Portfolio vs. summative assessment: impacts on EFL learners’ writing complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF); self-efficacy; learning anxiety; and autonomy

Abstract

Due to the benefits of e-portfolio assessment and summative assessment in Ethiopia and a dearth of research, this study attempted to contrast e-portfolio assessment and summative assessment use in developing Ethiopian EFL learners’ writing complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF); learners’ autonomy; learning anxiety; and self-efficacy as they have not been investigated in Ethiopia. In order to accomplish these goals, 60 Ethiopian intermediate EFL students were selected according to their OQPT performance. E-portfolio served as the experimental group (EG), and summative functioned as the control group (CG). Writing CAF, self-efficacy, autonomy, and anxiety pretests were administered to both groups. Then, groups received different treatments. Writing CAF, self-efficacy, autonomy, and anxiety posttests were then given to the groups after the instruction period of 21 sessions. The collected data were examined using SPSS software. Then, independent samples t-tests and paired samples t-tests were run to assess the effects of the assessments on the learners’ writing CAF, autonomy, anxiety, and self-efficacy. The outcomes displayed that the experimental group and control group differed in performance. Actually, the e-portfolio assessment group outdid the summative assessment group. The e-portfolio assessment was found to be a more useful method for fostering learner autonomy, self-efficacy, and the writing CAF in EFL learners than summative assessment. Some recommendations, implications, and limitations were also listed at the end.