Using Writing Portfolios as an Alternative Assessment Method in the Greek Primary School

The purpose of this study is to present and analyze the use of writing portfolios as an alternative method of assessing the writing skill in a group of young learners who attend the 6th grade of a Greek State Primary School. In order for this research to be carried out successfully and to provide enlightening results, a systematic and purposeful collection and observation of these learners’ writing samples was conducted over a period of 4 months and further data was basically collected by means of questionnaires before, during and after the completion of the study. There are two major parts in this paper: the theoretical and the practical one. In the first one the following issues are considered: contrasts between traditional testing and alternative assessment and reasons for the selection of the latter as more preferable concerning the positive and very promising outcomes it provides to learners; current portfolio pedagogy and the benefits deriving in relation to the most profound theories underpinning young learners’ cognitive and linguistic development; and the process-writing approach in combination with the use of writing portfolios. The second part presents the actual implementation of the research, analyzing the whole process of the portfolio stages followed from the very beginning of the ‘journey’ to the end. Τhe outcomes and results of this research are discussed and evaluated, whether positive or even negative, and the implications of the present classroom-based study are outlined. Finally, the study concludes with suggestions for further research in order for possible revisions and/or improvements to the specific assessment method to be looked into in future.