State university preparatory class EFL instructors' attitudes towards assessment methods used at their institutions and portfolios as a method of alternative assessment

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate preparatory class instructors’ attitudes towards the methods of assessment they are currently using at their institutions, and their knowledge about and attitudes towards portfolios as an alternative method of assessment. The study was conducted with 386 English instructors from the preparatory class programs of 14 Turkish state universities. Data were collected through a fourpart questionnaire including closed-response and Likert-Scale questions. Part A in the questionnaire gathered data about the instructors' educational background and teaching experience. Part B investigated what assessment instruments are currently used in preparatory class programs and the instructors' attitudes towards them. Part C questioned whether instructors have any knowledge about portfolios, and their source of information. Part D investigated whether instructors have ever used portfolios, for what skills and what their attitudes towards portfolios are. The results of the data anlaysis revealed that both the assessment instruments the instructors are currently using and portfolios have benefits as well as insufficiencies, which emphasizes the significance of using multiple assessment methods to achieve effective results. The outcomes also showed that instructors do not have adequate knowledge of assessment in some areas such as interpreting the assessment results, or the relationship between assessment and instruction, which suggests the need for professional training for the instructors in these areas. Moreover, the findings highlighted a challenge of portfolio implementation such as time demands on instructors, which suggests the need for making some adjustments in the preparatory class curricula to achieve effective use of portfolios.