CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This chapter will present the background of the study, the purpose of the study, the

research questions, the significance of the study, and the definitions of the key terms.

1. The Background of the Study

The political-influenced, standardized English test implementation seems to lead teachers to practice one-shot activity of teaching writing, as the researcher observed and experienced in the research site. In such teaching, the students writing assignment is considered to be a test. Teachers dont give students

feedback. So they dont know whether their works need correction or editing. In this regard, process approaches to ESL/EFL writing suggest that it is unnatural for a learner to write a draft of composition and submit for a grade (Cohen, 2001: 534). Furthermore one-shot activity of teaching writing makes students less engaged and not socially active. Students have limited chance to edit their work or to do peer assessment as well as to do self-reflection on what has been done and plan what to do for better learning. This is in contrast with constructivism theory, which proposes learning through social interaction. Constructivism as it defined,
"is the philosophy, or belief, that learners create their own knowledge based on interactions with their environment including their interactions with other people" (Draper, 2002, p. 522).

As a matter of fact, standardized testing has been long considered to be unreliable to estimate students knowledge and performance. (Permana, 2012). In line with this, Paris argues that,
The pattern of growing disillusionment, decreased motivation, and detachment from a commitment to academic learning because of accountability through standardized testing threatens childrens orientation to learning and education. New forms of assessment that are sensitive to students background, motivation, affect, and attitudes most be created so that students are positively motivated to do their best. New forms of assessment must establish intrinsic goals of mastery, improvement, and success rather than extrinsic comparative goals based on test scores. New forms of assessment should involve students so that they respect the test purposes, content, and format. Assessment should elicit productive strategies and positive motivation so that students can maximize their performance (Paris in Permana, 2012, p.2)

Better ways of methods and assessment is very important in teaching writing particularly in order to get students engagement in teaching and learning process. Encouraging students to actively-engaged in learning is in line with the core objective of teacher development, the improvement of student learning. (Guskey, 2002) Through this classroom action research, the researcher endeavors to enhance practical knowledge and make improvement in his practice. (Reason & Bradbury, 2001: 1-2 ). Whereas Farrell (2008) says:
There is a longstanding recognition in the field of language
education that teachers must continually reshape their knowledge of teaching and learning Reflective practice occurs when teachers consciously take on the role of reflective practitioner, subject their own beliefs about teaching and learning to critical analysis, take full responsibility for their actions in the classroom, and continue to improve their teaching practice

Although writing skill is frequently reported to be neglected in Indonesian school. (Alwasilah, 2007), there is an increase attention to writing among researchers and practitioners worldwide. Many researchers agree that writing can

develops critical thinking which is in line with soft-skill needed in respond to the demand of 21st century work and life (Emilia, 2002). Regarding the important of writing, portfolio hopefully would be part of the solutions. As the method of teaching English writing has been shifting from traditional way of the end product to the process of creating writing, (Tabatabaei & Assefi: 2012) there are new ways of assessment which have been developed. Among all the procedures of performance assessment, Portfolio Assessment has been the most popular being used in education of all levels. (Mitchell in Thomas et al. 2005). According to Gosselin (1998) an ongoing assessment is a learning process which examines and document students progress at a certain intervals. The main objectives of portfolio assessment are encouraging students to become more autonomous, take the control of their learning, make decisions, participate in the evaluation of their own work and solve the problem they may face, individually. Active involvement of the learners in assessing their performance will enable them gain ownership of their learning (Chen, 2008). Khodadady (2012) conducted an experimental study on writing portfolio assessment. The study indicated that the experimental group got significantly higher score than the control group on writing task.(F=58.235, df=1, p<.000). In addition, another experimental study conducted by Tabatabaei & Assefi (2012) on Iranian College students suggested a writing portfolio assessment to improve students writing ability. The experimental group underwent the treatment of portfolio assessment while the control group received the traditional approach of

writing assessment. The result of statistical analysis indicated that the students in experimental group outperformed the students in control group. In a Case Study of Second-Grade Students in Bandung, Ekawati (2006) investigated the accomplishment of portfolio in classroom use, which was considered to empower the students in their learning process. By spreading questionnaires, doing interviews, and having observations on 31 respondents1 teacher and 30 students, the collected and analyzed data showed that specific steps were accomplished to make portfolio assessment possible to implement for reaching optimal assessment. Moreover, the data shows that portfolio assessment can truly empower the students in three domains: social, cognitive and psychological factors. These empowerments are remarkably derived from students effort as they are engaged in portfolio assessment. Based on the problem above, the researcher is very keen on doing classroom action research on implementing portfolio assessment for teaching writing. The researcher will investigate how portfolio assessment enhance writing ability and students engagement.

2. The Purpose of the Study In this classroom action research, the researcher will investigate whether implementation of portfolio assessment can demonstrate that the assessment enhance writing achievement and students engagement.

3. The Research Questions

The specific research questions addressed in this paper are as follows: a. How can the e-portfolio assessment improve the writing achievement? b. How is e-portfolio assessment implemented in teaching writing in the research site? 1. How can the portfolio assessment draw students engagement in learning? 2. What is/are the students barrier(s) towards the implementation of portfolio assessment

4. The Significance of the Study This study is expected to have some advantages for those involved in teaching and learning English, particularly for practice and theory, to follow Emilia (2008:30) 1. For teachers (Practical) a. Teachers of EFL in Indonesia will get inspiration to improve students motivation through the implementation of portfolio assessment. Therefore more teachers will take this into their practice as EFL teachers. This is in line with Reasons and Bradburys (2001, pp. 1-2) statement about the objective of Action Research:
to generate and enhance practical knowledge which is useful for the community to carry out their daily activities. The wider purpose is to enhance their prosperity through their practical knowledge and contribute to the development of political, social, psychological, economic life of everyone and the community.

b. Teachers of EFL in Indonesia will implement this in line with their duty to apply the Indonesian current-curriculum, the School-based Curriculum in which portfolio assessment is recommended. As a

matter of fact, portfolio assessment has been recommended by Indonesian government since 2004. Furthermore, it is also

recommended in the coming curriculum, the 2013 Curriculum (Depdikbud, 2012). 2. For Theory Development (Theoretical) a. The result of the study provides references for practitioners who need improvement in teaching and learning quality. b. Apart from the importance of portfolio assessment in Indonesian context, only a few studies are on EFL teaching writing for secondary schools.

5. The Limitation of the study This study will be effective in a well-equipped school, since e-portfolio assessment will use media. In addition the teacher should understand what and how to implement e-portfolio assessment.

6. The Definition of the Key Terms 6.1 Portfolio Assessment Portfolio is defined as a systematic collection of student work and related material that depicts a students activities, accomplishments, and achievements in one or more school subjects. In order to help students assemble portfolios that illustrated their talents, represent their writing capabilities, and tell their stories of school achievement, the collection should include evidence of student reflection

and self-evaluation, guidelines for selecting the portfolio contents, and criteria for judging the quality of the work (Venn, 2000, pp.530-531). 6.2 E-Portfolio Basically, e-portfolio assessment is the digital form of portfolio assessment. E-portfolio means using computer in building a portfolio. It also refers to the learning process assessments, the works collection, or the complete dossier on students learning. (Ngan & Li, 2011)

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter consists of some aspects dealing with the related literature review. They are theories of writing, teaching writing, portfolio assessment and e-portfolio assessment.

2.1 Theory of writing Helda Tan (2008), explains the meaning of writing in terms of the rhetorical triangle. This triangle consists of the reader, the recipient of the final product of the writing process; the writer, the originator of the message; and the subject matter and text itself. In support of this idea, the writer and the reader have to consider all these aspects when writing and reading, respectively, for each one plays a significant role in the journey towards meaning. However, the definition of writing which seems to have the most relevance to this study is the one involving creative writing. This kind of writing seems to emphasize the role of the discovery of self, as opposed to the discovery of meaning, in process writing. It is also different from that which emphasizes audience, writer and text because it is focused more on getting ideas written down on paper, without burdening oneself especially with the thought of who is going to read the final product of ones writing (see Tan,2008).

In our ideal situation, it is also one which is closest in definition to writing done by children, which is focused more towards the expression of oneself, without much regard to how the reader would view the writing product or text.

2.2 Theory of the teaching of writing As it stated in the Introduction, the previous chapter, seeing that writing is a process, we can not simplify that written language is merely the graphic presentation of spoken language (see Brown,2001,335). Writing is more complex than transcribing. Therefore, writing pedagogy is required. Hedge (2005) states that writing is more than producing accurate and complete sentences and phrases. She claims that writing is about guiding students to: produce whole pieces of communication, to link and develop information, ideas, or arguments for a particular reader or a group of readers (2005,10). Therefore effective writing requires several things: a high degree of organization regarding the development and structuring of ideas, information and arguments. Furthermore, Hedge mentions features such as: a high degree of accuracy, complex grammar devices, a careful choice of vocabulary and sentence structures in order to create style, tone and information appropriate for the readers of ones written text (2005, 7). All these points make the teaching of writing a complex matter, since all this should be taken into consideration for efficient learning of writing strategies.

2.3 Portfolio Assessment

Portfolio assessment has been developed since education revolution about two decades ago. In regard of teaching writing and assessment, a portfolio can be defined as a collection of texts the writer has produced over a defined period of time (Hamp-Lyons, 1991, p. 262) and the collection may consist of selected but not necessarily polished or finished pieces (Privette, 1993, p. 60). To emphasize the fundamentally developmental character of a valid portfolio system, Yancey (1992) set forth the following principles and features: 1. A portfolio is a collection of work, but it is a collection that is a subset of a larger archive. Theoretically, the archive is the whole of a students work, but more practically and more frequently, it is a subset of writing completed in a class, a program, and a school. 2. The process by which the subset is created is one of selection, which is the second principle of portfolios. How entries are selected varies according to the rhetorical situation contextualizing the portfolio. 3. A third principle is reflection, the process by which a student explains his or her learning. 4. A fourth principle is communication, in the sense that the writing portfolio, like any portfolio, will communicate something about the writer, about what he or she values ,about the context in which the writer has worked, and so on.

2.5 Previous Research Portfolio is a powerful device not only for assessment but also for teaching strategy. It can be regarded as an improvement for students writing skills as well

10

as their confidence and motivation. A number of issues are thought to be correlated with the use of portfolio and portfolio based learning. Some examples include students interest, management of time and resources, collaboration with other students as well as with the teachers, etc. (Niami, 2008). In the present

paper, the reasons of using portfolio-based learning in teaching writing are investigated. It is hypothesized that using portfolio-based learning in teaching writing, will improve students ability writing descriptive text. The following five literature reviews attempt to demonstrate and support this hypothesis. Tabatabaei (2012) argued that portfolio has a good effect on writing performance. The experimental group received the treatment i.e. portfolio

assessment while the control group underwent the traditional approach of writing assessment. The result of statistical analysis indicated that the students in experimental group outperformed the students in control group in their writing performance and its sub-skills of focus, elaboration, organization, conventions and vocabulary. The findings suggest that portfolio assessment technique improves writing ability of the students. The results have also some implications for assessment, teaching and learning of L2 writing. Khodadady (2012) found that portfolio assessment enhance writing ability and autonomy. The result of statistical analysis indicated that the students in experimental group outperformed the students in control group in their writing performance and its sub-skills of focus, elaboration, organization, conventions and vocabulary. The findings suggest that portfolio assessment technique improves writing ability of the students. The results have also some implications for

11

assessment, teaching and learning of L2 writing

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CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research methods applied in the research such as the research site and participant, research design, research schedule, research procedures, instruments of the research and data analysis method.

3.1 Research Site and Participants The site of this research will be SMPN 1 Cianjur. This secondary school will be determined purposively for some considerations, i.e.: (1) the investigator has been teaching at this school for three years. It is hoped that this will facilitate the investigator to get access easily to the research site. This therefore will increase the feasibility to the study. The investigator is familiar with the students (in which they are the participants of the study). Alwasilah (2000:201) states that the investigator who needs the participants, not vice versa, so the investigator has to establish a good relationship with the participants. (2) In this site, English portfolio assessment has never been applied properly by the English teacher in teaching of writing. The subjects of this research will be the eighth grade students of SMPN 1 Cianjur in the 2013/2014 Academic Year. There are eight classes of the eighth grade at SMPN 1 Cianjur. Among those eight classes, one class will be chosen as

13

the participant, Class 8A. The rationale of the participant will based on the school documents and observation of their attitude towards English lesson.

3.2 Research Design This research will be an attempt to improve the eighth grade students writing achievement through e-portfolio assessment. Accordingly the classroom action research with the cycle model will be applied in this research. This design will be done in the 8th grade of SMPN 1 Cianjur. As for the term of action research, Elliot (1991:69) defines it as the study of a social situation with a view to improving the quality of action within it. An action research is a form of self- reflective enquiry undertaken by participants in social, including educational situation, in order to improve the rationally and justice of (1) their own social or educational practices, (2) their understanding of these practices, (3) the situations in which the practices are carried out. Kemmis and McTaggart (1988:42). Within the paradigm of critical theory, action research is used as a form of investigation that enables classroom educators to critically examine issues of interest in the context of their classrooms in an attempt to improve their own practice (Rossouw: 2008). Consequently, classroom action research is intended to solve a specific problem in the classroom, for example a problems encountered by the students. In classroom action research, the researcher will cycle models based on the model of Elliot (1991, 70) in which each cycle covers four stages of activities: the

14

planning of the action, the implementation of the action, classroom observation, and the reflection of the action. The action given to the subjects is portfolio assessment. The design of this action research is illustrated in the following diagram:

Preliminary study Interview Fact-finding Initial problem Identification

Revising some necessary aspects

The result does not achieve the target of mean score

Planning Choosing topic Construct lesson plan Construct writing test Construct observation guide, etc.

Implementing Teaching writing through portfolios

Observation
Observe students participation in teaching learning through portfolios

Reflecting Analisis Reflection

The cycle is stopped Reporting the result

The result has achieved the target of mean score

Figure 3.1 : The Design of the Classroom Action Research (Adapted from Lewin, in Elliot, 1991:70)

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The activities of the research, as an adapted from Lewis in Elliot (1991) use the following procedures: 1. Finding out some documents to gain the supporting data to know: a. What is the perception teacher and students perception on Portfolio Assessment. b. What is the mean score of the students previous writing achievement. 2. Finding out the class as the subject of the research that has the most complex problem in writing. Koshy (2005) states in Planning stage of an action research, researchers should make their aims clear and initiate a literature or document search to start making notes. 3. Planning the actions (constructing the lesson plan for the first cycle) 4. Introducing E-Portfolio Assessment and Moodle software, in which the portfolio will occur virtually. 5. Implementing the first cycle by teaching writing with portfolio assessment. action is done in 10 meeting (10 x 90 minutes).. 6. Monitoring the action by observing the subjects participation in conducting portfolio-based learning. This is done by the teacher while the researcher conducting the action. 7. Asking for essay writing as multiple draft of descriptive text, to the subjects in the first cycle. 8. Conducting in class reflection, and having student put the product into a showcase.

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9. Analyzing the results of writing draft quantitatively, then classified the result qualitatively based on the classification of the score levels. 10. Reflecting the results of the observation and writing achievement of the students of the first cycle. 11. If the result of the writing test in the first cycle has not fulfilled the standards mean score requirement, the lesson plans of the first cycle will be revised. 12. Constructing the lesson plan for the second cycle by revising the lesson plans of the first cycle, mainly dealing with the teaching technique and changing text type into Recount text. 13. Implementing the action in the second cycle by implementing portfolio assessment 14. In this step, the researcher will implement portfolio assessment, which consists of five steps, which will be last for 6 meetings (6 x 90 minutes) 15. Analyzing the results of writing draft quantitatively, then classified the result qualitatively based on the classification of the score levels 16. Conducting in class reflection, and having student put the product into a showcase. 17. Reflecting the results of the observation and writing achievement of the students of the second cycle. 18. Reflecting the results of the observation and writing draft the second cycle. 19. Constructing the lesson plan for the third cycle by revising the lesson plans of the first cycle, mainly dealing with the teaching technique and text type remains Recount text.

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20. In this step, the researcher will implement portfolio assessment, which consists of five steps, which will be last for 4 meetings (4 x 90 minutes) 21. Analyzing the results of writing draft quantitatively, then classified the result qualitatively based on the classification of the score levels 22. Conducting in class reflection, and having student put the product into a showcase. 23. Reflecting the results of the observation and writing achievement of the students of the third cycle. 24. Reflecting the results of the observation and writing draft the third cycle. 25. Drawing a conclusion to answer the research problem.

3.3 Research Schedule The researcher will conduct this research at the first semester of the eighth grade students (8A) of SMPN 1 Cianjur in the 2013/2014 Academic Year. The planning of the research schedule is as follows: First Cycle Lesson Plan I, Introduction of e-portfolio assessment Introduction of Moodle Pre Writing Conferencing Writing The First Draft Self/peer assessment The Second Draft Analyzed the data (if the results of the students average score fulfill the good score category the research is stopped)

July the second week July the third week July the fourth week July the fifth week

August the first week

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Second Cycle September the first week September the second week September the third week Lesson Plan II The Third Draft The Fourth Draft Fifth Draft Analyzed the data (if the results of the students average score fulfill the good score category the research is stopped)
Third Cycle

August the third week August the fourth week September the first week

Lesson Plan III The Sixth Draft The Seventh Draft Analyzed the data (if the results of the students average score fulfill the good score category the research is stopped)

3.4

Research Procedures This research will be conducted in three cycles, each of which covers four

stages of activities, namely: (1) the planning of the action, (2) the implementation of the action, (3) class observation or monitoring and evaluation, (4) reflection of the action. The actions given to the subjects will be teaching writing through portfolios. The action of the second cycle will be done by revising the actions (the teaching technique) of the first cycle. If the results of the first draft analysis in the second cycle achieves the standard mean score requirement, the action cycle will be stopped. The details of the research procedures will be presented in the following sentences.

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3.4.1 The planning of the Action As adapted from Lewis in Elliot (1991) before the implementation of the action in the class, the following activities will be prepared: a. Choosing the topics based on the genre taught to the first year students based on the 2006 School Based Curriculum, such as Friendship or Family Life. b. Constructing the lesson plans for the first cycle c. Constructing the lesson plans for the second cycle by revising the lesson plans on the first cycle. d. Constructing the lesson plans for the third cycle by revising the lesson plans on the second cycle. e. Preparing the materials for the students exercises of writing through portfolios. f. Preparing the observation guide in each meeting in the form of checklist containing the students participation in the teaching and learning process of writing.

3.4.2

The Implementation of the Action In the implementation of this Action Research, there will be four steps of

every cycle. The cyclical inquiry of the Action Research involves planning, acting, observing and reflecting, and then, as a result, re-planning, further action, further observation and further reflection. (Rossouw: 2008).

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After the planning of the action, the researcher will implement the action in the class, that is portfolio assessment in teaching writing. This action will be conducted in three cycles, in which each cycle will have four activities, namely the planning of the action, the implementation of the action, class observation, and the reflection of the action. They will be done during the school hours. The implementation of the action in the first cycle will be based on lesson plan 1. The doer of the action will be the researcher. In the teaching of writing, the researcher in lesson plan 1 will explain the technique of portfolio, including the steps of completing portfolios. The researcher also will give an example of completing portfolios related to the topic. Then the researcher will ask the students to do the exercises of writing. After finishing writing assignment as multiple draft of their composition, the students will be asked to edit and revise each others work in triple. Next, the researcher will assign the students to write another writing assignment as multiple draft for a final draft. For the exercises of writing in the first cycle, the researcher will not give any feedback to the students composition. The researcher will give the students to compose the final writing draft in 2 X 40 minutes. The researcher will ask the students to do the final writing draft individually. The second action cycle will be conducted if the result of the final writing draft in the first cycle does not fulfill the standard mean score requirement. It will be done based on the revised lesson plan 2. The lesson plan for the second cycle will be constructed by revising the lesson plan of the first cycle, that is by giving explanations on the students weaknesses or errors they have made in the first

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cycle. Before asking to compose the final writing test individually, the researcher will ask the students to do the writing exercises group consist of three people. Then, the students will do the final writing draft individually in 2 X 40 minutes. The third action cycle will be conducted if the result of the final writing draft in the second cycle does not fulfill the standard mean score requirement. It will be done based on the revised lesson plan 3. The lesson plan for the third cycle will be constructed by revising the lesson plan of the second cycle, that is by giving explanations on the students weaknesses or errors they have made in the second cycle. Before asking to compose the final writing test individually, the researcher will ask the students to do the writing exercises group consist of three people. Then, the students will do the final writing draft individually in 2 X 40 minutes. 3.4.3 Monitoring and Evaluation The class observation or monitoring will be conducted by the teacher when the teaching of writing using portfolios assessment in the first, the second cycle, and the third, which will be conducted by the researcher. Observation will be done twice in each cycle. Since this classroom action research will be conducted in three cycles, the observation guide (in the form of checklist) contains the indicators observed in the first, the second, and the third cycles. The researcher will divide the indicators to be observed into two parts: students participation in teaching learning process and the quality of feedback delivered in portfolios. The indicators of students participation during portfolios were as follows:

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a. b. c. d.

The students attention in the teaching learning process. The students answer to the teachers oral questions. The students response on questions addressed on portfolios workshop. The students response on the teachers explanation about descriptive and recount texts.

e.

The students response on the teachers explanation about portfolios. The students will be considered to be active students if they fulfill three of

all the indicators above. The indicators to be observed in order to know the feedback quality will be as follows: a. The quality of feedback content. b. The use of feedback to change their first draft into the better one. The result of observation in the first cycle will be used as the information to revise the lesson plans of the second cycle. Evaluation will be carried out to know whether the use of portfolios improve the students writing achievement. The evaluation that will be done in this action research will process evaluation and product evaluation. The process evaluation will be done by conducting observation in every meeting in each cycle during the teaching learning process of writing through portfolios. Temporarily, the product evaluation will be carried out at the end of each cycle in the form of writing draft after the action given. The success of the actions can be measured

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from the results of the writing draft (seen from the standard mean score requirement). The criteria used to evaluate the success of the action is that if the students achieve standard mean score minimally good score category ( 70) in achievement draft. 3.4.4 Reflection of the Action The phase of reflection will be conducted to reflect the results of the actions of the first, the second cycle, and the third. It will be intended to know whether the actions given were successful or not. The researcher and the teacher did the reflection of each cycle based on the results of observation and the results of final writing draft of each cycle. The result of observation in the first cycle will be reflected to inform the strengths and the weaknesses of the first cycle. The information will be, then, used as a guide to revise the lesson plan of the first cycle to produce the lesson plans for the second cycle. The result of observation in the second cycle will be also reflected to inform the result of the action in the second cycle. The result of observation in the second cycle will be reflected to inform the strengths and the weaknesses of the second cycle. The information will be, then, used as a guide to revise the lesson plan of the second cycle to produce the lesson plans for the third cycle. The result of observation in the third cycle will be also reflected to inform the result of the action in the third cycle.

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3.5.1. The teaching phase To be effective, the teaching phase which is taken for eleven weeks is arranged as shown in table 1. Table 1. The Teaching Phase in the classroom Week 1 Materials THE FIRST CYCLE BKOF Descriptive Text Introduction of E-Portfolio Assessment Introduction of Moodle, in which e-portfolio happens virtually. MoT Descriptive Text Paragraph Development : topic sentence Paragraph Development: supporting paragraphs by details, examples, time, and importance. The use of transitional is introduced. MoT Descriptive Text Free Writing The writing Process: Prewriting JCOT Descriptive Text The writing Process: Drafting 01 Activity Laboratory or class presentation

Ask and answer about the concept Pre Writing (generating ideas, Planning and organizing ideas) Conferencing Writing First Draft Self Assessment Peer Assessment Conferencing Revising Self Assessment Peer Assessment Conferencing Revising Publishing (put the final draft into portfolio) Self Assessment Peer Assessment Conferencing Revising Self Assessment Peer Assessment

JCOT Descriptive Text IOT Descriptive Text The writing Process: Drafting 02 In Class Review

ANALIZING REFLECTION OF THE 1ST CYCLE THE SECOND CYCLE MOT Recount Text The writing Process: Drafting 03 JCOT Recount Text The writing Process: Drafting 04
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Conferencing Revising 8 JCOT Descriptive Text IOT Descriptive Text The writing Process: Drafting 05 In Class Review Self Assessment Peer Assessment Conferencing Revising Publishing (put the final draft into portfolio) Self Assessment Peer Assessment Conferencing Revising Self Assessment Peer Assessment Conferencing Revising Publishing (put the final draft into portfolio)

REFLECTION OF THE 2ND CYCLE THE THIRD CYCLE MOT Recount Text The writing Process: Drafting 06 JCOT Recount Text IOT Recount Text The writing Process: Drafting 07 In Class Review

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ANALIZING REFLECTION OF THE 3RD CYCLE

3.5 Instruments of the Research There will be two kinds of data in this research; they are primary data and supporting data. The primary data will be collected by using assignment (writing asignment) in each cycle and observation of the actions, while the supporting data will be collected through questionnaire. The following sections will discuss the methods used to collect the primary and the supporting data in this research. 3.5.1 Writing Assignment as Multiple Draft
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In this classroom action research, the writing assignment as multiple draft will be intended to measure the second grade year students writing achievement or progress after being taught by using portfolios in two cycles. An achievement test should measure the students mastery of what have been taught (but not necessarily what has actually been taught) (Heaton, 1990). The writing assignment as multiple draft, in this research, is given to the subjects in each cycle after the actions given by the researcher. If the score of the draft in first cycle does not achieve the standard mean score requirement in this research, the actions in the second cycle will be continued. Conversely, if the score of the writing assignment as multiple draft have achieved the standard mean score requirement, the actions are stopped. The material of the assignment in the first cycle will be different from those in the second cycle. The material of the writing assignment in the first cycle will be writing about news of our country in economic, social, disaster, and etc. It is consulted to syllabus and curriculum in order to fulfill the students competence. Dealing with the scoring system, the students writing will be evaluated analytically. Analytic method as a method of scoring, which requires a separate score for each of a number of aspects of a task is said to be analytic (Hughes, 1996). There are four aspects that will be scored analytically, they are grammar and word choice, text organization (genre), clarity of meaning, and ideas

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connection. The final score is gained by adding all aspects, which are then divided by four. The researcher will give the score of writing assignment as multiple draft the same scores guideline. The teacher sharing the scoring system of some points that will be necessary, such as, which one the errors that categorized as occasional and frequent. The researcher counts the sentences and the errors, then, classifies them into the appropriate criteria correction and gave the appropriate score. The scoring criteria of the students news item paragraph writing results are as follows: Table 3. The Writing Rubric (Hughes, 1989, pp-91-93) Aspect Grammar Description Few (if any) noticeable errors of grammars or word order. Some errors of grammar or word order which do not, however, interfere with comprehension. Errors of grammar or word order fairly frequent; occasional re-reading necessary for full comprehension Errors of grammar or word order frequent; efforts of interpretation sometimes required on reader's part. Errors of grammar or word order very frequent; reader often has to rely on own interpretation. Errors of grammar or word order so severe as to make comprehension virtually impossible. Vocabulary Use of vocabulary and idiom rarely (if at all) distinguishable from that of educated native writer. Occasionally uses inappropriate terms or relies on circumlocutions; expression of ideas hardly impaired. Score 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5

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Uses wrong or inappropriate words fairly frequently; expression of ideas may be limited because of inadequate vocabulary. Limited vocabulary and frequent errors clearly hinder expression of ideas. Vocabulary so limited and so frequently misused that reader must often rely on own interpretation. Vocabulary limitations so extreme as to make comprehension virtually impossible. Mechanics Few (if any) noticeable lapses in punctuation or spelling. Occasional lapses in punctuation or spelling which do not, however, interfere with comprehension. Errors in punctuation or spelling fairly frequent; occasional re-reading necessary for full comprehension Frequent errors in spelling or punctuation; lead sometimes to obscurity. Errors in spelling or punctuation so frequent that reader must often rely on own interpretation. Errors in spelling or punctuation so severe as to make comprehension virtually impossible. Fluency Choice of structures and vocabulary consistently appropriate; like that of educated native writer. Occasional lack of consistency in choice of structures and vocabulary which does not, however, impair overall ease of communication. Patchy, with some structures or vocabulary items noticeably inappropriate to general style. Structures or vocabulary items sometimes not only inappropriate but also misused; little sense of ease of communication.

3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5

4 3

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Communication often impaired by completely inappropriate or misused structures or vocabulary items' A 'hotch-potch of half-learned misused structures and vocabulary items rendering communication almost impossible. Form Highly organized; clear progression of ideas well (Organization) linked; like educated native writer, Material well organized; links could occasionally be clearer but communication not impaired.

6 5

Some lack of organization; re-reading required for clarification of ideas. Little or no attempt at connectivity, though reader can deduce some organization Individual ideas may be clear, but very difficult to deduce connection between them. Lack of organization so severe that communication is seriously impaired.

4 3 2 1

SCORE: Gram:___+Voc:___+ Mech: ___+ Flu:___ +Form,:____ = ___________ As the scores gained from the analytic scoring rubric, the next analysis especially in comparing the result of the first draft and the next draft. Basically, the result from the following draft can give a general interpretation of the progress made if any. However, it will be more comprehensive to gain more detailed expressions to find out to what aspect of writing (grammar, vocabulary, mechanics, fluency, or organization). Table 5. Scenario for more detailed analysis of the writing aspects

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Name Group

of Aspect writing Grammar Vocabulary Mechanics Fluency Organization

of T1

T2

Progress (t-test)

Experimental

A D G J M P

b e h k n q

c f i l o r

Total

In regard to the above scenario, the present study will not only compare p & q, but also will compare a & b, d & e, g & h, j & k, and m & n. It is expected that from this analysis, students progress in each aspect could be explained. Therefore, if things are going to the desired outcomes, there will be a possibility to infer that Portfolio Assessment contributes in improving students writing skill generally, and in particular what aspect it improves can be traced. Another issue to address is deciding the persons for marking the students compositions due to reliability. Since the composition can be categorized as subjective, its reliability can be measured by calculating the reliability of the marking which is done by several ways such as inter-rater reliability, intra-rater reliability, etc. (Wang, 2009).

3.5.2 The Online Activity

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All students online-activities will be considered as homework. Students are introduced to access the home page of Moodle in which the activities of portfolio will take place. All students have to visit it regularly since assignment and announcement will be posted there. See Table 2 to know how Moodle is utilize. Table 2. How Moodle is utilized (Adopted from Nagatomo, 2006) Modules Graded Activity Assignment * Essays, Paragraphs Journal * Weekly writing Topics Forum Weekly discussion topics Choice Something fun for students to do Web link Links to sites of interest/study Chat * Viewed only by the teacher Always available for students Fluency Self Study Fluency Fluency Fluency Supplementary Activity Academic Focus Accuracy

3.5.3 Questionnaires In addition to student texts and online activities, the data will also be gained from questionnaires. In the present study, the questionnaires will be used

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to find out students perceptions about portfolio assessment being carried out to follow Marshall & Rossman (2006: 125). According to them, questionnaires is undertaken in order to find out the characteristics, attitudes, or beliefs distribution. 3.5.4 Interview Guide The interviews will be aimed to investigate students perception about portfolio assessment. The interview is given after the accomplishment of all topic. According to Kvale (1996), through interviews you try to understand something from the subjects point of view and to uncover the meaning of their experiences. Interviews allow people to convey to others a situation from their own perspective and in their own words

3.5.5 Observational Sheet The observation will be done directly to collect data on how the teachers conduct English class by use of portfolio assessment and Moodle. On the

observation sheets, students activities as well as incidents, event and other matters will be recorded. There are two kinds of observations: participant observation and stimulant observation. Participant observation means that an observer participates in the activities of getting the data. Meanwhile, in stimulant observation, an observer can stimulate the respondents to give the information or data that would be taken. In this research, participants observation will be used since the researcher participates in the teaching learning process and cooperated with the teacher as the collaborator. This observation will be intended to know the students participation

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during the teaching of writing through portfolios. The observation will be done four times since each cycle is conducted twice. An observation guide in the form of checklist will be used when observing the class. The checklist contains the indicators being observed covering the students participation during portfolios. This action research is successful if 75% of the students are actively involved in the teaching learning process of writing through portfolios.

3.6 Data Analysis As mentioned above, the present study will examine four types of data; i.e. data from questionnaire, interview, observation and writing draft composition. Data from questionnaires will be analyzed quantitatively to find out about; how the portfolio assessment for teaching writing in English to Junior High School support the learning and teaching process to enhance writing achievement. The respondents will be the students and English teacher. This questionnaire will be about the content, what how portfolio assessment is. In this classroom action research, the primary data (writing drafts) will be analyzed quantitatively. The researcher will use the average score of the students writing test results in order to know the students writing achievement, the formula to find the mean score is as follows:

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M=

Note: M x N

= Mean Score = the total score of the students writing test = Total number of the students (subjects) (Adapted from Best, in Faisal, 1982: 258)

Next, the quantitative data above are classified qualitatively based on the standard mean score. The research is successful if the results achieve standard mean score that is 70. Briefly, the steps in analyzing the data are as follows: a. Scoring the results of the writing test in each cycle. b. Analyzing the results of the writing test in each cycle quantitatively by using the formula above to find the mean score. c. Classifying the results of data analysis in each cycle qualitatively based on the standard mean score. d. Reflecting the results of the writing achievement test through portfolios descriptively in each cycle and reflecting the results of class observation in each cycle. It is done by discussion between the teacher and the researcher.

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REFERENCE Alwasilah, A.C. (2007). Language, culture, and education: a portrait of contemporary Indonesia. Bandung: CV Andira Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy 2nd Edition. New York: Longman Cohen, A. D. 2001. Second language assessment. In M. Celce-Murcia (ed.), Teaching English as a Second Language. Boston: Heinle & Heinle. 513534. Depdikbud. (2012). Pengembangan Kurikulum 2013. Jakarta: Depdikbud. Draper, R. J. (2002). School mathematics reform, constructivism, and literacy: A case for literacy instruction in the reform-oriented math classroom. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 45(6), 520-529. Ekawati, Dian, (2006). Empowering students through the implementation of Portfolio Assessment (a case study of the second-grade students of SMUN 8 Bandung. Indonesian University Education. Unpublished thesis. Elliot, J. (1991). Action Research for educational change. Bristol: Open University Press. Emilia, E. (2002). Teaching writing developing critical learners. Bandung: Rizki Press. Farrell, T. S. C. (2007). Reflective language teaching: From research to practice. London: Continuum Press. Tabatabaei, O., Farzaneh, A. (2012). The effect of Portfolio Assessment technique on writing performance of EFL learners. English Language Teaching. 5

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Gosselin, Linda A. (1998). Is Ongoing Assessment Fully Learner-Centered? Adventures in Assessment, Vol. 11. Guskey, T.R. (2002). Professional development and teacher change. Teacher and Teaching: theory and practice, 8,3. pp. 381-391 Ngan, M-Y., Li,K-M. (2011). Implementation of E-portfolio assessment in Hong Kong: preliminary findings. Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Computers in Education, Chiang Mai, Thailand: Asia-Pasific Society for Computers in Education Hamp-Lyons, L. & Condon, W. 2000. Assessing the Portfolio: Principles for Practice, Theory, and Research. New Jersey: Hampton Press. Hamp-Lyons, L., & Kroll, B. (1996). Issues in ESL writing assessment: An overview. College ESL, 6, 52-72 Hedge, T. (2005). Writing. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hughes, A. (1989). Testing for language teacher. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kemmis, S. & McTaggart, R. (eds). (1988). The Action Research Planner. Deakin University, Australia: Deakin University press. Khodadady, Ferdowsi. (2012). The effect of Portfolio and Self Assessment on writing ability and autonomy. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, Vol. 3, No. 3. pp. 518-524 Kvale, Steinar. (1996). Interviews: an introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing. Thousand Oaks California. Sage Publications. Niami, M. (2008). The impact of writing portfolios on improving the process of writing research papers. Islamic Azad University. Unpublished thesis

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Permana, Sudarya. (2012). Empowering EFL students through portfolio-based writing instruction. Indonesia University of Education. Unpublished dissertation. Privette, L. M. (1993). The empty space. In K. Gill (Ed.), Process and portfolios in writing instruction (pp. 60-62). Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. Reason, P., & Bradbury, H. (Eds.) (2001). Handbook of action research. London: Sage. Richards & Renandya. (2002). Methodology in language teaching: an anthology of current practice. New York. Cambridge University Press. Rossouw, D. (2009). Educators as action researchers: some key considerations. South African Journal of Education 29. pp. 1-16 Tan, H. (2008). Writing Worldpress:OwnWebblog. in the Field of English Teaching .

Thomas, C. at al. (2005). Portfolio assessment: a guide for teachers and administrators. National Forum of Educational Administration and Supervision Journal 3,4. pp. 1-8. Venn, J. J. (2000). Assessing students with special needs (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Yancey, K. B. (1992). Portfolios in the writing classroom. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. Reason, P. & Bradbury, H., (Ed.). (2001). The SAGE Handbook of Action Research. Participative Inquiry and Practice. 1st Edition. London: Sage.

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IMPLEMENTATION OF E-PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT TO IMPROVE THE STUDENTS WRITING ACHIEVEMENT Classroom Action Research in the Eighth Grade Students of SMPN1 Cianjur

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

ENDANG KOMARA 1204682

ENGLISH EDUCATION PROGRAM SPS UNIVERSITAS PENDIDIKAN INDONESIA BANDUNG 2012

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TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER I INTODUCTION 1.1 The Background of the Study........................................... 1.2 The Purpose of the Study.................................................. 1.3 The Research Question..................................................... 1.4 The Significance of the Study........................................... 1.5 The Limitation of the Study.............................................. 1.6 The Definition of the Key Term....................................... CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Theory of Writing.......................................................... Theory of Teaching Writing.......................................... Portfolio Assessment..................................................... Previous Findings.......................................................... Research Design............................................................ Site and Research Schedule........................................... Subject of the Research................................................. Research Procedure....................................................... 6 7 8 9 17 20 22 23 1 3 4 4 5 6

CHAPTER III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

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This study will be two-month action research project. According to Carr and Kemmis (1986:165), action research aims at improvement in three areas: (1) the improvement of a practice, (2) the improvement of the understanding of the practice by its practitioners, and (3) the improvement of the situation in which the practice take place. Carr W & Kemmis S 1986. Becoming critical: Education, knowledge and action research. London: The Falmer Press.
Draper, R. J. (2002). School mathematics reform, constructivism, and literacy: A case for literacy instruction in the reform-oriented math classroom. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 45(6), 520-529.

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APPROVAL

Title

Implementation of E-Portfolio Assessment to Improve The Students Writing Achievement

Dr. Emi Emilia, M.Ed.

Supervisor

Signed

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Therefore, a change of assessment paradigm is called for (Hamp-Lyons & Condon, 2000). In addition, Hyland states that
Portfolio in ESL writing context are a response to testing situations which ask students to produce a single piece of timed writing with no choice of topic and no opportunities for revisions, seriously disadvantaging L2 writers who often require much longer to perform such tasks. In contrast, portfolio evaluation effects the practice of most writing courses where students use readings and other sources of information as a basis for writing and revise and resubmit their assignment afer receiving feedback from teachers or peers.

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