VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES *************************** TRẦN THỊ PHƯƠNG THẢO A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF USING PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT ON ENGLISH READING COMPREHENSION ABILITY OF THE FIRST - YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HA NAM TEACHERS’ TRAINING COLLEGE NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA VIỆC SỬ DỤNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP ĐÁNH GIÁ TUYỂN TẬP BÀI LÀM ĐỐI VỚI KHẢ NĂNG ĐỌC HIỂU TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN CHUYÊN NGÀNH TIẾNG ANH NĂM THỨ NHẤT TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG SƯ PHẠM HÀ NAM M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Hanoi, 2014 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES *************************** TRẦN THỊ PHƯƠNG THẢO A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF USING PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT ON ENGLISH READING COMPREHENSION ABILITY OF THE FIRST - YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HA NAM TEACHERS’ TRAINING COLLEGE NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA VIỆC SỬ DỤNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP ĐÁNH GIÁ TUYỂN TẬP BÀI LÀM ĐỐI VỚI KHẢ NĂNG ĐỌC HIỂU TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN CHUYÊN NGÀNH TIẾNG ANH NĂM THỨ NHẤT TRƯỜNG CAO ĐẲNG SƯ PHẠM HÀ NAM M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr. Trần Thị Tuyết Hanoi, 2014 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “A study on the impact of using portfolio assessment on English reading comprehension ability of the first year English major students at Ha Nam Teachers’ Training College” is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of Arts at University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, and that this thesis has not been submitted for any other degrees.
Signature: Trần Thị Phương Thảo Date: October 25th, 2014 i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The study could not have been fulfilled without the help, encouragement and support of a number of people. First and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Ms. Tran Thi Tuyet for her never – ending support and valuable guidance during this process. I have appreciated her continual encouragement, challenging questions and constructive advice, without which this thesis would not have been completed.
Second, I would like to take the chance to express my great attitude to our teachers at the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies of Vietnam National University, University of Languages and International Studies for providing is with the precious knowledge from their practical and helpful lectures. Besides, I greatly appreciate my colleagues and the participants in my research because of their generosity in giving me time and suggestion. My gratitude also goes to the authors of the books and articles listed in the sources of the references. Finally, I wish to thank my family, without whose love and support this study could hardly become a reality.
ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of portfolio assessment on English reading comprehension ability of English major students at Ha Nam Teachers’ Training College. Participants consisted of 30 first year English major students. The portfolio assessment was integrated into classroom activities to explore to what extent the student’s English reading comprehension ability may be enhanced. Both quantitative and qualitative procedures were used for data collection and analysis.
Data were obtained through four channels: a questionnaire with students, an interview with teacher, students’ portfolios and classroom observation. The results indicated that most of students and the teacher were in favour of portfolio assessment of reading and its procedures boosted students’ reading comprehension and raised their self – assessment and learner autonomy as well. If portfolio assessment is planned carefully, it will become a powerful tool for assessing and enhancing students’ learning. iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LISTS OF TABLES NAME OF TABLES Table 1: Differences between traditional assessment and alternative assessment Table 2: Design of portfolio assessment Table 3: Week plan for portfolio assessment classroom procedures Table 4: Portfolio rating scale Table 5: Suggested questions for students’ reflections Table 6: Material evaluation checklist Table 7: The impact of teacher’s immediate feedback and group discussion Table 8: Students’ views on their self – assessment skills Table 9: The role of portfolio as a learning and assessment tool Table 10: The role of portfolio assessment in promoting learner autonomy iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration ………………………………………………………………….
i Acknowledge………………………………………………………………… ii Abstract……………………………………………………………………… iii List of tables…………………………………………………………….…… iv Table of content……………………………………………………………………… v PART A: INTRODUCTION………………………………………………. Objectives, research questions, and scope of the study…………………. Methods of the study………………………………………………………. Structure of the study……………………………………………………….
3 PART B: DEVELOPMENT……………………………………………………… 4 Chapter 1: Literature review……………………………………………………. Definition of reading comprehension………………………………. Reasons for assessing students’ reading comprehension……………. Definition of portfolio…………………………………….
Types of portfolio…………………………………………. Research on portfolio assessment……………………………. Reasons for using portfolio assessment……………………… 12 1. Stages of portfolio assessment implementation……………… 13 Chapter 2: Methodology…………………………………………………….
Teaching reading to first year English major students……………. Applying portfolio assessment in HTTC context…………………. 18 v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. 24 Chapter 3: Findings and discussion……………………………………….
Data analysis results……………………………………………………. Data collected from classroom observation ……………………… 25 3. Data collected from students’ reflections and final feedback…… 25 3. Data collected from students’ questionnaire……………………… 30 3.
The impact of teacher’s intermediate feedback and group 31 discussion…………………………………………………………. Students’ views on their self – assessment skills………. The role of portfolio as a learning and assessment tool… 32 3. The role of portfolio assessment in promoting learner autonomy…………………………………………………………… 32 3.
Data collected from teacher’s interview…………………………… 33 3. Discussion of findings…………………………………………………… 34 3. Students’ perception on portfolio assessment………………… 34 3. The impact of using portfolio assessment on students’ reading 34 comprehension ability……………………………………………….
The possibility of applying portfolio assessment in reading 36 courses in HTTC………………………………………………………. Summary of the study………………………………………………………. Limitations and suggestions for further studies…………………………… 39 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………. 40 APPENDICES Appendix 1: Design of portfolio assessment………………………………… I vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com Appendix 2: A week plan for classroom portfolio procedures……………….
II Appendix 3: Portfolio rating scale……………………………………………. IV Appendix 4: Suggested questions for students’ reflections…………………. VI Appendix 5: Material evaluation checklist…………………………………… VII Appendix 6: Questionnaire for students (English version)…………………. VIII Appendix 7: Questionnaire for students (Vietnamese version)……………… X Appendix 8: Teacher’s interview…………………………………………….
XII Appendix 9: Students’ reflections…………………………………………… XIII vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART A: INTRODUCTION This part presents rationale of the study, objectives of the study, research questions, scope of the study, methods of the study and structure of the study. Rationale Assessment is an integral part of any educational process promising beneficial backwash effects on the syllabus, materials and teaching (Tomlinson, 2005). Along with the recent developments in science, society and educational measurements, instructional and assessment practices become “holistic, student centered, performance based, process oriented, integrated and multidimensional” (Gottlieb, 1995, p. This is accounted for by the concerns to the traditional assessments, which typically fail to assess higher order cognitive skills and other skills essential for functioning in school (Haney & Madaus, 1989).
In addition, the traditional methods such as tests are seen as particularly irrelevant to learning process (Moya & O’Malley, 1994) and “as dark clouds hanging over learner’s heads, upsetting them with thunderous anxiety” (Brown, 1994, p. Therefore, researchers have sought alternative forms of student assessment that are able to solve the above problems. One of the most effective types of alternative assessments is portfolio assessment. Portfolios have proved useful in providing effective feedback to both teachers and learners, enhancing responsibility towards learning and bringing positive attitudes (Yang, 2003; De Fina, 1992).
Moreover, they can be used to facilitate the learning process, encourage learner autonomy and raise learners’ awareness about learning strategies (Moore, 1994; Banfi, 2003; Yang, 2003). In spite of the significance of portfolio assessment in instruction and learning, little research has been done concerning the use of portfolios with college students in an EFL environment. Additionally, this method has not been applied in evaluating the reading skills of the first - year English major students at Ha Nam Teachers’ Training College (HTTC), where the author works. For the above-mentioned reasons, the researcher would like to carry out the following research: “A study on the impact of using portfolio assessment on English 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com reading comprehension ability of the first- year English major students at Ha Nam Teachers’ Training College” 2.
Objectives of the Study 2. Objectives This study was designed to evaluate the influence of using portfolio as an assessment instrument on English reading comprehension ability of the first - year English major students at HTTC. Specifically, the research has three objectives. Firstly, it aims at examining the student’s attitude towards portfolio assessment.
Secondly, it investigates the extent of impact of using portfolio assessment on students’ reading comprehension ability. Lastly, it identifies the feasibility of applying portfolio assessment in reading courses in HTTC. Research Questions Based on the objectives of the study, this study sought to answer the following three major questions: (1) What do students think about portfolio assessment? (2) To what extent does portfolio assessment enhance student’s reading comprehension ability? (3) To what extent is it feasible to apply portfolio assessment in reading courses in HTTC? 2. Scope of the Study As the title suggests, the study was carried out on a group of 30 first - year English majors at HTTC to examine the effectiveness of applying portfolio as a tool of assessment.
Finally, due to time constraints, my research targeted only at the impact of portfolio assessment on students’ reading comprehension ability. Methods of the Study The study involved both qualitative and quantitative method. In order to achieve the above aims, the techniques employed to support this investigation included student portfolios, a questionnaire for students, an interview to teacher and classroom observation. 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Structure of the Study The thesis was organized into three parts. Part A: is the introduction which provides an overview of the study, including the rationale, the objectives, the methods and the structure of the study. Part B, the development, is the main part with three chapters. Chapter 1 conceptualizes the issues and theories of reading comprehension, reasons for reading comprehension, assessment approaches and portfolio assessment.
The main focus of chapter 2 is methodology, which deals with the actual procedures of the study, including instruments for data collection and analysis. Chapter 3 presents the findings and discussions from the study. The last part of the study summarizes main points discussed in the thesis and mentions to limitation and suggestions for further studies. 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter outlines and reviews literature and theories underlying this study which discusses (1) reading comprehension, (2) reasons for assessing reading comprehension, (3) assessment approaches and (4) portfolio assessment.
Definition of Reading Comprehension Reading comprehension plays an important role in teaching and learning reading a foreign language.35) defines “reading comprehension as a process of simultaneously extracting and constructing meaning through interaction and involvement with written language”. With the same view, Grellet (1999, p.3) considers that reading comprehension is “understanding a written text meaning extracting the required information from it as efficiently as possible”. Meanwhile, both Lee and Vanpatten (1995) and Anderson and Pearson (1984) agree that comprehension is the process of relating new or incoming information to information already stored in memory. Readers can connect the new information on the printed page with their existing knowledge when they critically evaluate the ideas conveyed in the text.
Although the above opinions are not exactly the same, there is a common point that reading comprehension is a process in which the readers try to recognize the graphic form and understand the relation between the writing and the meaning. Reasons for Assessing Students’ Reading Comprehension Students’ reading comprehension is often assessed for some following reasons.