INDONESIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS Vol. 12 No. 2, September 2022, pp. 466-475 Available online at: https://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/IJAL/article/view/44232 https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v12i2.44232 466 * Corresponding Author Email: nourdad@tabrizu.ac.ir The effect of e-portfolio assessment on EFL vocabulary learning and retention Nava Nourdad * and Mohammad Amin Banagozar English Department, Persian Literature and Foreign Languages Faculty, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran ABSTRACT Vocabulary is one of the main components in learning a new language which provides the ground for language learners to learn and use the language. In this regard e-portfolio, as a recent and novel assessment technique, can have the potential for vocabulary development. This study aimed at investigating the effect of portfolio assessment on Iranian EFL guidance school learners’ vocabulary learning and retention. To this end, 92 guidance school students in the seventh, eighth, and ninth grades, were selected as the participants of the study. They were randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups. While the control group followed the conventional class quizzes the experimental group practiced e-portfolio assessment. The participants in the experimental group were asked to create their e-portfolios and keep a record of what they learned during and after the online sessions. They were also asked to include the reflection sheets in their e-portfolios. Three parallel tests as a pre-test, an immediate post-test, and a delayed post-post were used to gather data about the effect of portfolio assessment in each grade (a total of nine tests). The results of a one-way ANCOVA revealed that the participants of the experimental group outperformed the participants of the control group in terms of EFL vocabulary learning and retention. Considering the outcomes, the study presents some implications for practitioners including language teachers, curriculum and course developers, and language learners. Keywords: EFL vocabulary; e-portfolio; portfolio assessment; vocabulary learning; vocabulary retention First Received: 29 June 2021 Revised: 25 July 2022 Accepted: 20 September 2022 Final Proof Received: 27 September 2022 Published: 30 September 2022 How to cite (in APA style): Nourdad, N. & Banagozar, M. A. (2022). The effect of e-portfolio assessment on EFL vocabulary learning and retention. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 12(2), 466- 475. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v12i2.44232 INTRODUCTION Vocabulary plays a more pivotal role in communication than other language components (Chastain, 1998) because the knowledge of words is directly related to communicative competence and the development of a second language (Schmitt, 2000). Knowledge of vocabulary enables learners to use language and on the contrary, language use results in an increase in vocabulary knowledge (Nation, 2001). Many researchers and linguists have referred to the significance of vocabulary knowledge in their studies (Hindman et al., 2008; Laufer & Nation, 1999; Maximo & Sadowki, 2008; Nation, 2008; Read, 2000). On the other hand, one of the primary features of any language program is assessment. In the past, the assessment was more considered a way of testing and grading the processes which were often summative such as final exams. Hence learners were informed simply and merely of their scores, usually left with no or little information about their real performance in the classroom. Nevertheless, new ways of assessing learners’ performance have been introduced and developed recently, which focus more on informing learners about their knowledge and performance. These new ways of assessment are called alternative or authentic assessments.