Assessing pre-service English language teachers' learning using e-portfolios: Benefits, challenges and competencies gained

Assessment in learning is always of interest to practitioners, academics and researchers, and is always evolving with new implications. Alternative forms of assessment such as e-portfolios have gained recognition in documenting students' learning, as it is synchronous with both product and process. Vast amount of literature narrates the relative advantages of e-portfolios across disciplines, institutions, and applications. In Malaysia, such alternative assessment practices are less explored so far in teacher education. In this study, 55 pre-service TESOL teachers from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) are required to create and maintain a personal e-portfolio. The aim of the study is to ascertain the future teachers' practices with e-portfolios in their learning and to determine if these practices lead to teaching competencies. In addition, the study also aims to identify the benefits and challenges of using an e-portfolio as a tool for learning and self-assessment. Findings indicate that participants are appreciative of e-portfolios, as their performance and achievements are traced over time. It is also found that e-portfolios function as a monitoring tool, which helps the teachers recognize their learning and identify their strengths and weaknesses. Challenges are also noted, which include validity and reliability, interrupted Internet connection, negative attitudes participants, time constraints, workload and ethical issues. In terms of teacher competencies, it is found that six competencies emerge from the teachers' practices of e-portfolios - (1) developing understanding of an effective teacher's role; (2) developing teaching approaches/activities; (3) improving linguistic abilities; (4) comprehending content knowledge; (5) gaining ICT skills and; (6) the realization of the need to change mindsets.

[1]  J. Biggs.  Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment , 1996 .

[2]  J. Chappuis.  Helping Students Understand Assessment , 2005 .

[3]  Pamela A. Moss,et al.  Reasonable Decisions in Portfolio Assessment: Evaluating Complex Evidence of Teaching , 2004 .

[4]  Carl R. Rogers,et al.  Freedom to learn for the 80's , 1982 .

[5]  Etienne Wenger,et al.  Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity , 1998 .

[6]  R. Bogdan,et al.  Qualitative research for education : an introduction to theory and methods / oleh Robert C. Bogdan, Sari Knopp Biklen , 1992 .

[7]  Roger Farr,et al.  Portfolio and Performance Assessment: Helping Students Evaluate Their Progress as Readers and Writers. Second Edition. , 1994 .

[8]  Etienne Wenger,et al.  Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation , 1991 .

[9]  N. Denzin.  The research act: A theoretical introduction to sociological methods , 1977 .

[10]  Jeff Haywood,et al.  The Learning Landscape: A Conceptual Framework for ePortfolios , 2006 .

[11]  Fred Genesee,et al.  Classroom-Based Evaluation in Second Language Education , 1996 .

[12]  Judy Kingsley.  Investing in Teacher Leaders. , 2012 .

[13]  S. Davis.  Developing reflective practice in pre-service student teachers: what does art have to do with it? , 2005 .

[14]  R. Bogdan.  Qualitative research for education : an introduction to theory and methods / by Robert C. Bogdan and Sari Knopp Biklen , 1997 .

[15]  Gilly Salmon,et al.  E-moderating: the key to teaching and learning online , 2003 .

[16]  L. Vygotsky.  Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes: Harvard University Press , 1978 .

[17]  M. Fullan.  The New Meaning of Educational Change , 1990 .

[18]  Bonnie Riedinger,et al.  Mining for Meaning: Teaching Students How to Reflect , 2006 .

[19]  Valentina Klenowski,et al.  Portfolios: Promoting teaching , 2000 .

[20]  Helen C. Barrett.  Researching Electronic Portfolios and Learner Engagement: The REFLECT Initiative , 2007 .

[21]  Sigrin T. Newell.  Practical inquiry: Collaboration and reflection in teacher education reform , 1996 .

[22]  Greg Sherman.  Instructional Roles of Electronic Portfolios , 2006 .

[23]  Diana G. Oblinger,et al.  Educating the Net Generation , 2005 .

[24]  Robin Mason,et al.  The Educational Potential of e-Portfolios: Supporting Personal Development and Reflective Learning , 2007 .

[25]  George Lorenzo,et al.  An Overview of E-Portfolios , 2005 .

[26]  C. Banfi.  Portfolios: integrating advanced language, academic, and professional skills , 2003 .

[27]  Molly N. N. Lee.  Malaysian Teacher Education into the New Century , 2004 .

[28]  Mark Sanders,et al.  Web-based Portfolios for Technology Education: A Personal Case Study. , 2000 .

[29]  Isarji Sarudin,et al.  The English language proficiency of Malaysian Public University students , 2008 .

[30]  Henry Braun,et al.  Reconsidering the Impact of High-stakes Testing , 2004 .

[31]  A. Orders.  Cultivating communities of practice , 2013 .

[32]  P. Abrami,et al.  Directions for Research and Development on Electronic Portfolios , 2005 .

[33]  M. N. Browne,et al.  Distinguishing Features of Critical Thinking Classrooms , 2000 .

[34]  J. Dewey.  Democracy and education : an introduction to philosophy of education / John Dewey , 1916 .

[35]  K. Wolf,et al.  Teaching Portfolios: Purposes and Possibilities. , 1998 .

[36]  H. Douglas Brown,et al.  Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom Practices , 2003 .

[37]  Muhammad Kamarul Kabilan,et al.  English Language Teachers Reflecting on Reflections: A Malaysian Experience , 2007 .

[38]  Kathleen O’Brien.  ePortfolios as Learning Construction Zones: Provost's Perspective , 2006 .

[39]  Hasan Tinmaz,et al.  Implementing Project-Based Learning And E-Portfolio Assessment In an Undergraduate Course , 2006 .

[40]  He Songhao,et al.  Towards New Collaborative e-Learning and Learning Community Using Portfolio Assessment , 2008 .

[41]  P. Rudd.  School improvement through information and communications technology: limitations and possibilities , 2001 .

[42]  J. Bransford,et al.  Preparing Teachers for a Changing World: What Teachers Should Learn and Be Able to Do. , 2005 .

[43]  Annette C. Sherry,et al.  Worth of Electronic Portfolios to Education Majors: A “Two by Four” Perspective , 2005 .

[44]  David E. Gray,et al.  Doing Research in the Real World , 2004 .

[45]  Dorothy M. Campbell,et al.  How to Develop a Professional Portfolio: A Manual for Teachers , 1996 .

[46]  Michael Fullan,et al.  The New Meaning of Educational Change. Second Edition. , 1991 .

[47]  M. Kabilan.  Online Professional Development: A Literature Analysis of Teacher Competency. , 2005 .

[48]  Valentina Klenowski,et al.  Developing Portfolios for Learning and Assessment: Processes and Principles , 2002 .

[49]  Heidi J. Stevenson.  Using ePortfolios to Foster Peer Assessment, Critical Thinking and Collaboration , 2006 .

[50]  Amanda C. Gingerich.  The Digital Teaching Portfolio Handbook: A How-To Guide for Educators , 2002 .

[51]  L. Darling-Hammond.  The Implications of Testing Policy for Quality and Equality. , 1991 .

[52]  L. Cohen,et al.  Research Methods in Education , 1980 .

[53]  Alice Christie,et al.  ePortfolios: Constructing Meaning Across Time, Space, and Curriculum , 2006 .