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The effect of portfolios on students'learning: student teachers' viewsS. Odabaşı Çimer a
a Fatih Faculty of Education, Karadeniz Technical University,Trabzon, TurkeyPublished online: 25 Mar 2011.
To cite this article: S. Odabaşı Çimer (2011) The effect of portfolios on students' learning:student teachers' views, European Journal of Teacher Education, 34:2, 161-176, DOI:10.1080/02619768.2011.552183
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European Journal of Teacher EducationVol. 34, No. 2, May 2011, 161–176
ISSN 0261-9768 print/ISSN 1469-5928 online© 2011 Association for Teacher Education in EuropeDOI: 10.1080/02619768.2011.552183http://www.informaworld.com
The effect of portfolios on students’ learning: student teachers’ views
S. Odaba [scedil]ı Çimer*
Fatih Faculty of Education, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, TurkeyTaylor and FrancisCETE_A_552183.sgm10.1080/02619768.2011.552183European Journal of Teacher Education0261-9768 (print)/1469-5928 (online)Article2011Taylor & Francis342000000May [email protected]
This study reports on student teachers’ views of portfolios as a learning tool whenthey are combined with a weekly test conducted at the end of each lesson to helpstudent teachers self-evaluate. Student teachers’ written reflections during theprocess provided data for the study. Analysis of the data showed that a majority ofstudent teachers initially felt that compiling a portfolio would be time-consumingand an extra burden added to their already busy schedule. However, later on theyall found that the process was a useful learning experience. Moreover, theportfolio process – especially combining self-reflection with weekly tests –encouraged students to study regularly, increased retention and made learningmore enjoyable. Suggestions for the successful portfolio implementation includethe following: guiding students both at the beginning of and during the process,providing continuous and prompt feedback during the process and making self-reflection – especially guided by reflection prompts – an essential part of theprocess.
Keywords: portfolio; student teachers’ views; reflection prompts; continuousfeedback
Introduction
Portfolios are at the forefront of alternative assessment approaches and, precisely asan alternative assessment method, the portfolio has been touted as one of the mostinnovative learning tools in the last two decades – roughly 1990–2010, as any surveyof the literature would show – mainly because it offers many advantages in terms oflearning as well as assessment (Paulson, Paulson, and Meyer 1991; Barton and Collins1993; Ryan and Kuhs 1993; Wade and Yarbrough 1996; Tang et al. 1999; Strijbos,Meeus, and Libotton 2007). Today, educational portfolios are used in many countriesaround the world.
Parallel to the developments in other countries, recently in Turkey the rationale,purpose and format of assessments in schools have been changed as part of the effortto reform education. Portfolios as part of the new system were introduced, and teach-ers have been required to use them. However, recent research on teachers’ competencein implementing the new assessment methods has shown that they are often not imple-mented effectively in schools (Ayas et al. 2007; Odaba [scedil]ı Çimer and Çakır 2007;Odaba [scedil]ı Çimer et al. 2010). These studies also indicated that teachers were notadequately prepared for this new role in their pre-service education; neither hasadequate in-service training been offered.
It is well-accepted fact that the success of any reform in education depends onteachers’ understanding, acceptance and application of the new requirements (Fullan
*Email: [email protected]
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1991; Hargreaves 1994; Çimer 2004). Thus, the education of teachers is important forthe success of any educational reform. Hence, to provide a solution for the aboveproblem, this study aimed to implement one of the alternative-assessment methods,namely portfolio, in a pre-service teacher education course module, as student teach-ers are expected to implement it when they start their teaching post. It was assumed inthis study that the use of a portfolio during pre-service education would put studentteachers in the shoes of their future students, so that they could see the process ofkeeping a portfolio through the lenses of learners. Thereby, it could be possible forstudent teachers to address learner needs better and to alleviate possible tensionbetween teaching intention and learner perspective while using portfolio. Moreover,based on the literature on the effects of portfolio on students’ learning and achieve-ment, it was also assumed that it would contribute to student teachers’ own learningand performance in the module.
The importance of this study is twofold from the international perspective.Firstly, there is a large body of literature on portfolios, but most of these studies aretheoretical in nature, explaining the rationale for using portfolios and the benefitsassociated with them (Wolf 1989; Haertel 1991; Paulson, Paulson, and Meyer 1991;Diez 1994; Wolf and Dietz 1994; Wolf, Whinery, and Hagerty 1995). In addition,those studies examining learners’ views of portfolios mostly report quantitative datafrom questionnaires (Strijbos, Meeus, and Libotton 2007; Imhof and Pikard 2009).There is not enough qualitative empirical research examining student learning in theportfolio process to back up the claims about the benefits of portfolios. Thus, thisstudy is important in terms of providing qualitative empirical evidence on the journeythat student teachers took during the portfolio implementation process and on theeffects of portfolio on learning, based on the self-reported experiences of studentteachers.
Secondly, this study tried to incorporate weekly tests into the portfolio process.Literature provides objective evidence that frequent testing promotes learning andpositive attitudes towards learning and increases motivation and interest in the subject(Turney 1931; Keys 1934; Fitch, Drucker, and Norton 1951; Kulik et al. 1986;Bangert-Drowns et al. 1991; Kika, McLaughlin, and Dixon 1992; Tuckman 2000).Thus, in this study, the use of weekly tests combined with reflection is expected toincrease positive effects of the portfolio process on learning.
Therefore, the main purpose of using portfolio in this study was to contribute tothe student teachers’ learning and development rather than merely to assess theirlearning for summative purposes. The main assumption was that during the process ofpreparing portfolios, student teachers’ learning would be directed and enhanced asthey would be encouraged to reflect on their experiences and identify learning needsand then take remedial action. This assumption was validated by the study. In order toensure the participation of all students in the process, an assessment component wasalso thought to be necessary. Thus, students were informed that their portfolios wouldcontribute to their end-of-term marks.
The research question for this study is: What are student teachers’ views of theeffects of using portfolio on their own learning?
It is hoped that students’ views as reflected in their self-reports may lead to abetter understanding of their experience and perceptions of the portfolio process. Thisis an important aspect of effective implementation of portfolios, but one about whichrelatively little is known.
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Methodology
Sample
Research shows that portfolio assignments are best introduced towards the end ofteacher education programmes, as student teachers in the first year should first acquirebasic knowledge and skills of teaching, and only then learn more complex skills suchas reflection, in authentic situations (Darling 2001; Zou 2002). Thus, in this study,student teachers who were near the end of their degree course were considered to bebetter equipped to compile a good portfolio. Therefore, a class of 35 fourth-yearbiology student teachers enrolled in the course ‘Assessment and evaluation’ (which I,the researcher in this study, teach) participated in the study. Out of 35 student teachers,21 were female and 14 were male. This paper draws on the considerable experiencesof the participants. Hereafter in this paper, the student teachers are referred to simplyas ‘students’.
Study environment and module
In this study a portfolio process was implemented in the authentic study setting of aregular course module, namely ‘Assessment and evaluation’. It is a one-semestercourse, compulsory for all fourth-year secondary students in the Faculty of Educationat Karadeniz Technical University, Turkey. The module aims to educate students onthe theory and practices of traditional and alternative assessments. During the semester,students attend a two-hour lecture once a week for 14 weeks.
In this module, during the first half of an academic semester the unit of ‘Tradi-tional assessment’ is taught (Weeks 1–7) and in the second half (Weeks 8–14), the unitof ‘Alternative assessment’ is covered. This study was implemented during the spring2009 semester.
Lessons were taught based on student participation employing whole-class discus-sions and group or individual work. A weekly test was administered at the end of eachlesson. The weekly test was intended to provide students with frequent feedback ontheir performance, and thereby promote learning. These tests were self-assessed at theend of the lessons and students were allowed to keep their tests in their portfolios.
The portfolio-implementation process and data collection
The overarching research question of this study is ‘What are students’ views on theeffects of using portfolio on their own learning?’ This led to an investigation into thejourney that students took during the process of portfolio implementation. The data todocument this journey – and to reveal the effects of the process on learning asperceived by the students themselves – were collected using the self-reflective reportsin the portfolios.
Each student was assigned to prepare a portfolio documenting the evidencesconcerning his/her learning and understanding about the topics covered in the compul-sory module ‘Assessment and evaluation’. The first lesson of the module was devotedto providing detailed instructions for the organisation and contents of the portfolio.The nature of the portfolio assignment was carefully explained. Questions about theprocess were also encouraged and answered. The details on how to write their weeklyself-assessment journal entries were explained. In addition, general information on
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reflective writing was also provided, and students were given opportunities to practicereflective writing.
The portfolio to be prepared for the study was flexible in terms of its content andnature. However, the students were provided with a minimum list of items to beincluded in order both to guide them and to help relieve their anxiety about what theyshould cover in their portfolios, as this was the first time they were exposed to a port-folio process. Besides, researchers warn that with complex and long-term assignmentslike the portfolio in this study, there needs to be guidance for content and structure andalso flexibility and choice (Borko et al. 1997). Therefore, in order to reduce initialambivalence that students might experience, instead of using open-ended portfolios, aframework was provided to guide students during the process while allowing them tofeel free enough to pursue independent directions (Darling 2001).
The students were expected to include in their portfolios the work they hadcompleted during the lessons and homework assignments and the evidence of out-of-class work. In addition, they could also include other items that they thought wouldshow that they met the learning targets. By encouraging students to include self-selected items in their portfolios, I hoped to encourage additional student activity inthe process, as ‘what the student does is actually more important in determining whatis learned than what the teacher does’ (Shuell 1986, 429). Each piece of evidencewould be accompanied by a reflective evaluation (why that piece of work was chosen,and what was learned from the work), and the students were required to write a weeklyself-assessment journal entry referring to the reflection prompts which I had providedto them. In this study, reflection prompts – what I learned, what I could not learn, whatI have done to close the gap – were used to guide students’ reflection.
Reflection prompts have been described as promising tools to promote reflectionin general, and, especially, to evoke intended initial reflective activities by students (Chiet al. 1994; Butler 1998; Van den Boom et al. 2004). In addition, they have been shownto contribute to the development of students’ self-regulated learning competence (Vanden Boom et al. 2004). Reflection was a new concept for the students in this study,and it is known that most students do not reflect spontaneously on their learning process(Van den Boom, Paas, and Van Merriënboer 2007). Therefore, in this study, ‘reflectionprompts’ were used to stimulate students to reflect on their learning, as reflection isan important part of the portfolio process (Bastidas 1996; Day 1999; Foote 2001).
At the end of the portfolio process, students were expected to write a summaryreflection paper, reacting to what they had learned from their self-assessment journalentries and from the entire portfolio-assessment experience. This reflection paper wasdesigned to provide summative data on the students’ portfolio experience in their ownwords.
In addition, weekly multiple-choice tests, consisting of 10 to 15 questions relatedto what was covered in the week’s lesson, were also administered to provide quick feed-back to the students about their learning throughout the semester (see the Appendix).The tests were self-assessed at the end of the lessons, and the answers were gone overby the instructor.
To summarise, the content of the portfolio for the module included the following:
● Reflective journal written through the portfolio process. It included weeklywritten entries of students reflecting on their learning referring to the reflectionprompts which I had provided.
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● Evidence of specific tasks completed in the module (classroom handouts anno-tated by the students, assignments, tests, homework, and the like). The studentswere also expected to articulate their thoughts in writing for each of these items.
● Notes and evidence of further reading and study.● A commentary on learning and development over the course of the module
(written at the end of the process).
The portfolios were collected at the end of the seventh week, just before themidterm examination, and returned with my written feedback on the content ofthe portfolios and the progress the students had made. They were collected again atthe end of the term, and each portfolio was analysed for content and returned withwritten teacher feedback.
Data analysis
The data from the students’ reflective journals and written reflections from the finalself-reflection task were analysed for content following the procedures advised byMerriam (1988), Bogdan and Biklen (1992) and Miles and Huberman (1994). Thecontent analysis involved first determining codes, then, pulling them together to formcategories based on the research question.
In the analysis process, first in order to get familiar with the data and to understandwhat the students really said, I found it necessary to read and reread the students’ writ-ings carefully, ‘staying focused’ on the topic under investigation. Thus, I read thereflective entries carefully several times to identify emerging topics or concepts whichhad potential to answer the study’s questions. These topics or concepts, which can alsobe called codes, were written by me in the right margin of the paper. This search wascontinued until no new codes emerged.
After this step, the codes were then grouped together to form broader categorieswhere there were strong commonalities. In other words, categories emerged from thecodes. Five overall categories emerged from the qualitative data analysis of the reflec-tive entries, and these were as follows: (1) the compiling process, (2) regular studyhabits, (3) increased self-awareness, (4) increased retention, and (5) more positiveaffective outcomes. For example, the category ‘compiling process’ contained suchcodes as, ‘difficult’, ‘unnecessary’, ‘time-consuming’, ‘not beneficial’, and, as thesemester continued, ‘useful’, and ‘should be used’.
In the results section, these categories were presented as themes, each indicatingthe students’ views of a different aspect of the process.
Results and discussion
Five themes could be drawn from the analysis of the students’ written reflections intheir portfolios, regarding how they perceived the portfolio process and its effects ontheir learning. This section is organised and presented around these themes.
Theme 1: Sounded like a difficult and unnecessary process at the beginning
Interestingly, in general, students’ views about the portfolio process showed a distinctpattern starting from a negative view which progressed to a positive one. In their
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reflections on the first lesson, almost all of the students indicated that the processwould be difficult and demanding. Some also wrote that it was an unnecessary addi-tion to their already busy schedules. Especially, writing weekly journal entries wasthought to be time-consuming and would not be beneficial for their learning.However, as they involved themselves more in the process, such negative feelingsfaded and changed in a more positive direction, indicating how useful the process wasfor their learning. The comments below are typical of the students who reported suchfeelings in their final reflection reports:
When we were first given this assignment, I thought that it was just extra work I had todo. I even thought that it would be a waste of time since I did not believe that I wouldgain anything in return… As I used it, these feelings have completely gone. (ST 9)
I did not realise the benefits of portfolio when it was first introduced. While I was preparingit, I noticed that it was not something that demanded extra time or effort. All we did waswhat we should normally have done… now I do not have those negative feelings. (ST 15)
It was also evident in most of the students’ comments that even they, themselves,were surprised to notice such a rapid change in their own opinions. One said: ‘At thebeginning I did not believe it would be good for us. But, as we used it, even I couldnot believe myself. My thoughts have changed so quickly’ (ST 5). All of the students’overall reflections at the end of the process were positive.
The main reason for students’ initial negative thoughts about portfolios could betheir initial uncertainty or unfamiliarity with the process. Twelve of the studentscommented on the difficulties they experienced precisely because of their unfamiliar-ity with the process and a fear of getting on the wrong track at the beginning of theprocess. One said: ‘I was not clear about what to do at first and felt a bit negative aboutit. I did not want to do things wrong. As I talked to my friends and the instructor, I feltbetter’ (ST 30).
Another said:
At first I could not really understand the process and I did not want to be involved init…. I experienced difficulty in trying to figure out what and how I would do. Ifrequently talked to my fellow students and to the instructor about what to do… In time,as I got used to it, I saw its benefits. (ST 8)
As the above students indicated, with support from their friends and the instructor,the feeling of uncertainty and fear of doing things wrong faded.
Given that this was the first time the students had been exposed to a portfolioprocess, initial negative reactions were to be expected. Similar views and concernswere also reported in the previous research (Biggs 1996; Darling 2001). Working witha group of teachers, Biggs (1996) reported that the participants favoured the use ofportfolio although they reported anxiety at the beginning of the process. Theresearcher linked this initial anxiety to the unfamiliarity of the teachers with theprocess and the difference between the open-ended nature of the portfolio process andthe highly authoritarian educational culture from which the teachers themselves hadcome. Similarly, Darling (2001) also reported the initial anxiety of student teacherswho went through the portfolio process. The main reason behind this anxiety as shereported was the open-ended nature of portfolios and ‘the lack of concrete detail aboutthe “rules”’ (114).
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Reflection was a new concept for the students in this study. Although there havebeen reform movements to bring constructivist teaching and learning into ourschools, a highly teacher-centred, authoritarian educational culture still persists.Thus, students seldom find opportunities to express themselves, as their role is tolisten to their teachers and acquire the knowledge which the teachers presented.Therefore, asking them to reflect on their experience or to self-evaluate their learn-ing was a completely new experience for them, and they did not know how to do it.Likewise, at the beginning of the process, they could not be sure that it would doany good for them.
Thus, the comments indicating ‘uncertainty’ and ‘unfamiliarity’ have beenrepeatedly expressed in their reflections, and such comments have implications forthe implementers of the portfolio process. The nature and amount of guidance andsupport during the implementation of portfolios are important. Although a briefingsession to introduce the concept of reflection and to explain the nature, purpose anddesign of portfolios took place at the commencement of the study and ongoing tuto-rial support was provided during the process, some of the students in this study indi-cated initially experiencing uncertainty regarding what to do or how to prepare theirportfolios. This may, partly, be a result of inadequacy of the briefing session, whichwas the first class period. In addition to the explanations, providing more opportuni-ties to practice reflective writing and distributing samples of portfolios to acquaintthe students with the idea of portfolio could help reduce their initial uncertainty andanxiety.
However, it should also be noted as previous researchers indicated that regardlessof the nature and amount of the initial preparation, people might feel initial anxietyand uncertainty when exposed to an innovation (Benett 1980; Fullan 1991). Hence,such initial anxiety and hesitation seem to be an almost inevitable part of any changeprocess.
Theme 2: Encourages/helps learners to study regularly
From the analysis of the data it was seen that the self-reflection requirements, espe-cially the reflection prompts requiring students to provide evidences of closing the gapmade them study regularly. Below a student’s comment from her overall evaluationreport exemplifies this:
I do not study regularly… I just study for exams… Just before the exams I summarisethe lesson notes and try to learn them… But in order to prepare a portfolio you need toevaluate your performance on every item which you put in the portfolio and close anygap. And you have to write how you closed the gap. This means you need to studyconsistently and regularly… Portfolio taught me to work regularly. (ST9)
In addition, 26 out of 35 participants used the term ‘willingly or unwillingly’ toindicate that whether they wanted or not, portfolio made them study regularly and takeremedial action to close the gap concerning problems they had encountered. Thecomment below summarises their views:
I usually know where I need to do more work, but I do not do anything until the exams.However, while preparing a portfolio, you can’t postpone until the last moment. Willingly
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or unwillingly, you have to study and close the gap. Because you have to write how youclosed the gap. (ST3)
As is obvious from the above comments, especially because of an obligation toreflect on their learning and write self-evaluation reports, the students changed theirusual study habits to more regular ones. Traditional classes not requiring suchreflections or evaluations allow learners to procrastinate and wait until the examina-tion (Çimer 2004). However, with portfolio, as the students agreed, as part of therequirements of the process, they studied steadily over a period of time rather thanwaiting until the last moment to cram in all the knowledge and skills which theywould need for the final examination.
Theme 3: Portfolio provides self-awareness and, thereby, a chance to improve
Another common theme emerging from the students’ reflections was that the portfolioprocess helped them notice their own strengths and weaknesses about their learning.As was evident from their own comments, there were two elements of the portfolioprocess that helped them to notice strengths and weaknesses in their learning. One wasfeedback from the weekly tests, and the other was writing weekly reflective journalentries.
As indicated earlier, there was a short multiple-choice test at the end of each lesson.As the test results provided tangible evidence for students to see what they learned andwhat they did not learn at the end of each lesson, they took the test results as the refer-ence point to plan their further study. One said: ‘Tests helped me to see what I learnedand what I couldn’t. I did extra work to learn the matter’ (ST3). Another said: ‘Lastweek I wasn’t good at the test. But I studied and corrected my mistakes. I am glad thatI did better this week. But, I still need to do some extra work’ (ST 30).
As is clear from the above comments, continuous feedback from the tests helpedthe students identify the parts of the topic they could not learn at first. As theyidentified their weaknesses, they tried to remedy them. Earlier research also providedobjective evidence that frequently quizzed students had significantly higher achieve-ment and more positive attitudes towards learning and increased motivation andinterest in the subject (Turney 1931; Keys 1934; Bangert-Drowns et al. 1991; Kika,McLaughlin, and Dixon 1992; Tuckman 2000).
In addition to the tests, reflection prompts were also important in encouragingstudents to take remedial action. One of the students said in his final evaluation reportthe following:
… evaluating my own learning after each lesson, and the tests at the end of the lessons,helped me to see where I needed extra work. Thereby, I felt I needed to study more fornext week’s topic… Such awareness about my own performance encouraged me toimprove my knowledge more. Perhaps… made me study. I studied to close each gap whichI noticed. This process was continuous and complementary like the rings in a chain. (ST1)
In his overall evaluation report, another student also clearly indicated the importanceof reflection and self-evaluation in the portfolio process:
Portfolio is really an effective tool to help students follow their own growth of learn-ing… When portfolio entries are completed with self-evaluations, in time students feelobliged to learn the lesson, as they are expected to do self-evaluation and reflect on the
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learning at the end of the lesson… If this portfolio taught even a student like me to study,then, it really is a good thing… a magic wand. (ST12, emphasis added)
The above comments clearly support the famous quotation from Plato’s Apology,which can be translated as, ‘The life without self-reflection is not worth living’. Obvi-ously, self-reflection coupled with weekly tests and continuous feedback resulted inchanges in students’ study habits and produced learners who could take responsibilityfor their own learning. Only testing students (without the self-reflection requirement)after each lesson could also show them their strengths and weaknesses, but a require-ment to reflect on their learning was, apparently, what made them think about theirlearning experience and take remedial actions to increase their learning. Perhaps, ifthere had been no such requirement of self-reflection, they might have not so muchcared about the test results either. What encouraged them to take remedial action toimprove themselves was increased self-awareness through what Dewey calls ‘process-ing their experience’ (Peatling 2000). Thus, reflecting on their experience turnedstudents’ learning into a more conscious process. In other words, it is possible to claimthat reflection increased students’ self-awareness. Self-awareness, in turn, improvedtheir study habits (Zimmerman 2001).
Overall, reflection prompts in this study served as the cues to elicit reflection.Reflecting on their experience while writing weekly journal entries and the feedbackfrom weekly tests in turn raised students’ self-awareness. Self-awareness is theprerequisite for personal development and change, because as people become awareof themselves or their strengths and weaknesses, they plan their future learning andtake remedial actions which result in improvement (Zimmerman 2001). Van denBoom and his colleagues (2004) also report that reflection prompts evoke reflectiveactivities from students and develop their self-regulated learning.
Theme 4: Portfolio increases retention, and results in better learning
The above themes also support this theme, that using portfolio results in better reten-tion and learning. One of the students said: ‘The use of portfolio increased retention.I wish it was introduced earlier and in other subjects too’ (ST 2).
The students pointed out different aspects of the portfolio process as increasingretention. One aspect they mentioned was developing regular study habits. As indi-cated earlier, it was a shared idea of the students that portfolio made them studyregularly. Such regular study over an extended period of time rather than attemptingto ‘cram’ the night before the examination resulted in better learning. Increased reten-tion and better learning were indicated by most of the students, especially when theytalked about traditional classes where they memorised and then forgot everything rightafter the examination:
I am not a person who reviews notes at the end of the lessons or studies regularly. I studyonly for exams. I try to memorise the important points. I know this is not a good behav-iour because you learn and then purge right after the exam is finished. However, withportfolio, I study on a regular basis and I learn better… And the good thing is I enjoyedthe process. (ST12)
Students also pointed out that portfolio promoted higher-level thinking or thinkingabout the applications of knowledge in real-world situations, which resulted in betterlearning:
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Writing self-reflections made me think about my own learning and indeed think aboutmy thinking and how I could use what we learned in the real world and especially in myteaching. This increased the retention of knowledge and helped me learn better. (ST25)
As the student above indicated, writing self-reflective journal entries was impor-tant for increasing learning. Literature provides evidence of improvement in learningand understanding and improvement of the acquisition of problem-solving skills whenstudents are encouraged to reflect and explain (Chi et al. 1989, 1994; Nathan, Mertz,and Ryan 1994). In this study, reflection prompts, especially the question dealing with‘what I learned’, required one to explain to oneself. It is clear from the students’ owncomments that such self-explanations contributed to their understanding of the coursematerials.
It was obvious from the students’ comments that weekly tests which providedimmediate feedback on their learning also motivated students to learn and yieldedincreased retention. Similarly, in his study on the effects of frequent testing onstudents’ learning, Tuckman (2000) indicated that frequent testing increased achieve-ment based on the increased motivation to store information in long-term memory andto practice timely study rather than to indulge in procrastination.
Clearly, weekly tests combined with self-reflection in the portfolio process helpedstudents learn meaningfully rather than merely memorising unrelated facts by heartand they start to think about the applications of the newly acquired knowledge to theirprofessional practice. Such a form of learning is important as it is ranked as the highestpath for professional development (Entwistle and Entwistle 1992; Day 1999).
Theme 5: Yields in positive affective learning outcomes
In addition to the positive cognitive outcomes and increased self-awareness, positiveaffective outcomes were also evident in many of the students’ comments. The affectiveoutcomes cover the feeling that students experience while preparing their portfolios.
Analysis of the students’ reflective comments showed that they expressed affec-tive feelings about both self and task. Self-oriented feelings were expressed in termsof like/dislike, enjoyment, satisfaction, encouragement and self-confidence.
Twenty-eight of the students wrote that they enjoyed using portfolio and theyliked the portfolio experience even though at the beginning they had negative feel-ings about it. As indicated earlier at the beginning of the process, negative feelingswere more apparent in the students’ self-reflective reports. They saw the process asan unnecessary addition to their already busy schedule, and most of them expresseddoubts about the benefits that the portfolio would bring them. However, as they usedit, such feelings faded. The following comment is typical of the students whoenjoyed preparing their portfolios: ‘This is something I did for my own good and theresult makes me happy: I really liked the process as well as the product as I learneda lot’ (ST 27).
Many students commented on how satisfied and encouraged they were to seethemselves learn better. One said: ‘I am so glad to see that I learn better… and thisindeed makes me feel more encouraged to study’ (ST 8).
Six of the students emphasised that they felt confident to take examinations anddid not need extra study for them as they had studied regularly all semester. A studentwho indicated that portfolio helped her gain regular study habits added the following:
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‘as I studied consistently and regularly, I feel I am ready for the final exam. I do notneed extra work’ (ST 32).
Those comments which were task-oriented mainly pointed out how easy/difficultthe assignment was and the benefits of the process to their learning and development.All of the students indicated in their final reflection reports that they found the port-folio process more beneficial and easier than they had figured initially. In addition,five of the students noted that the process was beneficial in terms of yielding a productat the end for them to keep as a record of their experience and to be used in the future.
Overall, in their final reflective reports all of the students expressed positive feel-ings about portfolio. The data presented in this section about the positive effects of theportfolio process on learning supported what was reported in the literature regardingthe benefits of portfolio (Ryan and Kuhs 1993; Wade and Yarbrough 1996; Borko etal. 1997; Tang et al. 1999; Strijbos, Meeus, and Libotton 2007).
Such positive feelings about portfolio in this study can be explained as a functionof two factors. First, the portfolio that was implemented in this study was a learningportfolio giving great freedom to learners in the compiling process. It allowed studentsto make decisions on the content and structure of portfolios, and this is an importantfactor that promotes students’ learning and motivation (Wolf and Dietz 1998).
Second, the portfolio process in this study was implemented with students near theend of their education. Literature also suggests that the appropriate time for introduc-ing portfolio would be later stages of pre-service education (Zou 2002).
Conclusions and suggestions
This study was conducted to reveal how students perceived their experience of prepar-ing portfolios and the effects of the portfolio process on their learning. The data fromthe self-reflections of the students have provided empirical evidence about the effectsof portfolio on student learning and have implications for effective implementation ofportfolios.
The results of the study support the belief that portfolio is a useful tool both todirect and to enhance students’ learning. However, it should be emphasised that thesepositive effects could not be obtained if portfolio was treated only as a folder to collectstudents’ work. There are two components of the portfolio process that make a port-folio a valuable learning tool; one is self-reflection and the other is continuous andimmediate feedback through the weekly tests.
Self-reflection or the ability to reflect on one’s own action is an important skill fora teacher, although it is difficult to teach. It enhances learning and motivation andownership in one’s learning. In addition, it also distinguishes portfolios from foldersthat simply include samples of students’ work. The study showed that during the port-folio process three elements were important in developing students’ self-reflection.Firstly, students need a certain period of time to develop self-reflection skills. Theyappreciate the benefits of the portfolio process as they get used to reflective learning.At the beginning of this study, the students’ writings were mainly descriptive innature; however, later in the process, with continuous supervision and guidance, theystarted to evaluate their learning critically. Thus, as they looked at their learning anddevelopment with a critical eye, they started to take remedial actions to improve theirlearning. To summarise, improvement in self-reflection brought along with it the otherbenefits of the portfolio process.
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Secondly, self-reflection can be facilitated through providing appropriate guidance.Research indicates that if students have limited or no understanding of the self-reflectiveprocess and its relevance to their learning, this may impede their willingness to engagein reflection and may create unnecessary barriers (Bastidas 1996). Thus, making themeaning and the benefits of reflection clear to the participants at the commencementof the study will help develop reflective skills. Only giving the definition of the termmay not be sufficient to achieve this result.
Thirdly, reflection prompts – especially asking students ‘how they closed the gap’– played an important role in the process of developing students’ self-reflection andhelped change their study habits to study regularly rather than swotting for examinations.This was evident from their self-reports in this study. Thus, such prompts both to guidestudents in the process of reflection, especially if they are not familiar with the process,and to help them study regularly seem to be an essential part of the portfolio process.
Immediate and continuous feedback was another factor affecting learning duringthe process. In this study, it was provided through weekly tests and continuous supportwhen needed. The results of the tests provided a reference point for students to plantheir further studies and increased motivation to learn while it continuously supportedthem throughout the process.
To conclude, in this study, reflective portfolio coupled with frequent testing resultedin positive outcomes in terms of both cognitive and affective learning. Therefore, it issuggested that the use of portfolios in teacher education should be promoted. However,continuous supervision and guidance are important factors for the success of the port-folio process. If used properly, portfolio can change students’ irregular study habits toregular ones and promote learning and positive attitudes towards learning.
This study is important in terms of providing detailed qualitative data on students’views of the effects of the portfolio process, which combined self-reflection withfrequent tests to provide prompt feedback. However, it also has certain limitations. Thestudy lasted only for a semester, and this may not be long enough for significant changesto take place. Improving students’ reflective and self-regulation skills in other courseswould develop over a longer period of time. However, even such a short implementationperiod yielded promising results in this study. Future studies could consider imple-menting the portfolio process over a longer period of time and use longitudinal studyto monitor its effects on learning. In addition, as is the case for all social studies thatuse human beings as the sample, participants’ unique characteristics and physical andother conditions may always affect the results. Thus, there is a need for replicating thestudy with a different sample to verify the results and specify further effects.
Notes on contributor
Sabiha Odaba [scedil]ı Çimer is an assistant professor in the Department of Secondary Science andMathematics Education at Karadeniz Technical University in Turkey. She completed hermaster’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Nottingham, UK. Her research interests arescience education, assessment and evaluation and teacher education.
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Appendix
Module: assessment and evaluation, Test 3
(1) Which of the following is the dispersion of a set of data from its mean?
(a) Mean(b) Range(c) Median(d) Standard deviation(e) Interquartile range
Please answer questions 2 and 3 using this set of data: 6, 3, 3, 6, 8, 7, 10, 8, 9, 3, 10
(2) What is the mode for this set of data?
(a) 3(b) 6(c) 7(d) 8(e) 10
(3) What is the median for this set of data?
(a) 3(b) 6(c) 7(d) 8(e) 10
(4) The sample range is:
(a) the value that occurs the most frequently in a data(b) the middle number in an ordered array of numbers(c) the total of all the values divided by the number of the values in the list(d) the difference between the maximum and the minimum values(e) the number of the values in the list
(5) The term test scores of 15 students enrolled in the ‘Assessment and evaluation’ coursewere recorded in ascending order as follows:
20, 35, 35, 45, 50, 55, 65, 70, 75, 75, 75, 85, 85, 95, 95
After calculating the mean, median, and mode, an error is discovered: one of the 75sis really an 85. The measures of central tendency which will change are:
(a) the mean only(b) the mode only(c) the median only(d) the mean and mode(e) all three measures
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(6) The following table presents the means and the standard deviations of the test scoresof the students of five different classes. According to the table, which of the classesis the most successful and which one is the least successful, respectively?
Class I Class II Class III Class IV Class VMean 30 40 60 30 70S.Dev. 5 8 3 12 12
(a) I and II(b) III and IV(c) V and IV(d) III and I(e) V and II
(7) Which of the following statements is true for a data set whose standard deviation islow?
(a) Range is large(b) The time allocated for the examination is enough(c) The scores are normally distributed(d) The achievement level of the students are high(e) The students’ achievement levels are very close
(8) Find the interquartile range for the following list of scores: 10, 90, 25, 30, 75, 80, 90, 20
(a) 20(b) 50(c) 65(d) 70(e) 85
(9) In general, which of the following statements is false?
(a) The sample mean is more sensitive to extreme values than the median.(b) The sample range is more sensitive to extreme values than the standard deviation.(c) The sample standard deviation is a measure of spread around the sample mean.(d) The sample standard deviation is a measure of central tendency around the median.(e) The closer the clustering of values around the median, the smaller the interquartile
range.
(10) When extreme values are present in a set of data, which of the following descriptivesummary measures are most appropriate?
(a) Range and standard deviation(b) Mean and standard deviation(c) Mean and interquartile range(d) Mode and variance(e) Mode and median
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