




































American International Journal of Education and Linguistics Research; Vol. 3, No. 2; 2020 

ISSN 2641-7987   E-ISSN 2641-7995 

Published by American Center of Science and Education, USA 

 

7 

 

 

Effects of Alternative Assessment in EFL Classroom: A Systematic 

Review  
 

 

Wali Khan Monib 

Lecturer 

Department of English 

Faculty of Languages and Literature 

Shaikh Zayed University, Khost, Afghanistan 
walikhan.af@gmail.com 

 

Abdul Qudos Karimi 

Lecturer 

Department of English 

Faculty of Education 

Paktika University, Paktika, Afghanistan 

E-mail: abdulqoduskarimi@gmail.com 

 

Nazifullah Nijat 

Lecturer 
Department of English 

Faculty of Education 

Paktika University, Paktika, Afghanistan 

E-mail: nazifullahnijat@gmail.com 

 

 

Abstract 
Alternative assessment has been the focus of many educational researches in EFL classroom. This study was carried 

out to highlight the definition, characteristics and effects of alternative assessment in EFL context by reviewing 

current research on assessment. The research consisted of a systematic review of the empirical studies on alternative 

assessment in EFL classroom. Focusing solely on online search, many studies were found but only (n=24) met the 

inclusion criteria involving a total of (n=1588) participants. Also, it aimed to scrutinize the methods, participants 
and findings of the selected studies as well as the locations where they were conducted. The findings indicated that 

most of the studies (18 out of 24) reported positive effects of employing alternative assessment on language learning 

skills in EFL classroom. The results also show that the dominant method employed in the articles was quantitative 

where students were the main focal point involved in the research as their participants. The study is further 

concluded with a discussion on definition, characteristics and effects of alternative assessment in EFL context. 

 

Keywords: Alternative Assessment, Systematic Review, Language Skills, EFL Context. 

 

1. Introduction  

Recently, a reform took place in the field of evaluation in terms of a paradigm shift from traditional testing to 

assessment (Charvade, Jahandar & Khodabandehlou, 2012). In education field, innovations have been witnessed in 
procedures to assess students’ performance where summative assessment is gradually changing to formative 

assessment (alternative assessment). According to Al-Mahrooqi and Denman (2018), alternative assessment is a 

blanket term employed to cover a set of various alternatives to traditional or standardized form of assessment. 

Moreover, these alternatives emerged with regards to the perceived deficiencies of traditional assessment methods. 

To Worthen (1993), alternative assessment is a universal term used for several types of assessments such as 

authentic assessment, performance assessment and direct assessment. Alternative assessment employs various forms 

of assessment involving different tasks whereby learners are required to get use of high-level thinking skills in real 

life situations or the use of these skills in authentic context (Al Ruqeishi, 2015). In alternative assessment or 

criterion-referenced assessment, an individual’s performance is measured against specific learning objectives or 

mailto:walikhan.af@gmail.com


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performance standards, not against performance of other students on national or local level (Dung & Ha, 2019). 

While conducting classroom assessment, teachers are required to develop, analyse and administer the assessment 

(questions and techniques) themselves and then compare the results of assessment to their teaching (Jabbarifar, 

2009). Therefore, alternative assessment provides teachers with feedback on the effectiveness of instruction and 

students with measurement of their progress. 

According to Brown and Hudson (1998), alternative assessment has attained a larger degree of importance 
and acceptance in EFL/ESL field of instruction. It is due to the fact that the practices of language-testing connected 

with language learning are inevitably different from testing practices prevalent in other fields. In fact, both the 

process of English language learning and its assessment are very nature complex, and in order to deal with such 

complexities English language teachers and administrators have used various assessment techniques (Al-Mahrooqi 

& Denman, 2018). A primary focus of evaluation in education is to examine whether objectives of the course of a 

study are attained by students or whether the scope and sequence of curriculum are achieved (Jabbarifar, 2009). In 

classroom, the purpose of assessment is to provide the learners with opportunities to exhibit what they have learned 

rather than catching them out to display what they have not learned.  

A plethora of literature exists on alternative assessment, but there seems to be no consensus on the unified 

definition of alternative assessment among scholars. According to Gipps and Stobart (2003), it is an umbrella term 

covering any alternatives to standardized multiple-choice testing, Information Technology (IT) based testing, and an 

alternative approach making assessment an integral part of the learning and teaching process where the focus is 
more directly on the performance. As stated earlier, the main focus of alternative assessment is to assess 

performance where the emphasis is on the similarity between the performance observed and the performance 

expected or of interest (Gipps & Stobart, 2009). Other equivalent terms for alternative assessment found in current 

literature are authentic assessment, performance assessment and direct assessment. Brown and Hudson (1998) list 

some characteristics of alternative assessment based on the studies of (Aschbacher, 1991; Herman, Aschbacher and 

Winters, 1992; Huerta-Macías, 1995), and the summary of these characteristics include: requiring problem solving 

and higher level thinking, using authentic contexts and simulations, focusing both on process and product, using 

human judgement, requiring students to produce, performing or creating something, requiring teachers to perform 

new instructional and assessment roles, providing information both on students’ strengths and weaknesses.  

There are numerous forms of alternative assessments employed in EFL/ESL classrooms such as portfolios, 

teachers’ and students’ reflective journals, reading logs and diaries, writing folders, projects, teachers’ observations 
and anecdotes, teacher-student-parent conferences, audio-visual recordings, checklists, peer-assessment, self-

assessment, conferencing, demonstrations and self-assessments (Al-Mahrooqi & Denman, 2018; Janisch, Liu & 

Akrofi, 2007; Yildirim & Orsdemir, 2015). All these forms of alternative assessment contribute to the development 

of four basic language skills namely reading, writing, listening and speaking. Numerous past studies conducted on 

the impact of alternative assessment on language skills revealed a positive correlation between alternative 

assessment and language abilities (Naeini, 2011). Besides, an increase is witnessed in learners’ motivation, interest 

and confidence. 

The purpose of current study is to present an overview of internationally published empirical studies on 

alternative assessment in EFL context. An international perspective is taken into consideration to observe the 

characteristics, impacts and techniques of assessment in various EFL settings. Also, empirical studies were chosen 

to examine its practicality and to know its real impact from both students’ and teachers’ experiences. A brief account 

of methodology including the criteria for inclusion and exclusion is provided. 
 

1.1 Research Objectives  
 To identify the characteristics/reasons of alternative assessment. 

 To examine the effects of Alternative Assessment on basic language learning skills.   

 

2. Research Method 

In order to systematically analyze the topic (Petticrew and Roberts, 2006), different search strategies (e.g. similar 

terms) were tested in various search engines such as Google, Google Scholar, Taylor & Francis, SAGE, ERIC online 

open access databases to name a few  as to ensure reliability and to yield best results. The reviewers searched 

articles online published between 2008-2019. Searching in different search engines, specific keywords were used 

including alternative assessment, authentic assessment, direct and holistic assessment in EFL as well as effects of 
alternative assessment, alternative assessment vs traditional assessment in EFL.  

Numerous (n=373) publications resulted from initial search and were screened by reviewing the titles, 

keywords and abstracts. However, most of the research studies did not meet the inclusion requirement. Based on the 

selection criteria, only the articles addressing the stated research objectives for current study were focused. In 



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addition, solely empirical studies that clearly indicated research design, participants and results were considered in 

the inclusion requirements. Other reasons that excluded many of the articles were inaccessibility, publications in 

languages other than English, concept papers, conference proceeding papers and working papers. Finally, a total of 

24 journal articles were eligible for the systematic review and were included in the data-set for analysis.The 

background of this systemic review, however, was not limited to the empirical studies. 

 

3. Results 

3.1 Methods Used in the Reviewed Studies 

From a systematic review of 373 articles published between 2008-2019, the researchers found only 24 empirical 

studies which met the inclusion criteria. Of these, four (n=4) were qualitative studies involving: (n=1) interviews, 

classroom observations and document analysis; (n=1) survey, teacher’ journal, self-reflection format and interview; 

(n=1) in-depth semi structured interview  and  (n=1) a case study. Fourteen (n=14) of the studies used quantitative 

methods among which (n=4) employed experimental design, (n=1) a quasi-experimental design, (n=2) semi-

experimental intact comparison group design, and (n=2) applied survey design. Five others (n=5) used mixed 

method where likert scale questionnaires and opinion questionnaires were used for quantitative, and an open-ended 

interview, a focus group interview, a semi-structured interview, ongoing document analysis, and participants’ 

portfolios applied for qualitative method. See table 1. 

 
      Table 1. Methods used in the reviewed studies 

 

Methods Frequency Percentage  

Quantitative  15 62.5 

 Mixed  5 20.8 

Qualitative 4 16.7 

Total 24 100 

 

3.2 Participants of the Reviewed Studies 

As can be seen in table 2, nine (n=9) of the articles included EFL teachers as their participants among them (n=5) 

involved school teachers, (n=2) engaged university teachers and (n=2) included college teachers. There were (n=14) 

studies focused on students where (n=4) involved learners from institutes, (n=5) had responses from university 

students, (n=5) included school students and only (n=1)  study focused on both  students and teachers as its 

respondents.  

 

      Table 2. Participants involved in the reviewed studies 

 

Participants Frequency  Percentage 

Teacher 9 37.50% 

Student 14 58.35% 

Teacher and Student 1 4.15% 

Total  24 100% 

 

3.3 Main Findings 

Table 3 shows the findings of reviewed studies on alternative assessment in EFL classroom from 2008-2019.  Based 

on the objectives of the current study, the selected research studies were analyzed where two broad themes were 

identified: (1) definition and rationales of employing alternative assessment and (2) methods of alternative 

assessment and their effects on language skills detailed in the following sections respectively. 

 

Table 3. Findings of the Reviewed Studies 

 

Author(s) 

and Date 

Study Method Participant Location  Findings 

Wubshet 
& Menuta  

Investigating the 
practice of 

alternative 

Qualitative 

 

Six (6) 
Grade 9 

English 

Hawasa 
Zuria, 

Teachers did not have a clear 
understanding of alternative 

assessment. Hence, they were 



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(2015) assessment in 

English classrooms: 

The case of selected 

grade nine English 

teachers assessment 

practices. 

teachers Ethiopia using traditional assessment such 

as multiple choice, matching and 

true or false questions.They did 

not use process and product 

equally and did not use 

alternative assessment. 

Aliasin & 

Amanlu 

(2017)  

The effect of 

alternative 

assessment 

techniques on EFL 

learners' reading 

comprehension 
ability and self-

efficacy in reading: 

The case of Iranian 

Junior High School 

students. 

Quantitative 77 male 

intermediate 

junior high 

school 

students 

Zanjan, 

Iran 

Learners were aware of self-

efficacy; alternative assessment 

had  no significant effect on the 

self efficacy, but the use of 

alternative assessment 

techniques had significant effects  
on the participants’ performance 

on the reading comprehension 

test.  

Javaherba

khsh 

(2010)  

The Impact of Self-

Assessment on 

Iranian EFL 

Learners’ Writing 

Skill 

Quantitative 73 EFL 

students  

selected 

based on 

means of 

TOEFL 

scores. 

Zabansara 

and 

Marefat  

Institutions

, Iran 

The results of t-test show that 

students in experimental group 

improved their writing skills by 

employing several self-

assessment techniques. 

Safari & 

Koosha, 

(2016)  

Instructional 

Efficacy of Portfolio 

for Assessing Iranian 

EFL Learners' 

Speaking Ability.  

Quantitative 64 EFL 

students 

including 

male and 

female 

randomly 

selected 

from 

Kowsar 
Language 

Institute 

 

Kowsar 

Language 

Institute,Es

fahan, Iran 

The results suggested that the e-

portfolio group performed better 

regarding language quantity, use 

of various lexical items and 

vocabulary. Also, it revealed that 

the experimental group using 

video-portfolios performed 

better than the control group. 

Advantages of speaking 
portfolios such as self-

assessment, peer-feedback, and 

improvement of speaking skill 

were highlighted. 

 

Soodman

d Afshar 

& 
Bastami, 

(2012) 

 The effect of 

portfolio assessment 

on Iranian pre-
intermediate EFL 

learners’ autonomy.  

Mixed 

 

60 pre-

intermedia

te female 
learners 

studying 

English in 

a private 

language 

institute. 

Cambridge 

Open 

Centre, 

Iran 

Both quantitative and qualitative 

data analyses revealed that 

portfolio assessment 
significantly enhanced learners’ 

autonomy in the experimental 

group, and offered them an 

opportunity to reflect upon their 

learning process, growth, and 

progress overtime.  

Baleghiza
deh & 

Masoun 

The effect of self-
assessment on EFL 

learners’ goal 

Quantitative 57 
University 

EFL 

Iran  Students’ learning goal 
orientation significantly 

increased as a result of inclusion 



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(2014) orientation students  of the self-assessment element in 

EFL classes. Also, the learners 

got more learning-oriented  

through applying self-assessment 

during the course. 

Khonbi & 

Sadeghi 

(2012) 

The effect of 

assessment type (self 

vs. peer vs. teacher) 
on Iranian university 

EFL students' course 

achievement 

Quantitative 40 

university 

students: 19 
in self-

assessment 

and 21 in 

peer-

assessment 

group. 

Iran  There was a significant 

difference in the course 

achievement of students in the 
self- and peer-assessment 

groups, with the latter 

outperforming the former. This 

over performance of students in 

the peer-assessment group on the 

post-test was contrary to what 

was expected from the analyses 

of the four series of assessments 

in all of which it was the self-

assessment group that over 

performed the peer-assessment 

group. 

Moradan 
& 

Hedayati 

(2012) 

The impact of 
portfolios and 

conferencing on 

Iranian EFL learners’ 

writing skill 

Quantitative 92 male 
Iranian 

intermediate  

EFL 

students 

Iran  The performance of two 
experimental groups was better 

than the control group though 

there was no significant 

difference in the two 

experimental groups. Also, no 

significant difference was found 

between the effectiveness of 

portfolio and conferencing 

methods. Teachers’ feedback 

was considered helpful in 

removing the gaps between  
what has been learned. 

Iraji, 

Enayat & 

Momeni 

(2016) 

The effects of self-

and peer-assessment 

on Iranian EFL 

learners' 

argumentative 

writing performance 

Quantitative 36 

intermediate 

EFL 

students 

Iran  Self/peer-assessments were 

helpful and influential in 

improving learners’ 

argumentative writing ability. By 

providing alternative assessment 

techniques, learners could write 

better compositions. Using self-

assessment checklists also 

provide teachers with complete 

information about students’ 

progress and failure in the 
process of learning. 

Azarnoos

h (2013) 

Peer assessment in 

an EFL context: 

attitudes and 

friendship bias 

Quantitative 26 

participants: 

24 females 

and 2 males 

tertiary 

level 

students. 

Iran  The results of this study revealed 

no significant difference between 

learners’ peer assessment and 

teachers’ assessment. Moreover, 

no friendship bias was found in 

peer assessment. However, this 

practice led to the change of 

students’ attitude to a positive 

perspective on peer assessment. 

While they expected the practice 



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to be difficult, they found it not 

to be so; learners became assured 

that peer assessment was useful, 

motivating and interesting. 

Abbas, Z. 

(2012)  

 Difficulties in using 

methods of 

alternative 

assessment in 
teaching from Iraqi 

instructors points of 

view.  

Quantitative 30 EFL 

instructors  

College of  

Education 

(AL-

Assmaie) 
and the 

college of 

Basic 

Education 

at  

Diyla 

University, 

Iraq  

The findings indicated that Iraqi 

instructors of English face 

difficulties in using methods of 

alternative assessment in 
teaching. 

Yildirim 

& 

Orsdemir 

(2013) 

Performance Tasks 

as Alternative 

Assessment for 

Young EFL 

Learners: Does 
Practice Match the 

Curriculum 

Proposal?. 

Mixed  43 English 

teachers 

from 10 

state 

primary 
schools. 

Adana, 

Turkey 

The results indicated that goals 

of alternative assessment were 

achieved moderately. The 

benefits of alternative 

assessment reported are 
vocabulary improvement, 

grammar reinforcement, 

increased motivation and 

improved confidence. However, 

cognitive and effective skills 

were not improved as much as 

Psycho-motor skills, and also the 

integration of four language 

skills is partially missed. 

Ataç 

(2012) 

Foreign Language 

Teachers’ Attitude 

toward Authentic 
Assessment in 

Language 

Quantitative  37 

randomly-

selected 
instructors. 

 Atilim 

University 

Preparatory 
School of  

English, 

Turkey 

Participants hold positive 

attitudes and showed a strong 

sense of inclination toward goal 
setting in their classes with 

regards to authentic assessment. 

Yurdabak

an & 

Erdogan 

(2009) 

The effects of 

portfolio assessment 

on reading, listening 

and writing skills of 

secondary school 

prep class students 

Quantitative: 

experimental  

44 

participants: 

Treatment 

group 

(n=22) and 

control 

group 

(n=22) 

English 

preparatory 

classes in 

secondary 

school, 

Turkey  

The findings showed that 

portfolio assessment had 

significant influence on students' 

writing skills; however, same 

results were not found for the 

reading and listening skills. 

Also, it was found that portfolio 

assessment is a fair method  

compared to traditional 
applications of assessment. Also, 

it is a more down-to-earth 

approach that increases 

responsibility of students and 

motivates them. 

Cuesta, 

Mayorga,  

Padilla 

and 

Mayorga 

Alternative 

Assessment Tools 

for the Writing Skill 

Development of EFL 

Learners   

Quantitative 23 First 

level 

English 

students   

Private 

University,

Ecuador 

It was concluded that alternative 

assessment positively affects the 

development of  writing skill of 

EFL learners. Thus, they have all 

enhanced their writing 



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(2019) competence.  

 

Al-Nouh, 

Taqi & 

Abdul-

Kareem 

(2014)  

EFL Primary School 

Teachers' Attitudes, 

Knowledge and 

Skills in Alternative 

Assessment.  

Mixed  335 female 

EFL 

teachers 

40 primary 

schools in 

six 

educational 

zones, 

Kuwait 

The findings indicated that 

teachers were skillful and 

knowledgeable in alternative 

assessment; their attitude was at 

medium level. 

Putri,  
Pratolo  & 

Setiani 

(2019)  

The Alternative 
Assessment of EFL 

Students’ Oral 

Competence: 

Practices and 

Constraints.  

Qualitative  Two EFL 
teachers 

with more 

than five 

years of 

experience.  

Islamic 
Boarding 

School 

(IBS), 

Indonesia  

Findings revealed that 
participants applied alternative 

assessment such as peer 

assessment and inside class 

observation, feedback on their 

assignment while teachers had 

difficulties in practicing the 

alternative assessment. 

Ardianti 

& 

Mauludin 

(2017)  

Students’ responses 

on the application of 

Authentic 

Assessment in EFL 

reading class.   

Qualitative  27 EFL 

reading 

students: 22 

female and 

5 male in 
university 

East Java,  

Indonesia 

Alternative assessment methods 

such as portfolios, self-

assessment and performance 

assessment make the reading 

enjoyable that becomes as a 
routine activity. Also, it 

contributes in vocabulary 

building, reading comprehension 

and improving reading 

performance. 

Phongsiri

kul (2018)  

 Traditional and 

Alternative 

Assessments in ELT: 

Students’ and 

Teachers’ 

Perceptions. 

Mixed 103 first-

year 

students 

majoring in 

English and 

five  

teachers  

in a 
university  

Bangkok, 

Thailand. 

Teachers and students hold 

positive attitudes toward 

alternative assessment in terms 

of its validity and reliability.  

Alternative assessment was 

valued as a catalyst in enhancing 

learners’ motivation in English 

skills.  

Kalra, 

Sundraraj

un& 

Komintar

acat, 

(2017) 

Using Portfolio as an 

Alternative 

Assessment Tool to 

Enhance Thai EFL 

Students' Writing 

Skill.  

Quantitative 56 senior 

undergradua

te Thai 

students 

studying 

business 

English  

Thailand Portfolio-an alternative method 

had significant effects on the 

students’ performance in writing 

skill. 

Chan, 

(2008) 

Elementary school 

EFL teachers’ beliefs 

and practices of 

multiple assessments 

Quantitative  

 

520 EFL 

teachers 

Female: 503 

Male: 17 

Taiwan The study found that the EFL 

teachers had strong beliefs of 

multiple assessments and a better 

understanding of the concepts of 

assessment and multiple 
assessments such as portfolio, 

classroom observation. Multiple 

assessments were considered 

more practical than traditional 

assessment and believed that 

EFL teachers can easily assess 

students’ achievement in all 

language skills and can diagnose 



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students’ difficulties. 

Ghaicha 

& 

Omarkaly 

(2018) 

Assessment in the 

Moroccan EFL 

Classrooms 

Teachers’ 

Conceptions and 

Practices. 

Mixed 

 

73 both 

male and  

female high 

school 

teachers 

Inzegane-

Aitmelloul 

and 

Agadir-

Ida-

outanane, 

in the 
south of 

Morocco. 

The results revealed that the 

practice of alternative 

assessment is slowly evolving 

within the Moroccan EFL 

context in spite of the very 

positive attitudes expressed 

towards it; teachers’ main 
concerns were  time constraints, 

class size, and lack of training. 

Rojas 

Serrano 

(2017) 

Making Sense of 

Alternative 

Assessment in a 

Qualitative 

Evaluation System.  

Qualitative 7 English 

students 

Bogotá, 

Colombia 

Students hold optimistic views 

toward alternative assessment in 

English classrooms in terms of 

encouraging awareness and 

reflection, students’ 

centeredness, lowering students’ 

anxiety, integrating different 

areas of learning and  providing 

prompt and meaningful 

feedback. 

Ali & Al 
Ajmi 

(2013)  

 Towards Quality 
Assessment in an 

EFL Programme.  

Quantitative  37 EFL 
teachers 

from public 

College  

Oman Quality assessment can be 
developed through teachers’ 

views and beliefs. 

 

3.3.1 Definition and Rationales of Employing Alternative Assessment 

The researchers found that the definitions used for alternative assessment are largely consistent in meaning but 

slightly differs in terms of labeling. Nine (n=9) articles employed the word alternative assessment in their titles and 

there were only three studies used other terminologies such as authentic assessment (n=2) and quality assessment 

(n=1). The remaining studies focus on either strategies, techniques or methods of alternative assessment (e.g. self-

assessment (n=2); assessment type (n=1); portfolio and conferencing (n=1); multiple assessments–portfolio and 

classroom observation (n=1); self-and peer assessment (n=1); peer assessment (n=1); portfolio (n=4); performance 

tasks (n=1). 

 Though it is very difficult to have an inclusive definition of alternative assessment, it can be defined as a 
broad assessment approach in the field of education generally opposing traditional assessment. On the other hand, 

some of the articles reasoned for incorporating alternative assessment in EFL classroom (e.g. Abbas, 2012; Wubshet 

& Menuta, 2015; Aliasin & Amanlu, 2017; Afshar & Bastami, 2012). For instance, Afshar and Bastami (2012) 

stated that standardized tests do not consider individual differences among students which truly exist and need low 

level of cognitive ability–memorizing and recalling. This may cause students failing to actualize learning in real life 

situations. Alternative assessment engages learners in self-evaluation and peer evaluation of performance (Ali & 

Ajmi, 2013), encourage autonomous learning, emphasis on students’ performance, consider language proficiency, 

learning styles, cultural and educational backgrounds and grade levels  (Javaherbakhsh, 2010). 

In addition, Wubshet and Menuta (2015) cited other rationales for employing the mentioned assessment: 

(1) to know the complex outcome–beyond the assessment of fact and knowledge, alternative assessment evaluates 

more complex goals where products and processes are equally valued and develops life-long skills: creative 
thinking, problem solving, summarizing, synthesizing and reflecting. (2) To address realistic tasks–utilizing 

authentic assessment, students are engaged in performances, tasks, demonstrations and interviews reflecting daily 

situations within meaningful contexts. (3) To include good instruction tools–instruction and assessment interact 

continuously where assessment can provide feedback for students’ learning and cause changes in the instruction. 

Focusing on students’ strengths, alternative assessment enables teachers to have a more accurate view of their 

achievements. (4) To communicate what we value–instruction and assessment have to be aligned. Valuing oral 

proficiency but assessing it only through written tests, students will infer that only written language matters. (5) To 

meet the students’ different learning styles–alternative assessment offers a large amount of possibilities, for instance, 

some students exhibit understanding by writing about something while others may perform or display their actions. 

While screening the selected studies, majority of the articles indicated reasons behind using alternative assessment 



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in EFL classrooms though some articles did not mention obvious reasons for applying the alternative assessment. 

Studying the selected articles comparatively, the reviewers provided a compiled number of  reasons offered by the 

cited researchers stated in table 4. 

 

Table 4.  Reasons of employing alternative assessment in EFL classroom 

 

Alignment between instruction and assessment, real use of language, contextualization of learning, focusing on 
Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTs), considering language proficiency, learning styles, cultural and educational 

backgrounds, students know criteria for evaluation, learners’ autonomy (students take responsibility for own 

learning and evaluation while identifying their progress), motivation, developing creativity, focusing both on 

product and process, encouraging lifelong skills, leading to active performance involvement, promoting a wide 

range of assessment strategies and ensuring successes. 

 

3.3.2 Methods of Alternative Assessment and their Effects on Language Skills 

The concept of assessment in EFL is discussed extensively in international literature. However, methods of 

assessment in EFL field, especially of alternative assessment, is the major topic explored by researchers from Iran in 

current study (Baleghizadeh & Masoun, 2014; Khonbi & Sadeghi, 2012; Moradan & Hedayati, 2012; Iraji, Enayat 

& Momeni, 2016; Soodmand Afshar & Bastami, 2012; Safari & Koosha, 2016 and Azarnoosh, 2013). The methods 

of assessment found in these studies are: self-assessment, peer assessment, teacher assessment, portfolios, and 

conferencing.  Also, Yildirim and Orsdemir, 2013; Ataç, 2012; Yurdabakan and Erdogan, 2009 notified favorable 
contributions of alternative assessment. For instance, Yildirim and Orsdemir found that the usage of the mentioned 

assessment resulted in vocabulary improvement, grammar reinforcement, increased motivation and improved 

confidence. However, cognitive and effective skills were not improved as much as Psycho-motor skills, and also the 

integration of four language skills is partially missed. Yurdabakan and Erdogan (2009) explain the effects of 

portfolio assessment on reading, listening and writing skills where the findings showed that portfolio assessment had 

significant influence on students' writing skills; however, same results were not found for the reading and listening 

skills. Also, it was found that portfolio assessment is a fair method; compared to traditional applications of 

assessment increasing responsibility of students and motivates them. 

In addition, other studies in EFL context such as (Abbas, 2012 in Iraq; Putri, Pratolo and Setiani, 2019 and 

Ardianti and Mauludin, 2017 in Indonesia; Kalra, Sundrarajun and Komintaracat, 2017 in Thailand) also reported on 

the implementation of different alternative assessment methods in classroom. According to Jabbarifar (2009), 
alternative methods, in EFL, are the various tools available in classrooms for teachers to collect essential 

information of language learning process and the factors related to the students which impact the process of 

language learning and teaching. Furthermore, to Siedentop and Tannehill (2000), methods of alternative assessment 

are the tools different from traditionally used techniques, standardized tests, instead alternative methods are the 

learners’ active involvement in solving realistic problems by implementing new knowledge, recalling prior 

knowledge and relevant skills.  

The methods or tools of alternative assessment in language classroom are called alternatives in assessment 

by Brown and Hudson (1998). More specifically, personal-response assessment is used as a category term to include 

various methods used in alternative assessment. This type of assessment is an individualized assessment where 

learners are allowed to produce what they want in their own language that provide teachers with an on-going manner 

of assessing learners’ performance throughout instruction (Brown & Hudson, 1998). 
All methods mentioned in the reviewed studies were considered more beneficial in enhancing students’ 

development in foreign language learning. The results of the studies indicated that all basic language learning skills 

(reading, writing, listening and speaking) have been significantly developed by implementing alternative assessment 

methods. Moreover, there has been a positive effect on learners’ autonomy and goal orientation. Writing skill was 

one of the most focused skills in the reviewed studies. A total of 7 studies (Yurdabakan and Erdogan, 2009; Kalra, 

Sundrarajun and Komintaracat, 2017; Cuesta, Mayorga, Padilla and Mayorga, 2019; Iraji, Enayat and Momeni, 

2016; Moradan and Hedayati, 2012; Javaherbakhsh, 2010) reported the positive influence of alternative assessment 

strategies on students’ writing skills ranging from simple writing to argumentative writing skill. Based on the 

findings of the reviewed studies, portfolio and self-assessment were found the most used strategies to enhance 

writing skill among other strategies such as peer-assessment, conferencing, etc. Moreover, the implementation of 

these strategies positively influence learners’ writing competence and were considered more practical than 

traditional methods. Not only students were motivated by producing and assessing their own compositions but also 
their responsibility of learning was increased. Also, teachers found these methods very beneficial in assessing 

students’ ability in writing and in diagnosing their difficulties.  



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Three studies (Aliasin and Amanlu, 2017; Ardianti and Mauludin, 2017; Yurdabakan and Erdogan, 2009) 

investigated the effects of alternative assessment on reading skill both at tertiary and secondary level. The results of 

the mentioned studies indicated a substantial improvement in students’ reading comprehension skills. The results of 

students’ performance revealed that implementing methods of alternative assessment such as portfolio, self-

assessment and performance assessment prepared the students enough to get high scores on reading comprehension 

tests. Moreover, implementing alternative assessment methods in reading classes make the complicated readings 
enjoyable that becomes a routine activity contributing in vocabulary building and in improving reading 

comprehension and performance as well as a factor of motivating students.  

Other studies (Putri, Pratolo and Setiani, 2019; Safari and Koosha, 2016) examined the practice of 

alternative assessment in EFL classrooms in regards to its impact on speaking skill and oral abilities of students. The 

students managed to increase the quantity of spoken language and to use various lexical items and vocabulary of 

foreign language by applying alternative assessment methods such as e-portfolio and video portfolio. Moreover, 

self-assessment and peer feedback were considered as catalyst factors in improving speaking and listening skills. 

However, Yurdabakan’s and Erdogan’s (2009) study show that implementing alternative assessment method such as 

portfolio doesn’t have considerable results in improving listening skill as compared to speaking skill.  

 

4. Conclusion 

This study reports systematic literature review of empirical studies on assessing alternative assessment in EFL 
classroom published between 2008-2019. Based on the selected number of studies (n=24), majority of the articles 

(19 out of 24) reported positive attitudes and effects of utilizing the alternative assessment providing more 

opportunities for both teachers and students. There were very limited difficulties (n=2) indicated in the 

implementation, two others (n=2) argued no significant difference in the performance and only (n=1) reported no 

clear understanding from respondents employing alternative assessment. 

In addition, the definitions used for alternative assessment are largely consistent in meaning though minor 

nuances in terms of labeling existed. While only focusing on the terms in the titles of the studies, most of them used 

alternative assessment as part of their titles. Moreover, all of the methods of alternative assessment reviewed in the 

selected studies were deemed helpful in enhancing students’ development in foreign language learning. The reported 

findings indicated significant improvement in the basic language learning skills (reading, writing, listening and 

speaking) of the students. Majority of the articles were focused on portfolio, self/peer assessment contributing much 
to learners’ performance and achievements. In terms of methodology, the result of the systematic review showed 

that the dominant method employed in the articles was quantitative, and students were the main focal point involved 

in the research as their participants.  

It should be acknowledged that several limitations might influence the results of this systematic review. 

Firstly,  the  study  is  not  exhaustive,  as  relevant  research may have been missed  because  of  the  limited  choice  

of  search  terms and databases. Although  a  thorough  search  for  covering Alternative Assessment in EFL  

contexts holistically would  be  quite difficult,  the reviewers  hope that the included articles will  represent  the 

current  status of Alternative Assessment  in EFL  settings. Future reviewers with more resources can include several 

other databases and choice of research works to provide a more comprehensive picture of alternative assessment in 

the EFL context. It is hoped that the findings of this systematic review will provide useful guidance for educators, 

practitioners and researchers in the area of Education. 

 
 

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