The Impact of portfolio assessment on the motivation and academic achievement of elementary school students

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of using the portfolio evaluating on the motivation and academic achievement of students in the third grade elementary school in the city of Nahavand in the academic year 2012-2013. For this purpose, a sample of 100 individuals (2 girls and 2 boy's classes) was selected randomly in a multi-stage method; then, a class (male and female) as an experimental group and a class (male and female) Was selected as the control group. The experimental groups received a course in a portfolio evaluating, but control groups received standardized measurements. For data collection in pre-test and post-test, Hermann's motivation questionnaire and researcher-made academic achievement test were used. Data analysis using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) for differential scores showed that there is a significant difference between motivation and academic achievement in two groups of measurement and portfolio assessment. That is, students who had received a portfolio assessment had a higher degree of motivation and academic achievement than control groups who received standardized measurements. In addition, the portfolio assessment on the motivation and academic achievement of elementary school-boy students has a significant effect; and on the motivation achievement of female students in the third elementary school has a significant effect, but on the academic achievement of female hasn't a significant effect. Measurement-gender interaction was also significant.