The Impact of Portfolio Assessment on EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Achievement and Motivation

Parinaz Nassirdoost,Behdokht Mall-Amiri

doi:10.5296/jsel.v3i1.7750

Abstract

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of portfolio assessment on EFL learners’ vocabulary achievement and motivation. To carry out the study, 90 female learners of Marefat language school located in Maragheh, Iran were non-randomly selected. They took a Preliminary English Test (PET) test and among these 90 participants 60 students aged between15 and 20 were selected as homogenous samples. These 60 intermediate learners were the main participants of this study. Then, they were randomly put into experimental and control groups. The participants were checked for not knowing the intended vocabulary items intended to be taught and tested in the pre-test. Also, both groups were shown to be homogeneous in terms of their motivation. Both control and experimental groups attended 12 sessions with the same instructional material. The control group received the traditional assessment while the experimental group received portfolio assessment, i.e., they were asked to make portfolios. They were given two piloted post-tests of vocabulary achievement and motivation immediately after treatment sessions. Quantitative analysis revealed that the use of portfolio assessment had a significant effect on EFL learners’ vocabulary achievement but; it did not affect EFL learners’ motivation level. Findings suggest that teachers can benefit from portfolios to arm the learners with appropriate material leading to their improvement in language skills.</p>

Highlights

The study of vocabulary is an essential part of language acquisition
Quantitative analysis revealed that the use of portfolio assessment had a significant effect on EFL learners’ vocabulary achievement but; it did not affect EFL learners’ motivation level
After piloting the Preliminary English Test (PET) test and the two post-tests and estimating their reliability, the PET test was administered to 90 students of the study and those who scored one standard deviation above and below the mean were selected as the main participants of the study

Summary

Introduction

The study of vocabulary is an essential part of language acquisition. A large part of second language acquisition focuses on vocabulary learning. How can teachers encourage students to learn new words? According to Hunt and Beglar (2005), “one way to encourage students to learn new lexis is through the use of pre-reading activities that highlight vocabulary in the text” There are a lot of different tasks, techniques and strategies which help teachers to teach vocabulary in the classroom but they should choose the best one for their learners. Teachers should select suitable tasks which are closer to their learners’ needs. They should pay attention to both form and meaning of words while they are teaching vocabulary. As sentences are made of words and texts are made of sentences, understanding the meaning of the words immensely helps understanding the text

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Conclusion