Improving Students’ Writing Skill through the School Online Newspaper at a Public University in Vietnam

Abstract

Writing is a crucial skill for students, particularly for those at tertiary level, yet it is a fact that many find writing challenging to master. A number of methods and strategies, therefore, have been employed in an attempt to develop students’ writing skill, and a student-run school newspaper is one of them. This paper aims at reporting whether the school newspaper The SFLook results in its members’ improved writing and how the students self-evaluate the impact of the project. First, the students’ (n = 20) pre-test and post-test before and after a twelve-week action were examined to assess their writing performance. Besides, a questionnaire was delivered to investigate their attitudes towards different aspects during the time working for the newspaper. The findings indicate that the school newspaper has reinforced its members’ writing skill and their motivations for writing are bound to external factors. The research results would suggest further applications of student – run newspapers in various educational contexts.