Investigating the Use of Student Portfolios to Develop and Assess Students’ Metacognition in EFL Learning (ศึกษาการใช้แฟ้มสะสมงานสำหรับนักเรียนเพื่อประเมินและพัฒนาการรู้ทันความคิดในการเรียนภาษาอังกฤษเป็นภาษาต่างประเทศ)

Abstract

Metacognition is comprised of metacognitive knowledge and strategies which play a central role in successful self-directed language learning. this research will propose student portfolios as a mediated tool to assess and develop students’ metacognition in English as a foreign language (EFL) education. The study involves 53 Thai students of English. Some of them were chosen to participate in a reflective portfolios’ activity, an open-ended interview, and a research experiment. The data show how the portfolios reflect the students’ metacognitive beliefs and strategies, though there is only limited evidence of change in the beliefs and strategies. The results contribute to the understanding of metacognition development through mediated tool that, for the full potential of portfolio approach in language learning to be realized, EFL teachers and language educators need to have a full awareness of the importance of metacognition and reflective skills training. They also need to provide enough time and affordance for the learners to develop these skills in language learning.