The effects of portfolio assessment on writing of EFL students

Abstract

The study clearly aims to measure the effects of portfolio assessment on EFL students' writing skills. Given the critical need for effective language skills in academic and professional contexts, this study examines the effects of portfolio assessment on EFL students' writing. Portfolios are suggested like alternative and practical educative process which led writing skill monitoring. Applying portfolios for writing skills development is not just to improve it in a creative manner but students also improve writing skills in an introspective manner. Teacher who is commanded to apply topics that promote an introspective analyzes. Several times, students do not develop writing skill due to lack of content to write; to sum up students also have an emotional block in the linguistic composition. The observations about planning activities and the teachers-students interviews in the Unidad Educativa Santa Teresita set this assessment basis in this study with a qualitative method. Teachers applies techniques such as interviews, observations and document analysis like writing tasks. This method assemble data to analyze students’ works and this data is useful for the formative assessment and its process. Furthermore, the outcomes are fundamental in the student’s analysis. Teachers can explain the improvement in writing skills as an academic process using portfolio. An important amount of 85% participants verified raised writing autonomy, meanwhile 78% of teachers noticed raised understanding of student needs. Lastly, the study leads to educational theory by illustrating how portfolio assessments can substitute traditional test methods, focusing on progressive feedback and personalized instruction. This creative approach not only make rich students’ learning involvement but furthermore foster teachers to modify their pedagogical strategies to improve assistance in EFL writing in the students. The study points up the relevance of combining metacognitive strategies into language learning, deal with the best way of evaluation in writing skills that teachers can apply.