Motivation and Digital Portfolio Assessment: A Canadian case study focusing on middle school students with dyslexia

Abstract

This text aims to explore how a digital portfolio serves as a motivating assessment for a class of middle school students with dyslexia in Canada. After using a digital portfolio assessment for a one-month study, the students completed a questionnaire to self-report their experience with four measures of motivation: interest/enjoyment, perceived competence, effort/importance, and value/usefulness. Grounded in Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory (1985), this paper hypothesizes that the digital portfolio assessment helps to support the students’ motivation levels, specifically in terms of the aforementioned subscales. Results from the study have useful reference points to provide teachers with an alternative form of assessment to foster positive motivation for students with dyslexia. Further research is needed to compare and determine the specific structure and implementation of digital portfolios that are optimal for motivational effects.