A widely used instrument for practicing self-assessment strategies is the portfolio. Portfolios
provide an opportunity for learners to monitor their own progress and take responsibility for
meeting goals. Gottlieb (2000) points out that through the portfolio approach “second
language learners are acknowledged as contributors and the multicultural resources that the
students bring to assessment situations serve as rich data sources” (p. 96). She further
delineates that portfolios designed by second language learners can help capture the full
range of the students’ competencies in one or more languages. Developmental portfolios also
enable learners to demonstrate their growth in language proficiency, including oral language
and literacy development, academic achievement, attitudinal variation in terms of
acculturation and learning and acquisition of learning strategies (Gottlieb, 2000). Hence, at
the heart of portfolio pedagogy is a place for selfassessment guided by learners (Hirvela &
Pierson, 2000). While portfolio assessment is practiced as an integral part of instruction, Paulson and
Paulson (1992) argue that it also serves as a practical medium for selfassessment and
propose three steps for practicing selfassessment with portfolios: documentation,
comparison and integration. The first step, documentation, asks learners to provide a
justification for the selected items for the portfolios. In comparison, learners compare a
recent piece of work with an earlier one and identify ways that they have improved. In the
final step, integration, learners use portfolios to provide examples of their growing strengths
in oral or written language. These three steps not only facilitate reflection on learning but
also prepare students to become independent learners.
When learners are engaged in portfolio development, a number of advantages have been