Portfolio assessment versus traditional assessment techniques: a case study on the proficiency development and classroom practices of EFL students in a Turkish Military high school

Abstract

This thesis aims at investigating the possible effects of portfolio assessment on proficiency development and classroom practices of EFL students as opposed to traditional assessment techniques. There were two types of assessment procedures used in the study: portfolio assessment and traditional assessment. 42 eleventh grader EFL students (two sections) in a Turkish military high school were elected by means of Oxford Placement Test 1 B1 & B2 and randomly assigned as experimental and control groups. In the middle and at the end of the treatment they were given an abbreviated version of Cambridge First Certificate Examination (CFCE). The teacher of these sections also kept a teacher log during the twelve-week period when the study was conducted. Data were analyzed using Pearson product moment correlation coefficient (Pearson r), and t-test procedures. Qualitative data were analyzed via content analysis suggested by Bordens and Bruce (2002). The results of the analyses indicated that students receiving portfolio assessment performed significantly higher than those of the ones who received traditional assessments in two different administrations of CFCE. Portfolio assessment scores were also consistent with the scores received in CFCE. On the other hand, first and second administration of CFCE indicated that students' scores did not differ within the experimental group. In other words, there was little or no proficiency development on repeated measures. Finally, the qualitative data revealed that portfolio assessment had a positive impact on students' classroom practices, improvement in the course, and feelings of monitoring their own progress.The results are interpreted in the light of profits of portfolio assessment in the literature (Barootchi & Kehsavarz, 2002; Fourie & Niekerk, 2001; Lockledge & Weinmann, 2001 and Simon & Forgette-Giroux, 2000 and Underwood, 1998). The students in the study benefited from the use of portfolio assessment through several aspects. They had higher grades, better tracked their development, and had higher amount of interaction than those of the students who received traditional assessment.