MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY -------- ∞0∞-------- LE THI HUYEN TRANG THE EFFECT OF E-PORTFOLIOS ON WRITING LEARNING OUTCOMES OF 10TH GRADERS AT A MOUNTAINOUS HIGH SCHOOL IN DUC LINH MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL HO CHI MINH CITY, 2023 MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY -------- ∞0∞-------- LE THI HUYEN TRANG THE EFFECT OF E-PORTFOLIOS ON WRITING LEARNING OUTCOMES OF 10TH GRADERS AT A MOUNTAINOUS HIGH SCHOOL IN DUC LINH Major: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Major code: 8 14 01 11 MASTER OF ARTS IN TESOL Supervisor: NGUYEN THI XUAN LAN, PhD HO CHI MINH CITY, 2023 TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC MỞ CỘNG HÒA XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM THÀNH PHỐ HỒ CHÍ MINH Độc lập – Tự do – Hạnh phúc KHOA ĐÀO TẠO SAU ĐẠI HỌC GIẤY XÁC NHẬN Tôi tên là: Lê Thị Huyền Trang Ngày sinh: 09/06/1988 Nơi sinh: Bình Thuận Chuyên ngành: Lý luận và phương pháp giảng dạy bộ môn Tiếng Anh Mã học viên: 1981401111025 Tôi đồng ý cung cấp toàn văn thông tin luận án/ luận văn tốt nghiệp hợp lệ về bản quyền cho Thư viện trường đại học Mở Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh. Thư viện trường đại học Mở Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh sẽ kết nối toàn văn thông tin luận án/ luận văn tốt nghiệp vào hệ thống thông tin khoa học của Sở Khoa học và Công nghệ Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh. Ký tên Lê Thị Huyền Trang CỘNG HÒA XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM 4Í7 Độc lập - Tự do - Hạnh phúc Ý KIÉN CHO PHÉP BẢO VỆ LUẬN VĂN THẠC sĩ CỦA GIẢNG VIÊN HƯỚNG DẪN Giảng viên hướng dẫn: Tiến sĩ Nguyễn Thị Xuân Lan Học viên thực hiện: Lê Thị Huyền Trang Lớp: MTESOLOÍ9A Ngày sinh: 09/6/1988 Nơi sinh: Bình Thuận Tên đề tài: The Effect of E-portfolios on Writing Learning Outcomes of 10th Graders at a Mountainous High school in Duc Linh Ý kiến của giáo viên hướng dẫn về việc cho phép học viên: Lê Thị Huyền Trang được bảo vệ luận văn trước Hội đồng:. Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, ngày thảng năm 20ẦỈ.
Người nhận xét i Statement of authorship I thus certify that the thesis “The Effect of E-portfolios on Writing Learning Outcomes of 10th Graders at a Mountainous High school in Duc Linh” is my own work. Except for the reference, the paper contains no previously published materials or materials drawn in whole or in part from a thesis for which I have applied or received another degree or diploma. In the thesis, no other person's work is mentioned without acknowledgment. The thesis has not been submitted for any other academic institution’s degrees.
Ho Chi Minh City, June 2023 LE THI HUYEN TRANG ii Acknowledgment I would like to show my gratitude to everyone who has helped and supported me as I attempted to finish my thesis. First and foremost, I am grateful for my supervisor, Dr Nguyen Thi Xuan Lan, who has always spent time helping me and supporting me with valuable insights and critical advice although she is extremely busy. This thesis would not have been finished without her actively engaging and advice throughout the process. She not only assisted me in completing the study, but she also encouraged me to persevere in the face of adversity while performing the research.
Second, I owe a debt of gratitude to all of the instructors in the master's courses I took. Their lectures and sharing aided me at every stage of the thesis, from beginning to end. Third, I would like to express my gratitude to my MTESOL019 classmates and coworkers. Their encouragement and support were critical in allowing me to finish my thesis.
Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to my most incredible father and husband. Without their never-ending love and support, none of this would have been possible. iii Tóm tắt Nghiên cứu này được thực hiện với mục đích điều tra tác động của E- portfolio đến kết quả học kỹ năng Viết của học sinh và đánh giá thái độ của họ đối với việc tích hợp E-portfolio trong các lớp học kỹ năng Viết. Nghiên cứu sử dụng một thiết kế thử nghiệm liên quan đến 76 học sinh lớp 10 tại trường một trường miền núi ở Duc Linh được chia thành hai nhóm: đối chứng và thực nghiệm.
Nghiên cứu này áp dụng phương pháp kết hợp đinh lượng và định tính. Việc thu thập dữ liệu định lượng bao gồm đánh giá trước và sau kiểm tra, cùng với việc sử dụng bảng câu hỏi và phỏng vấn làm công cụ nghiên cứu cho việc thu thập dữ liệu định tính. Việc phân tích kết quả kiểm tra và phản hồi của học sinh cho thấy sự cải thiện đáng kể trong kết quả học kỹ năng Viết, cùng với thái độ hoàn toàn tích cực đối với E- portfolio của học sinh. Các kết quả tìm thấy gợi ý rằng các giáo viên tiếng Anh nên xem xét việc kết hợp E-portfolio vào việc hướng dẫn học sinh học kỹ năng Viết bởi vì những cải tiến được quan sát về độ chính xác và trôi chảy của bài viết, cũng như phản hồi tích cực của học sinh.
Nghiên cứu này góp phần hiểu biết về việc triển khai E-portfolio để nâng cao chất lượng dạy viết tiếng Anh như một ngoại ngữ (EFL), đặc biệt là ở các trường trung học phổ thông miền núi. Từ khoá: E-portfolios, writing accuracy, writing fluency, attitude, high school students, EFL writing iv Abstract This study aimed to investigate the impact of E-portfolios on students' writing learning outcomes and assess their attitudes towards the integration of E- portfolios in writing classes. The research employed an experimental design involving 76 10th-grade students at a mounatinous high school in Duc Linh who were divided into two groups: control and experimental. This study utilized the mix- method.
Quantitative data collection involved pre-test and post-test assessments, along with the utilization of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews as study instruments for qualitative data. The analysis of test results and students’ responses revealed a significant improvement in writing learning outcomes, accompanied by entirely positive attitudes towards E-portfolios among the students. The findings suggest that English teachers should consider incorporating E-portfolios into their writing instruction due to the observed enhancements in writing accuracy and fluency, as well as the students' favorable feedback. This research contributes to the understanding of implementing E-portfolios to enhance the quality of teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing, especially in mountainous high school settings.
Keywords: E-portfolios, writing accuracy, writing fluency, attitude, high school students, EFL writing v Table of contents Statement of authorship. iv Table of contents. v Lists of tables. vii Lists of figures.
viii List of abbreviation. ix CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION .2 Statement of the problems .5 Significance of the research .6 Scope of the study .7 Outline of the study .9 CHAPTER 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW .1 Learning and teaching writing skills .1 Learning writing skills .2 Teaching writing skills .2 E-portfolios and their characteristics .3 The benefits of E-portfolios. Challenges of E-portfolios .6 Summary of Chapter 2.2 Research site and participants .4 Data collection procedures .6 Reliability and validity of the instruments .7 Summary of Chapter 3. 47 CHAPTER 4 – FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION .1 Writing test results .1 Pre-test and post-test results of the Control group .2 Pre-test and post-test results of the Experimental group .3 The pre-test results of the Control group and Experimental group .4 The post-test results of the Control group and Experimental group .2 Students’ attitudes towards the application of E-portfolios in learning writing skills .1 The contributions of E-portfolios in writing via Classroom .2 Students’ attitudes toward the writing lessons with the application of E-portfolios.1 Students’ perceptions of the contribution of E-portfolios in learning writing skills.2 Students’ attitudes towards the use of E-portfolios in learning writing .3 Student’s opinions about problems and comments on using E-portfolios for writing activities.5 Summary of Chapter 4.
72 CHAPTER 5 – CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .2 Contributions of the study .1 Implications for students .2 Implications for teachers .4 Limitations and recommendations for further research.5 Summary of Chapter 5. 89 vii Lists of tables Table 3.1 Teaching activities in two groups.2 The summary of data collection procedures .3 Reliability of questionnaire .1 Descriptive Statistics of CG's Pre-test and Post-test .2 Test of Normality for the CG’s pre-test and post-test scores .3 Results of paired sample test for CG’s pre-test and post-test……….4 Descriptive Statistics of EG's Pre-test and Post-test…………………….5 Test of Normality for the EG’s pre-test and post-test scores .6 Results of paired sample test for EG’s pre-test and post-test .7 Descriptive Statistics of the CG and EG's Pre-test Scores……………….8 Results of Independent Samples t-test for writing pre-test scores……….9 Descriptive Statistics of CG and EG's post-test scores……………………52 Table 4.10 Results of Independent Samples t-test for writing post-test scores .11 Results of the overall scores .12 Results of Independent Samples t-test for writing accuracy and writing fluency in pre-test…………………………………………………….13 Results of Independent Samples t-test for writing accuracy and writing fluency in post-test ….14 Results of paired sample test for CG’s writing accuracy and writing fluency in pre-test and post-test…………………………………….15 Results of paired sample test for EG’s writing accuracy and writing fluency in pre-test and post-test………………………………………….16 Descriptive statistics of the clusters in the questionnaire……………. The frequency statistics of the contributions of E-portfolios in writing (percentage) ………………………………………………………………………. The frequency statistics of students’ attitudes toward writing lessons with the application of E-portfolios (percentage)…………….…61 viii Lists of figures Figure 2.1 Stages of process writing approach.2 The E-portfolios process as “Plan-Do-Review” cycle .3 The E-portfolio in writing conceptual framework……………….1 The interface of students’ writing E-portfolios .2 Teacher’s and students’ giving feedback .1 Normal Q-Q Plots for CG’s pre-test and post-test .2 Normal Q-Q Plots for EG’s pre-test and post-test……………….50 ix List of abbreviation EFL: English as a Foreign Language IT: Information Technology 1 CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION This chapter provides the background to the study, which was conducted at a mountainous high school in Duc Linh from January to April 2022.
The study’s goals are to determine the impact of E-portfolios on writing learning outcomes and students’ attitudes toward using them in learning writing. Background information, a statement of problems, study objectives, and research questions are all included in the first chapter. The chapter concludes with a summary of the study’s significance, as well as an outline of the current study’s five chapters.1 Study background The relevance of English as a lingua franca, which bridges the gap in people’s mother tongues from varied socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, has attracted much attention from academics due to the setting of globalization. Global language education has expanded as a result of the demand for English for business and travel.
Seeing the importance of globalization in education, the Vietnamese government has paid great attention to innovating English teaching methods to bring better results, create a progressive learning environment and master the language ability. English as a foreign language (EFL) instruction and learning are highly valued by the Vietnamese government. Initiated in 2008, the 2020 Foreign Language Project seeks to enhance Vietnamese foreign language teaching and learning (Vietnamese government, 2008). It is essential to help students reach level 3, or level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in the 2020 Project in all four skills – Reading, Speaking, Listening and Writing.
However, there are still specific challenges to mastering language structures and linguistic abilities in English (Harmer, 2011). Teaching EFL writing in Vietnam, particularly in high schools, is challenging due to the government's mandates and the value of writing, which forces English instructors to explore more effective teaching approaches.