Developing writing skills based on writing portfolio in German as a foreign language - An empirical study for portfolio work

Oct 15, 2026

German as a Foreign Language Education uses portfolios for planning learners’ writing processes and improving writing skills through feedback, review, and control. This empirical study examines how portfolio work within a writing course supports students’ writing success, using students’ opinions as evidence. The sample includes 39 first-year German Language Teaching students at Trakya University (2022–2023). A phenomenological qualitative design employs semi-structured interviews and content analysis.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

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Abstract

Introduction

African Educational Research Journal Vol. 11(4), pp. 571-579, October 2023 DOI: 10. 30918/AERJ.114.23.097 ISSN: 2354-2160 Full Length Research Paper Developing writing skills based on writing portfolio in German as a foreign language: An empirical study for portfolio work Selma Akol Göktaş Department of Foreign Languages Education, Faculty of Education, Trakya University, Edirne, Türkiye. 10 October, 2023 | ABSTRACT
In German as a Foreign Language Education, portfolios are used for different purposes. One of the most common areas of portfolio use is ‘writing portfolios’, which are prepared by instructors to plan students' writing processes and improve their writing skills by giving feedback, regular review and control. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the functionality of the portfolio work carried out within the scope of the writing course and its effect on writing success by receiving the opinions of the students. The study group of this research consists of 39 students who studied in the first year of the German Language Teaching Department of Education Faculty at Trakya University in the academic year 2022-2023. Since it was thought to be the most appropriate research method for the purpose of the study, the phenomenological research design, which is a qualitative research method, was preferred. In the study, a semi-structured interview form containing 4 questions was created by the researcher and used as a data collection tool. The study aimed to assess students' perspectives on various aspects, including the impact of their portfolio work in the writing course on their writing habits and achievements, feedback received, and the types of texts they composed for their portfolios. The obtained interview data were analyzed with content analysis which is a qualitative method for data analysis. According to the study findings, students were positively influenced by the portfolio assignments in general and expressed their desire for the constant implementation of this approach.
Keywords: Portfolio work, writing skills, German education, writing success. | | --- | | *Corresponding author. E-mail: [selmaakol@trakya. edu.tr](selmaakol@trakya. edu.tr). | INTRODUCTION Writing is one of the four basic language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) in foreign language education. Writing skill, which is a type of skill that the student should pursue actively and productively in German as a Foreign Language course, also affects other language skills. Writing is writing down what one knows, transferring the information, thoughts and experiences in one's head in writing (Dehn, 2005; Schreiter, 2002) . Students who write in German as a foreign language also create their own texts and can write freely about themselves creatively (Kast, 1999) . Writing also influences other language skills. In this context, productive and receptive skills should be seen as interdependent and partly simultaneous (Krumm, 2001) . For this reason, in order to master a foreign language, all four basic language skills should be developed. It is a known fact that these four language skills develop in interaction with each other (Arslan Çavuşoğlu and Tepebaşılı, 2020) . To effectively teach German as a foreign language, it's essential to employ diverse methods, techniques, and materials while tailoring them to the specific lessons. In this regard, staying updated with contemporary innovations is crucial (Rösler, 2012; Çelikkaya and Balkaya, 2020) . In foreign language teaching, the development of writing skills is influenced by various factors, including individual differences (Kasap, 2021) . To enhance these skills, different methods are employed, one of which involves the creation of a writing portfolio, a comprehensive and time-consuming process. Within this writing portfolio, Afr Educ Res J 572 students compile a range of texts that are then reviewed by their teachers. This innovative approach complements tradi

FAQs

What is the purpose of using writing portfolios in German as a Foreign Language education?

Writing portfolios are used to plan students’ writing processes and improve writing skills through feedback, regular review, and control.

How was the study conducted to investigate portfolio work?

The research used a phenomenological qualitative design with semi-structured interviews containing four questions and content analysis of the interview data.

What did the study find about students’ experiences with portfolio assignments?

Students were positively influenced by the portfolio assignments and expressed a desire for the constant implementation of this approach.

Oct 15, 2026

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