A comparative investigation of English preparatory school students' and instructors' perceptions of using e-portfolio as an alternative assessment tool at university

This qualitative study was conducted to explore and compare the perceptions of tertiary-level students and teachers on the implementation of the electronic portfolio (e-portfolio or EP) assessment within the writing course of an English language preparatory program. The participants of the study were 30 English as a foreign language (EFL) students from different departments and 31 EFL teachers at a private university in İstanbul, Turkey. Qualitative data were gathered through open-ended questionnaires and in-depth focus group interviews with both participant groups. Thematic analyses of the data revealed that most of the teachers and students accepted EP development as a beneficial assessment and learning tool in the writing course offered in the English preparatory program. Moreover, students reported that EP had a positive effect on their language skills, especially writing skill in terms of sentence formation, appropriate use of punctuation, organization, vocabulary, and grammar. Despite reporting many benefits, they also mentioned several procedural problems related to the implementation of EP. When the responses of the students and teachers were compared, it was clear that there were more similarities than differences in the way they perceive EP assessment, its effectiveness, benefits and limitations. In light of the responses received not only from the students but also from the teachers of the English language preparatory program, an EP implementation model that can be used in the writing lessons has been proposed in order to increase the benefit that students will receive from this assessment in their language learning processes.