The Effect of Portfolio Assessment on the Development of Metadiscourse Markers Awareness in EFL Learners' Oral Performance

Portfolio assessment as one of the alternatives to testing is defined as the systematic collection of student work measured against predetermined scoring criteria. This paper aimed to investigate the effect of portfolio assessment in the oral performance of EFL learners in an attempt to examine its impact on their metadiscourse awareness. To determine the impact of portfolio assessment on the oral performance and metadiscourse awareness of EFL learners, ۶۰ university students majoring in English language teaching were initially selected. After being homogenized for their proficiency level, they were randomly divided into an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG). As the treatment, portfolio assessment was employed as the teaching technique for the experimental group. Data was then subjected to different statistical procedures. The results of data analysis revealed that the participants in the EG outperformed those in the CG with regard to the achievement in their overall oral performance. Second, the findings showed that experimental groups’ awareness to metadiscourse markers significantly increased after instruction. The findings of the present study have implications for learners and teachers in the realm of TEFL in particular and education in general.