Portfolio in the EFL Writing Classroom: Students' Perspectives

Abstract

This study investigated the benefits of keeping portfolios on improving English writing skills among English major students in Hebron University. It also examined if there are differences in students' attitudes towards keeping portfolios due to gender. The sample of the study consisted of 55 male and female students of two sections (The first section is selected as a control group and the second is an experimental group) of an undergraduate Writing II course offered by the English Department in the second semester of the academic year 2014/2015. A pre-questionnaire and a post-questionnaire consisting of twenty statements following a five-point Likert scale were used. The findings revealed that there are statistically significant differences in students' attitudes between the control group and the experimental group favoring the experimental group. However, there is no statistically significant difference in students' attitudes in the post-questionnaire within the experimental group due to gender. Moreover, the results of the study lent support to the findings of the previous studies where the students found the portfolio-keeping process as motivating and a worthwhile experience.