Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2011

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

EdD

College

College of Education and Human Services

Department

Learning Sciences and Human Development

Committee Chair

Paul Chapman.

Abstract

Today, many students in higher education are considered digital natives - savvier and more experienced with technology than students in the past. In teacher preparation programs, teacher education students are commonly expected to demonstrate achievement of program goals and objectives and national teaching standards in a "portfolio." Gaining in popularity, the electronic portfolio delivers meaningful rich data in an electronic format. Much of the research on electronic portfolios has centered in higher education and has been primarily focused on the delivery of portfolios from the perspective of faculty and on the role of the portfolio in assessment from an administrative perspective. With limited research on the student voice in the process of the creation and implementation of electronic portfolio, this research studied the perceptions of the electronic portfolio from the end-user, recent graduates in teacher education. Using a qualitative framework, recent graduates from a teacher preparation program were interviewed regarding their electronic portfolio experience. Qualitative data were collected via structured interviews on the process, preparation, and utilization of the electronic portfolio during the teacher education program. Additionally, the electronic portfolios of those interviewed provided document analysis. Several themes emerged that centered on the repetitive narrative of the narrative rationale statements, the utilitarian purposes of the portfolio, the impact of the portfolio assessment on portfolio changes, and the reflective nature of portfolio construction. The implications of this research extend to the use of electronic portfolios in higher education across disciplines and into K-12 education.

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