A quantitative study focusing on the effect of electronic portfolios in teacher education

Abstract

Portfolios have been used in the field of education as a form of assessment since the 1980s. As time has progressed, portfolios have transitioned from paper to electronic form. Research on electronic portfolios has focused on implementation issues and their impact on student learning. There has been limited effort, however, on their long-term impact. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the perceived impact of electronic portfolios on the beginning careers of classroom teachers. More specifically, this study sought to determine if use of electronic portfolios during pre-service education impacted the attitudes and performance of new teachers. The study used a survey design. A sample of graduates of teacher education programs in Louisiana was selected and asked to complete a survey that measured perceived technology knowledge, content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. Survey respondents (n=189) were sorted into groups based on whether or not they developed an electronic portfolio as part of their teacher preparation program. These groups were compared with respect of each of these three areas. The results indicated that those who had completed an electronic portfolio in their teacher education program had higher perceived levels of competence with regard to technology knowledge and content knowledge in mathematics. The following information can be used by universities to determine if electronic portfolios are a viable assessment tool for use by their teacher candidates.