The Effectiveness of the Portfolio as an Assessment Tool in Secondary Schools from the Teacher Perspective in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The secondary school assessment system in Saudi Arabia, which primarily comprises formative and summative assessments, needs to be restructured to address its identified weaknesses, one of which is not providing teachers with the information they need to follow student progress and provide appropriate feedback to students. In light of this situation, this research was designed to examine the effectiveness of the portfolio-based assessment method from the teacher perspective in secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. Two data collection methods were used in this study: questionnaire and interview. Seventy-eight female teachers participated in the questionnaire, and five female secondary school head teachers participated in the semi-structured interviews. The study revealed that using portfolios as assessment tools assisted teachers in formulating strategies for teaching and learning by reviewing the students’ capabilities, skills, and weaknesses. Portfolios also reduce the biases of one-way assessment processes, such as formative assessment, that do not involve students in the evaluation process. Portfolio-based assessment also eliminated the problems associated with the established methods. Further, it was found that students’ involvement in this assessment method reduced the burden on teachers. The primary findings also showed that teachers felt it necessary to incorporate portfolio-based assessment, but they may encounter difficulties during implementation because it is a time-consuming process, and validity and reliability of scoring the students may be questionable. Nevertheless, these problems can be addressed using specific strategies, such as using a rubric for marking. The portfolios can, thus, be considered a useful assessment tool from the perspective of teachers.