A meta-synthesis study on the use of e-assessment tools in instruction

The aim of this research is to identify the e-assessment tools frequently used in previous studies, the dependent variables in the studies, the benefits and limitations of these tools, and to offer suggestions to set standards for e-assessment tools. Within the scope of the research, searching was carried out with the keywords determined in ERIC, Scopus and ISI Web of Knowledge databases. Among all the articles found, 41 articles related to practice between 2012 and 2023 were included in the research. The method of the research is the meta-synthesis method, which allows revealing the similarities and differences on a certain subject. With this method, the findings obtained from the articles were grouped under certain themes and examined in depth. According to the research findings, commonly used e-assessment tools are; e- portfolio, web-based measurement tools, LMS, Web 2.0 tools, virtual reality games, mobile applications, social networks and computer-assisted teaching programs. The dependent variable whose effect is most studied is student motivation, academic performance evaluation and automatic feedback variables. The dependent variables whose effects are least examined are community communication, critical thinking skills and supporting student autonomy. Providing feedback, evaluating academic performance, self-regulation, increasing motivation and providing individual follow-up opportunities are the most important benefits of using these tools. The most important limitations of e-assessment tools are temporal problems, internet-related problems and the limited use of the features these tools possess. Suggestions for improving the tools in the studies within the scope of the research mostly include integrating different applications into these tools and adding different exam types. The results obtained in the research were interpreted within the framework of the literature and suggestions were made for future studies based on these interpretations.