions towards the use of writing portfolio. .................. 24
2.1.7 Students’ views towards other benefits of using writing portfolio ........ 25
2.2 As for the group of students not using writing portfolio in writing learning27
2.2.1 Students’ opinions on keeping a writing portfolio ................................. 27
2.2.2 Students’ intention in using writing portfolio in the future ................... 27
3. Implications ................................................................................................. 28
3.1 Recommendations on format of portfolio ................................................. 28
3.1.1 An overview of format of writing portfolio ............................................ 28
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3.1.2 Recommendations for learners .............................................................. 29
3.1.3 Recommendations for teachers .............................................................. 29
3.2 Recommendations on the use of writing portfolio.................................... 29
3.2.1 Recommendations for learners .............................................................. 29

3.2.2 Recommendations for teachers .............................................................. 29
3.3 Other implications ..................................................................................... 30
PART C: CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................. 31
1. Major findings ............................................................................................. 31
2. Limitations of the study .............................................................................. 31
3. Suggestion for further study ........................................................................ 31
REFERENCES ................................................................................................ 33
APPENDIX ..................................................................................................... 36

ix


PART A. INTRODUCTION

1. Rationale
English, nowadays, has become the international language. In many
countries, it is the second compulsory language taught at schools. When studying
English, students try to learn and to master four skills including reading, writing,
speaking and listening. Writing is considered as the biggest barrier on the way to be
master of English. Writing is the process of representing language in readable and
understandable forms (Gameel, 2016). In learning a foreign language, writing skill
is believed to foster students‟ creativeness and critical thinking. Students have to
present their ideas via manipulating their vocabulary and grammar flexibly to create
their own works. In addition, learning writing enables students to write curriculum
vitae when they apply for a job, to write reports and other written documentations.
However, making a good writing is the process demanding a lot of learners‟
efforts and time to improve their language competence. Consequently, most of
language learners have considered writing the most challenging task. There are a lot
of problems facing them when learning writing skill as follows: Firstly, they often
tend to translate mechanically from Vietnamese to the target language. This

negative transference leads to ungrammatical sentences, even lack of coherence and
cohesion. Learners, especially freshman, often make common errors on simple
sentences, the agreement between the subject and the verb or wrong use of
transition signals, for example. Secondly, students often tend to learn specific
genres of writing, for examples, the formal letter, the informal email and a job
application letter. Obviously, learning these kinds of writing is essential for exam
success, but it does not always encourage them to write in relaxing and creative
way. Last but not least, the assessment of students‟ writing abilities, in fact, mainly
focuses on the result of formal examinations rather than the learning process.
Therefore, students are likely not to frequently practice writing in order to build the
writing habit. These are the reasons why the quality of students‟ performance needs
improving.
Writing portfolio provides students with good opportunities to improve their
writing skills individually and good chances to record their thoughts and feelings
(Ngoh, 2002). Lagan (2000), as cited in Ali (2017), mentioned to the merits of
writing portfolio that “writing a portfolio will help you develop the habit of thinking
on paper and show you how idea is discovered in the process of writing. Due to its
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advantages, writing portfolio was considered as an additional useful tool in
language writing learning.
There were many previous researches about the use of writing portfolio in
learning, and teaching writing carried out in a wide different range of subjects.
However, up to now, there has not been any research conducted on the students at
Hanoi Pedagogical University 2. This inspires me to do this research with a view to
enhancing EFL learners‟ writing skill at HPU2.
2. Significance
Writing portfolio could be used as an additional writing learning tool in order
to help students to develop writing habit. The findings of the study could help me

make a decision whether I should keep doing writing portfolio as a habit in myself
writing learning and use this learning tool for English writing classes I may teach in
the future as well. Moreover, this study could be used as the reference for future
experiments.
3. Scope of the study
The study is limited to investigating “A Study on Perceptions Towards the
Use of Writing Portfolio Among English – majored Sophomores in Faculty of
Foreign Languages, Hanoi Pedagogical University 2”. Therefore, the study is
carried out on the subjects of 60 second-year English-majored students at Hanoi
Pedagogical University 2.
4. Aims of the study and Research questions
4.1. Aims of the study
The study “A Study on Perceptions Towards the Use of Writing Portfolio
Among English – majored Sophomores in Faculty of Foreign Languages, Hanoi
Pedagogical University 2” is carried out with a view to:
- determining the students‟ perceptions towards their writing skills.
- determining students‟ perceptions towards the use of writing portfolio
including frequency, accuracy, amount of time, writing process, and other integrate
skills.
4.2. Research questions
What are the FFL‟s second-year students‟ perceptions towards the use of
writing portfolio in writing learning in Faculty of Foreign Languages, Hanoi
Pedagogical University 2?
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5. Methods of the study
To achieve the aims of the study, the methods that have been applied are
survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The participants of the study
are the second year English-majored students at FFL, HPU2.

6. Design of the study
This study is divided into 3 parts as follows:
Part A, Introduction, offers an overview of Rationale, Aims of the study,
Research questions, Scope of the study, Methods of the study and Significance of
the study.
Part B, Development, gives information on Literature
Methodology, Findings and Discussion and Implications of the study.

Review,

Chapter I, Literature Review, presents theoretical background knowledge
about Writing portfolio and major findings of the previous studies.
Chapter II, Methodology, describes in detail the Participants, Research
instruments employed and Procedure of data collection analysis.
Chapter III, Findings and discussion, analyzes gathered data and presents
discussion of research results, and Implications.
Part C, Conclusion, reviews Major findings, Limitations and Suggestion for
further study.

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PART B. DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter presents theoretical background of the study including the
theories of writing, the definitions of writing portfolio, types of writing portfolios.
1. An overview of writing
1.1 Definition of writing
Writing is one of the four language skills besides listening, speaking and

reading in learning a foreign language. Tiwari (2005), as cited in David (2013)
defined writing as a process of converting thought into written language. In other
words, writing is the expression of ideas, thinking or feeling in words on the piece
of paper. In addition, good ideas, well organization and appropriate style are
necessary factors that students need to have in the process of writing. Nunan (2003),
as cited in Gameel (2016) stated that writing is the mental work of producing ideas,
brainstorming how about to express them, and organizing them into statements and
paragraphs that will be clear to a reader.
Gaith (2002), as cited in Blanka (2014) claimed that writing is a complex
process that enables writers to explore thought and ideas, and make them visible
and concrete on the piece of paper. Writing offers a good opportunity to generate
ideas and gain information. By writing, students can express their thoughts and
feelings to others.
From the definition above, it can be concluded that writing is process of
transforming writer‟s inner thought into readable form.
1.2 The importance of writing
The written language has nowadays an important social and education
function and it has a high social status (Urbanova and Oakland, 2002). In language
learning, the important role of learning writing is undeniable. Writing enables
students to express their personality, helps students to develop thinking skill and
gives them a chance to later reflect on their ideas and re-evaluate them (Chappell,
2011). As Walsh (2010) said that “writing is important because it is used
extensively in higher education and in the workplace. It is likely seen as a mean of
communication of students. Much of professional communication is done in
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writing: proposals, reports, applications, interviews, e-mails, and more are parts of
daily life of students.”
Blanka (2013) claimed that writing has a unique position in writing learning

since it acquires a practice and knowledge of other three language skills, including
listening, reading and speaking. If students know how to express themselves in
writing, they will be able to communicate well with professors, employers, peers, or
just anyone else. In addition, the weaknesses in English proficiency, especially in
writing skill, can have influence on conveying their knowledge which is acquired
from other sources of reading or listening (Morinosadat, Mohamad, & Elham,
2013).
Strong writing skills may enhance students' chances for success (Alexander,
2008). In discussing the significance of writing to learning, Suleiman (2000), as
cited in Elizabeth (2002) also stressed that writing is an essential factor of language.
Any reading and language curriculum must think about the multidimensional nature
of writing in instructional practices, evaluation procedures, and language
development. Hansen's (2002), as cited in Mohammed (2012) stated that
academicians and business people view writing skill as crucial, yet increasing
numbers of these professionals note a steady attrition in the writing abilities of
graduates.
Alexander (2008), as cited in Luu (2010) believed that “writing skills are the
primary tools for communicating knowledge, especially in educational settings. The
capacity to communicate specifically may prove to be an achievement in life
chances. On the other hand, the ability to represent oneself well on paper will help
him secure a job or higher educational chances after graduation.”
In summary, the role of writing in life, especially in studying a foreign
language, is obviously important. Writing well may open the door to progress in
almost any field a person might opt for in the future.
2. An overview of writing portfolio in writing learning
2.1. Definition of writing portfolio
An extensive review of literature has multiple definitions for writing
portfolio (Bailey, 1990; Bain, 1999; Spaventa, 2000; Curtis & Baily, 2009;
Barjesteh, Vaseghi, & Gholami, 2011). For instance, Bailey (1990), as cited in
Hanah, Rahima, Nowreyah, Andulmohsen (2015) defined writing portfolio as “a

first-person account of a language learning or teaching experience, documented
5


through regular, candid entries in a personal portfolio”. In Curtis & Baily (2009), a
portfolio is described as a daily written record of personal thoughts and feelings
which seems to be important to the writer which is not set for publication.
Additionally, recently researchers viewed portfolio as a writing activity where
writers can freely write about their topic of interest without the fear of evaluation
(Barjesteh, Vaseghi, & Gholami, 2011).
Another similar view on portfolios was argued that student learning
portfolios “can be seen as a hybrid genre of writing” between “life narrative” and
the “university essay” (Crème, 2008). Keeping writing portfolio offers learners
transitional learning space that enables creative activity, fosters autonomy, and
motivates learners to take responsibility for their own learning (Hamp, Lyons &
Heasly, 2006; Marefat, 2002). In this regard, Barnett (2005), as cited in Geoffrey,
Karen, Peter (2013) considered writing portfolio as “critical space” which provides
students the guidance, setting and time needed to explore ideas and expand their
critical thinking activity. Furthermore, learners are encouraged to write freely, about
a range of topics, how they feel about a topic. This makes them to become more
fluent writers.
2.2. The types of writing portfolio
Roger (2001) classified writing portfolio content into nine categories,
namely:
i.
Learning portfolios are typically handwritten entries in notebooks or
pads of paper that record thoughts, reflections, feelings, personal opinions, and even
hopes or fears during educational experience.
ii. Diaries are typically notebooks, booklets of blank pages, or any other
sources for students to record thoughts, reactions to learning experiences, and even

innermost fears about learning activities.
iii. Dream Book or Log is usually used to recording people‟s dream
experience. This usually involves keeping a recording device (such as a tablet,
notebook, and even tape recorder).
iv. Autobiographies, Life stories, and Memoirs reveal the heart and soul
of human existence, promote a sharing of experiences with others by examining
similarities and differences between individual life histories.
v. Spiritual Portfolios normally involve recording personal reactions to
spiritual or religious matters.
vi. Professional Portfolios have very specific purposes.
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vii. Interactive Reading Log provides a mechanism to for a student to
reflect critically on information as it is read.
viii. Theory Log is considered as reading theory critically (Brookfield,
1995).
ix. Electronic Portfolio is usually used in recording students‟ insights or
reflections in electronic form.
According to Gameel (2016), there are three types of portfolios which can be
used in ESL/EFL settings:
i.

Dialogue portfolios serve as way of conversation written down but they

also provide ESL students with sources for language and writing improvement.
(Peyton, 1987)
ii. Literary portfolios record the students‟ response to particular paragraph
from a literary text.
iii. Subject portfolios serve as responses to background readings such as

biographies, or personalized dictionary of literary and linguistic terms.
Although there were many other researchers‟ classifications, this study
mainly followed Roger‟s classification of writing portfolio.
2.3. The effects of writing portfolio on writing skills
Writing is regarded as the most complex skill to learn and teach. It is the
combination of vocabulary, grammar and punctuation to express the writer‟s ideas.
Harmer (2004), as cited in Hanah, Rahima, Nowreyah, Andulmohsen (2015)
claimed that the process of making a good writing was much more complex than
speech. To be a writing master, a writer needs to master all the necessary features,
including rich vocabulary, using a wide ranges of grammar structures, and
knowlegde of the mechanics of writing (Bitchener, 2008). This demands a lot of
learners‟ efforts and time to improve their language profiency.
Lagan (2000), as cited in Ali (2017) suggested that “the more you practice
writing, the better you will write”. In other words, language learners need to write
as frequently and regularly as possible to make it “routine writing workout”
(Uduma, 2011). “Meanwhile classroom writing is an essential requirement in
academic curriculum, having a writing learning tool outside the classroom can be
useful to enhance students‟ writing skills” (Chanderasegaran, 2002). One way to
practice writing at home is using writing portfolios which “are notebooks in which

7


writers keep a record of ideas, opinions, and description of daily life. Portfolios help
writers develop their creativity” (Spaventa, 2000).
Writing portfolio is a very interesting writing learning tool, useful in
ESL/EFL writing classes (Allison, 1998). Confirming this claim, Gameel (2016)
stated that it primarily gives students an opportunity to think deeply on paper,
confidently to express their ideas, emotions, observations without criticism. Marefat
(2002), as cited in Chui (2012) referred to writing portfolio as an “exercise in selfreflection about learning itself”. Moreover, writing portfolio helps to promote the

relationship between students and teachers through regular communication over a
course, semester or school year. While in-class writing tasks likely make students
nervous, writing portfolio can minimize the distance between the students and the
teachers (Luu, 2010). Ngoh (2002), as cited in Luu (2010) supported that portfolio
writing can create a positive learning atmosphere along with a high learning
stimulation.
Research findings suggested that keeping writing portfolio improves
students‟ writing ability. For example, in Indonesia, Wafa, Siafei & Riyono (2010),
as cited in Geoffrey, Karen, Peter (2013) investigated the effect of writing portfolio
on 38 10th grade EFL students at SMA NI Jekulo Kudus. They wanted to know
whether there is significance progress in students‟ writing ability after keeping
writing portfolio. The instruments used in their experiment are pre-test, post-test
and students‟ writing portfolio. The results indicated that students‟ scores increased
by writing portfolio. It encouraged students‟ imagination and also helped to enrich
their vocabulary. Students were more excited to express their thoughts, feelings and
much less afraid when they make mistakes. They gave conclusions that overall
students‟ writing ability is improved. Portfolios as effective tools made a significant
contribution to the students‟ writing improvement. However, the limitation of the
study was that students still have difficulties with grammar and vocabulary.
Similarly, to figure out whether writing portfolio enhanced students‟ writing
skill and whether it promotes students‟ writing attitudes, Luu (2010) conducted a
study on 85 second-year university students who take a writing class. The study
mainly focused on students‟ writing proficiency level in terms of fluency and
accuracy. The experimental group kept writing portfolio as inside class as well as
outside class activities whereas the control wrote normal essays only. The pre-test‟s
and post-test‟s results revealed that the experimental group show more writing
accuracy compared to the control. Also, the writing fluency of the experimental
8

group was higher than the control group. Writing portfolio as an extensive activity
boosted students‟ writing skill and their motivation.
These previous researchers showed the undeniable benefits of keeping
writing portfolio that other inside class learning tools infrequently do. It enabled
students to write regularly in order that they can build writing habit. Lagan (2000),
as cited in Ali (2017) wrote about the merits of writing portfolio: “Portfolio writing
will help you get into the habit of thinking on paper and show you how ideas can be
explored in the process of writing. A portfolio can make writing a familiar part of
your life and can serve as a continuing source of ideas for papers.” Charles (2005),
as cited in Maryam, Mohd (2013) pointed out that the major advantages of the
writing portfolio scheme were to increase students‟ positive attitudes and their
interest towards English writing. Luu (2010) considered writing portfolio as one
type of creative writing that can help students brainstorm ideas and write more
competently and accurately. What is more, many other researchers found positive
connections between regularly writing and the development of fluency (Casanave,
2011; Cowler, 2010; Liao & Wong, 2007; Piazza, 2003).

9


CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY
1. Participants
The study is limited to investigate “the students‟ perceptions towards the use
of writing portfolio in writing learning” to the second – year English majors at
Hanoi Pedagogical University 2. Therefore, 60 EFL students from K43 Class at
Faculty of Foreign Languages were chosen to participate in the study. Most of their
writing proficiency is average and they have learned English for 10 years at least.
2. Data collection instruments
Data was collected by two main instruments: survey questionnaire and
interviews.

2.1. Survey questionnaire
2.1.1. Reasons for using Questionnaire:
This study used questionnaire to collect the data in quantitative form which
focuses “rigorous quantitative analysis” (Kothari, 2004). He said that questionnaire
is not only practical but also can be carried out by the researcher or by any number
of people. Large amounts of information can be collected from a large number of
people in a short period of time and in a relatively cost effective way. The results of
the questionnaires can usually be quickly and easily quantified by the researcher
and can be analyzed more scientifically and objectively than other forms of
research.
2.1.2. Description of questionnaire
Survey questionnaire consists of 22 questions which were divided into three
main parts.
In part I, students‟ perceptions towards writing, the students were asked
about their general information.
In part II, there were questions about the perceptions towards students‟
writing learning. The students were asked about such information as: their writing
process, difficulties in writing learning.
In part III, students‟ perceptions towards the use of writing portfolio in
writing learning, there were 2 groups of questions:

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Group 1, questions from 2 to 10, for those who have kept writing portfolio to
learning writing, students gave some their opinions towards the use of writing
portfolio.
Group 2, questions 11 and 12, for those have not used portfolio entries,
participants gave the reason why they did not use writing portfolio in writing
learning.

2.2. Interviews
2.2.1. Reasons for using Interview
This study also investigated perceptions of some students when using writing
portfolio in writing learning. Therefore, it employed interviews to understand some
such information as: changes of emotions, behavior and feelings. Moreover,
interviews could obtain “in-depth information” (Amin Marwat, 2010) about a topic.
The researcher could “enter into the inner world” (Amin Marwat, 2010) of others..
In other words, the researcher could “enter into the inner world” (Amin Marwat,
2010) of others.
2.2.2. Description of interview
Students were asked to answer a number of questions about the perceptions
towards their writing learning and the use of writing portfolio in writing learning.
Semi-structured interview was employed to clarify the students‟ perceptions
towards the use of wring portfolio. Semi-structured interviews could obtain “more
specific information” which could not gathered by using survey questionnaire.
There were 10 interview questions.
Three first questions, the interviewed students were asked about their
frequency of English writing practice, difficulties in English writing practice and
what aspect of writing they focused on most when practice writing.
The following questions were divided into two groups of questions:
Group 1, questions from 5 to 8, for those who have kept writing portfolio to
learning writing, students gave some their opinions towards the use of writing
portfolio.
Group 2, questions 9 and 10, for those have not used writing portfolio,
participants gave the reason why they did not use writing portfolio in writing
learning
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The answers were note-taken and discussed.

3. The procedure of data collection
At the beginning of April 2019, survey questionnaires were delivered to 60
students of K43 at FFL, HPU2. The instructions were also given to help the
respondents give objective answers. Students circled one appropriate alternatives
and ticked () the appropriate boxes for closed-questions. That was to survey
students‟ perceptions towards their writing learning and towards the use of writing
portfolio in writing learning.
Then, in order to have a deeper understanding and further data, twenty
students were asked to answer a number of questions in semi-structured interviews.
Finally, all survey questionnaires and note-taken interview answers were
gathered carefully for later analysis.

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CHAPTER III: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

This part will summarize the results of the study about the perceptions of
second-year English-majored students towards the use of writing portfolio in
writing learning (at Faculty of Foreign Languages, Hanoi Pedagogical University
2).
The results will be organized and analyzed in 2 parts: Students‟ perceptions
towards their writing learning before using writing portfolio and Students‟
perceptions towards the use of writing portfolio in writing learning.
1. Students’ perceptions towards their writing learning.
On being asked about their writing scores at last writing course, 5% students
claimed that their writing scores were in range from 3 to 5. Another 55 % students
said that they got mark 6 or 8 at last writing course. The other 40% students said
that they got mark between 8.5 and 10. It means that most of their writing
competency is good. When they were asked about the importance of learning

writing, 100% students appreciated the importance of learning writing. Below are
details of their perceptions towards their writing learning before using portfolio
entries.
1.1 Students’ frequency of English writing practice
8%

8%

12%

Everyday
Once a week
Twice a week

22%

50%

Once a month
Twice a month

Figure 1: Students’ frequency of English writing practice
As for the question “How often do you practice writing English?”, the
majority of surveyed students (50%) practiced writing in English once a week.
Meanwhile, almost a quarter of participants (22%) answered that they wrote English
twice a week. 12% students said that they practiced writing once a month. The
13


proportions of students practiced writing every day and twice a month are the same

(8%).
On being interviewed, the majority of students said that they practiced
writing English once a week due to their laziness. Some of them admitted that they
were not interested in writing. That was the reason why they just practiced writing
once a week. 13 out of the students said that they wrote English twice a week
because they had to finish teacher‟s assignment. 7 other students answered that they
practiced writing for the only purpose of preparing for writing test or taking an
exam. That was the reason why they just wrote English once or twice a month.
1.2 Students’ time spent on practicing writing English
5%

Approximately
15 minutes

Approximately 1 hour

23%

Approximately 30
minutes

72%

Figure 2: Students’ time spent on practicing writing English
On being asked the question “How much time do you spend when you write
English?” a significant majority of students (72%) spent approximately an hour
writing English. Whereas, almost a quarter (23%) answered that they wrote English
approximately half an hour. The rest (5%) spent 15 minutes learning writing each
time.
As said before, writing skill is regarded as the most challenged skill in four

English skills. Students need to spend much time to enhance their writing
proficiency in terms of Task response, Grammar, Organization and Vocabulary. In
addition, the process of writing is complex and requires a lot of time. Besides, the
surveyed students began learning to write academic essays in this term. That
explained why most of the students spent approximately an hour to write English.

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1.3 Writing steps that students follow when practicing writing English
60

53

50

41

40

47

44

38

30

30

20

20

22
16

10

2

0

Figure 3: Writing steps that students follow when practicing writing English
According to descriptive statistic in Figure 3, students mainly followed some
steps including Choose the topic, Make an outline, Find sample writings, Read what
you have written again and Brainstorm vocabulary. The other steps, Make first
draft, Edit draft, Ask friends/ teacher for ideas, Generate ideas by yourself,
accounted for smaller proportions in students‟ writing process.
In writing process, following basic steps as said before is essential. “Make
first draft, Edit draft, Ask friends/ teacher for ideas, Generate ideas by yourself”
steps were not followed by most of the students because students often found
sample writings to copy ideas and sometimes chose some structures that they
supposed to be good for their writings. As a result, they even did not need to make
the first draft or edit their drafts before writing.
1.4 Students’ ranks of writing aspects to be focused when writing
1st place

2nd place

3rd place

4th place

Task response

45%

10%

10%

35%

Grammar

12%

26%

41%

21%

Organization

32%

33%

20%

15%

Vocabulary

11%

27%

33%

29%

Table 1: Students’ ranks of writing aspects to be focused when writing
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