Developing EFL Third Graders' Self-Regulatory Writing Skills through the Use of an E-portfolio

Abstract

This mixed-methods study explored the effects of an e-portfolio on EFL (English as Foreign Language) third graders’ self-regulatory writing skills when writing short stories. The study analyzed the influence that the implementation of the writing process approach had on students’ short narrative compositions and how learners used different self-regulatory writing skills. 23 students between 8 and 9 years at a private bilingual institution in Bogota, participated in the study. Data were collected through: diagnostic tests, students’ artifacts, checklists, and questionnaires about learners’ perceptions on their writing self-efficacy, and the use of an e portfolio; these were analyzed using the grounded theory method. The results showed that the process writing approach and the use of the self-regulation cycle improved students’ writing compositions considering that the tasks developed were appropriate for students’ cognitive and affective dimensions. In addition, students also improved their writing self-efficacy perception in performance, observational comparison, social feedback and physiological states when writing in English. Finally, the study concluded that the use of writing correction symbols increased students’ awareness of different aspects of writing such as mechanics, grammar competence, vocabulary, rhetorical structure, and paragraph structure.