VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN VÂN NGUYỆT
USING WRITING PORTFOLIOS TO IMPROVE GRADE 10TH
STUDENTS’ WRITING SKILL- AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT
IN A HIGH SCHOOL IN HADONG DISTRICT
(SỬ DỤNG TẬP HỒ SƠ ĐỂ CẢI THIỆN KĨ NĂNG VIẾT CHO HỌC SINH LỚP
10- NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG PHỔ THÔNG Ở
HÀ ĐÔNG )
MA. MINOR THESIS
Field: English Teaching Methodology
Code: 8045041.01
Hanoi – 2020
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN VÂN NGUYỆT
USING WRITING PORTFOLIOS TO IMPROVE GRADE 10TH
STUDENTS’ WRITING SKILL- AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT
IN A HIGH SCHOOL IN HA DONG DISTRICT
(SỬ DỤNG TẬP HỒ SƠ ĐỂ CẢI THIỆN KĨ NĂNG VIẾT CHO HỌC SINH LỚP
10- NGHIÊN CỨU HÀNH ĐỘNG TẠI MỘT TRƯỜNG PHỔ THÔNG Ở
HÀ ĐÔNG )
MA. MINOR THESIS
Field: EnglishTeaching Methodology
Code: 8045041.01
Supervisor: Dr. Vũ Thị Thanh Nhã
Hanoi – 2020
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DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP
I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report
entitled "Using writing portfolios to improve grade 10th students’writing skill- An
action research project in a high school in Ha Dong disstrict" submitted in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts at Post- graduate
Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National
University of Hanoi. I confirm that I cited all references in the study. Except where
the reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without due
acknowledgement in the text of the thesis.
Hanoi, 2020
Nguyễn Vân Nguyệt
Approved by
SUPERVISOR
(Signature and full name)
Dr. Vũ Thị Thanh Nhã
Date:...............................................
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This thesis could not have been completed without the help and support from
a number of people.
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Vu
Thi Thanh Nha, my supervisor, who has patiently and constantly supported me
through the stages of the study, and whose stimulating ideas, expertise, and
suggestions have inspired me greatly through my growth as an academic researcher.
Next, I wish to take this opportunity to express my special thanks to all
lectures and the staff of Department of Post- Graduate Studies at University of
Languages and International Studies, Hanoi, for their inspiring lectures and
suggestions for the topic of my study. My appreciation and gratitude are also
extended for the teachers and students from class 10 D1 at Tran Hung Dao High
School in Ha Dong for their active participation in my research.
Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my family, my husband and my
children for the sacrifice they have devoted to the fulfillment of this academic work.
iii
ABSTRACT
This research investigates the problems in teaching and learning writing skill
at a high school in Ha Dong district and the implementation of writing portfolios to
improve students’ writing skill. It aims to find out how teachers can use writing
portfolios to improve grade 10th students’ writing skill and students’ attitudes
towards the implementation of writing portfolios in class. Three cycles of action
research was conducted with a class of thirty six students, and the data were
collected using questionnaires, teaching diaries, students’ portfolios and interviews.
The findings indicated students lacked time for practising the skill, had poor
background knowledge including lexical- grammar and idea limitations, and low
motivation. The application of writing portfolios has helped students improve their
writing performance in task achievement, coherence and cohesion, lexical resource
and grammatical range and accuracy. At the end of the project, most of the
participants expressed a strong consensus that writing portfolios not only had
positive impacts on their writing skills but also created a positive attitude towards
the subject English.