All Theses, Dissertations, and Capstone Projects
Year of Award
1991
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College
College of Arts & Sciences
Department
Other
First Advisor
John Deichmann
Keywords
writing instruction, higher education, composition, rewriting, assessment, research, experimental classrooms
Abstract
The present study focused on the effects of portfolio-based instruction in the composition classroom on college freshmen's final examination scores, course grades, and attitudes toward writing. The experimental and control groups each consisted of five freshman composition classes on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University during the Spring 1991 semester. Pre- and post-measures of students' attitudes toward writing were obtained. Students in both the experimental and control groups sat for a common final examination which consisted of two impromptu essays. The researcher investigated the effect of two types of instruction (portfolio-based and traditional process approach) on composition students' course grades and final examination scores. No evidence was found to indicate that a significant relationship exists between the type of instruction students received and these two outcomes measures. In addition, students' course grades and final examination scores were not found to vary depending upon their post-attitudes toward writing. Nor did the researcher find an interaction between the type of instruction the students received and their post-attitudes toward writing. Students' pre-attitudes toward writing were found to vary with their post-attitudes toward writing. After statistically controlling for students' pre-attitudes toward writing, students' post-attitudes toward writing were not found, to vary based upon the type of instruction they received in their composition courses. However, the researcher did find a significant relationship between the final independent evaluation of students' portfolios and their course grades and final examination scores.
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Blattner, Nancy, "The Effect of Portfolio-Based Instruction on Composition Students' Final Examination Scores, Course Grades, and Attitudes Toward Writing" (1991). All Theses, Dissertations, and Capstone Projects. 158.
https://griffinshare.fontbonne.edu/all-etds/158
Comments
Originally published as Nancy Westrich Baker