Investigating the Iranian EFL learners’ attitudes towards the implementation of e-portfolios in English learning and assessment

Figures & data

Figure 1. Adapted from e-portfolios and formative assessment.¹

Table 1. Information regarding the participants in the study

				Year
		2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	Total
Sex	Male	17	15	15	17	18	82
	Female	15	17	17	15	14	78
Age	16	10	10	11	12	10	53
	17	12	11	10	9	10	52
	18	10	11	11	11	12	55
Total		32	32	32	32	32	160

Table 2. Information regarding the participants in the semi-structured interviews by sex, age, and year

				Year
		2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	Total
Sex	Male	8	6	5	5	4	28
	Female	5	6	5	3	3	22
Age	16	3	4	2	1	2	12
	17	6	5	3	4	2	20
	18	4	3	5	3	3	18
Total		13	12	10	8	7	50

Table 3. Participants’ perceptions about feedback providing E-portfolios (n = 90)

Questions		Responses
		Strongly agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly disagree
Q12	I found the written feedback from tutors helpful.	40%	10%	20%	20%	10%
Q13	I found the spoken feedback from tutors helpful.	60%	20%	18%	2%	0%
Q14	I received feedback from my peers in this module.	98%	2%	0%	0%	0%
Q15	I found the feedback from peers helpful.	60%	15%	20%	0%	0%
Q16	I received sufficient feedback from the tutor on this module.	94%	2%	4%	0%	0%

Figure 2. Students’ perceptions towards the helpfulness of spoken tutor feedback

Figure 3. Students’ perceptions towards the helpfulness of spoken tutor feedback

Table 4. Participants’ attitudes towards the implementation of E-portfolios (n = 90)

Questions		Responses
		Strongly agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly disagree
Q28	The learning outcomes of the module have been achieved.	60%	30%	10%	0%	0%
Q31	The pace of teaching was acceptable.	30%	50%	20%	0%	0%
Q33	The balance of learning and teaching methods was appropriate.	50%	30%	10%	4%	6%
Q35	The selected method of assessment is appropriate.	70%	20%	10%	0%	0%
Q36	The level of challenge in the module was pitched correctly.	60%	30%	5%	5%	0%

Figure 4. Students’ perceptions of the helpfulness of peer feedback

Table 5. Participants’ attitudes towards the use of Mahara in relation to methods of teaching (n = 90)

Questions		Responses
		Strongly agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly disagree
Q2	There was sufficient guidance to help to use the Mahara technology.	70%	20%	10%	0%	0%
Q3	I found it easy to find my way around Mahara.	20%	60%	19%	1%	0%
Q4	I found working with Mahara an enjoyable experience.	50%	30%	10%	6%	4%

Figure 5. Students’ attitudes towards the use of Mahara

Figure 6. Students’ attitudes towards the use of Mahara in relation to their learning needs

Figure 7. Students’ attitudes towards the use of Mahara in relation to sources of feedback

Table 6. Interviewees’ viewpoints as a result of using e-portfolio assessment (questions 5–8) (n = 50)

Questions		Responses
Q5	How much has the use of Mahara helped you in realizing the level of your performance?	0% for “NONE” 1% for “A LITTLE” 2% for “SOME” 10% for “A LOT” 87% for “VERY MUCH”
Q6	Were you willing to let your classmates observe your performance using Mahar platform?	97% for “YES” 3% for “NO”
Q7	How did you perceive the feedback from your classmates in Mahara platform?	95% “Helpful” 4% “Unhelpful” 1% “Neutral”
Q8	How did you perceive the feedback from your tutor using Mahara?	94% “Helpful” 5% “Unhelpful” 1% “Neutral”

Table

Age: Gender (Circle one): M F Tutor:
The purpose of this questionnaire is to help staff and the institute to monitor your experiences of the course. Please indicate your views by checking the appropriate box. Responses are anonymous, please be honest and constructive.		Strongly agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly disagree
1	I have difficulty in learning new software.
2	There was sufficient guidance to help to use the Mahara technology.
3	I found it easy to find my way around Mahara.
4	I found working with Mahara an enjoyable experience.
5	Wrote things in Mahara that I wouldn’t want others to see.
6	Mahara contributed to the learning aims of this course.
7	All student work in Mahara should be made available for tutor feedback.
8	Mahara helped me to work from different locations.
9	Mahara helped me manage my own files/resources.
10	Mahara helped support groups working in this module.
11	The same objectives could have been achieved in this module without the use of Mahara.
12	I found the written feedback from tutors helpful.
13	I found the spoken feedback from tutors helpful.
14	I received feedback from peers in this module.
15	I found the feedback from peers helpful.
16	I received sufficient feedback from the tutor on this module.
17	The group feedback I received was relevant to my own work.
18	The group tasks supported my learning.
19	The individual task work supported my learning.
20	All students in my subgroup contributed work to the group tasks.
21	Tutors should monitor group work activities.
22	The module should have more individual tasks.
23	Marks should be awarded for individual contributions to group tasks.
24	The criteria used in marking have been clear in advance.
25	The core tasks built on the lecture material.
26	The core tasks prepared me adequately for the exam.
27	I have had enough practice with multiple-choice questions before the exam.
28	The learning outcomes of the module have been achieved.
29	The module was well prepared and organized.
30	The sequence of the module was consistent and coherent.
31	The pace of teaching was acceptable.
32	The module leader(s) gave effective support and guidance to promote my learning.
33	The balance of learning and teaching methods was appropriate.
34	The workload for the module was appropriate.
35	The selected method of assessment is appropriate.
36	The level of challenge in the module was pitched correctly.
37	It was possible to relate the module to my course.
38	The module provided a good insight into the subject.
39	The tutor was approachable and helpful.
40	What were the best aspects of the course?
41	What areas could most be improved?

Table

Gender (Tick one): Male Female Age (Tick one): Under 25 years 25 years or older Is English your first language? (Tick one): Yes No
The purpose of the following questions is to collect students’ views on assessment and feedback on this course. In answering the questions, please try to give your overall vies across the different “tasks” (including all coursework, assignments, assessed activities, exams) involved in the course. If a question does not apply to your circumstances, please choose the “Not applicable” option.		Strongly agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly disagree	Not applicable
1	Learned more about how to do the “tasks” while carrying them out …
	My understanding of how to do the tasks came from:
	The teaching staff
	My peers
	Working it out myself
	Sources outside the course
2	I got a clear idea of how well I performed on the tasks …
	My understanding of my performance on tasks came from:
	The teaching staff
	My peers
	My own judgement
	Sources outside the course
3	There were opportunities to do the same sort of tasks again …
	Opportunities, if any, to try out what I had learned came from:
	The teaching staff
	My peers
	Providing them myself
	Sources outside the course
4	I understood what doing a task well was on this course …
	My understanding comes from what the teaching staff have said
	My understanding comes from discussing the requirements with other students
	My understanding comes from working out for myself what is required
	My understanding comes from sources outside this course
5	I studied regularly outside of class time
6	I spread my work out evenly throughout the course
7	I generally understood rather than memorized the materials
8	I feel the work I did was of high quality
9	It was clear to me what work I should be doing
10	The course expected high standards of me

Table

12	The teaching staff adjusted what they did according to student needs
13	I made changes to my methods of studying on this course because of my experience during the course
14	My learning would go better if I were the only person on this course
15	I feel the assessments measure the kind of learning they should
16	The overall course grade or mark will be believed and respected by employers
17	I am usually able to predict the mark I will get for a task
18	My work is helped a lot by not being able to understand something
19	I am encouraged to use these sources of information to improve my performance in this course
	Teaching staff
	Peers
	Sources outside the course
20	I actively seek feedback on my work from
	Teaching staff
	Peers
	Sources outside the course
21	The feedback received from these sources was too vague to be useful
	Teaching staff
	Peers
	Sources outside the course
22	The feedback received from these sources was too specific to be useful
	Teaching staff
	Peers
	Sources outside the course
23	Feedback from these sources would be more useful with more discussion
	Teaching staff
	Peers
	Sources outside the course
24	The criteria used in marking have been clear in advance
25	Assessment arrangements and marking have been fair
26	Feedback on my work has been prompt
27	I have received detailed comments on my work
28	Feedback on my work has helped me clarify things I did not understand
29	The teaching staff normally give me helpful feedback on how I am doing
30	Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of this course
31	The best aspects of assessment and feedback on this course were …
32	The worst aspects of assessment and feedback on this course were …
33	What examples can you think of where the teaching staff adjusted what they did according to student needs?