Perceptions of EFL learners towards portfolios as a method of alternative assessment: A case study at a Turkish state university


Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Eğitim Fakültesi, Yabancı Diller Eğitimi Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2011

Öğrenci: YEŞİM ERDEN BURNAZ

Danışman: PERİHAN SAVAŞ

Özet:

This study investigated perceptions of EFL learners towards the benefits and the challenges of keeping a portfolio. The study also examined the students‟ perceptions towards the effect of keeping a portfolio on learner autonomy. The study was conducted with 21 intermediate level students at Galatasaray University Foreign Languages School in the fall semester of 2010 – 2011 academic year. The data for this study were gathered through a pre-portfolio study survey and an open-ended question survey before the implementation; a post-portfolio study survey and in-depth interviews with the students after the implementation. A thirteen-week portfolio implementation was started after the administration of pre-portfolio study surveys and open-ended question surveys. When the implementation finished, a post-portfolio study survey was administered and at the end of the term in-depth interviews were con-ducted with the students. v The findings of the study indicated that the perceptions of the students to-wards keeping a portfolio were positive before and after the implementation of portfolio assessment. In general students preferred portfolio assessment to traditional assessment because participants believed that traditional as-sessment involved time pressure, it led to memorization and it did not meas-ure English speaking skills effectively. Moreover, the students, who were not satisfied with and complained about traditional assessment system, pointed out that they became more autonomous than before the portfolio implementation. The analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data also supported these results and indicated that the students were positive towards keeping a portfolio as an alternative assessment tool.