Writing Symposium 2018, Göttingen, Almanya, 5 - 06 Nisan 2018, ss.30-31
Students´ Voices Regarding Writing Portfolios
Portfolio assessment is becoming a more common type of assessment in writing
programs since no other assessment approach promotes reforms in the teacher’s role,
student learning and the assessment process as effectively as portfolios (Brown &
Hudson, 1998). Students’ opinions regarding writing portfolios have received a lot of
attention in second language classrooms as a portfolio of student work can allow
students to develop ownership of their learning and can encourage self-analysis as
they reflect on their work (Wortham, 1998; Trotman, 2004; Grabe & Kaplan, 1996;
Genesee & Upshur, 1996). The aim of the current small-scale teacher research was
to investigate the beliefs of the 21 elementary level students regarding the writing
portfolios used in a state university in central Turkey. The open ended questionnaire
included questions on issues such as the implementation of portfolio assessment, the
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assigned value of portfolios in the overall grades of students, and the effects of portfolio
assessment on students’ writing abilities and performance. The data was color coded
and analyzed using theme analysis in qualitative research. The findings indicate the
importance of reflective practice for language learners on the use of writing portfolios to be better cater the needs of the students in writing classes.