Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The use of E-portfolio for self-reflection to promote learning: a case of TVET students

  • Published:
Education and Information Technologies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The power of reflection is highly acknowledged to promote learning and develop expertise, yet reflective skills are rarely explicitly taught in schools. As a result, encouraging reflection among learners is often difficult to accomplish, especially in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) setting. By employing the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) construct, this research investigated the use of structured reflection through digital learning portfolios (e-portfolio) and explores its relation to students’ learning. Using mixed methods design, this study examined a group of students from one of the TVET institutions in Brunei over an eight-week period as they practiced reflection through e-portfolio designed to guide the students to reflect upon their own learning. The students’ e-portfolio notes were converted to Students’ Reflective Scores (SRS) as a measure of level of reflection. The data gathered revealed that although student performance can have a moderate effect on students’ level of reflection, building structured opportunities to reflect and integrate learning can develop students’ ability to reflect better. The quality of students’ reflection had significantly increased throughout the study period as more students exhibited higher-order thinking in their e-portfolio. Meanwhile, the key themes emerging from the semi-structured interview data revealed that while students see reflection in detached ways, the intervention had provided the opportunity for students to enhance both their cognitive and metacognitive skills. The students’ responses also implied that operational feasibility of e-portfolio for Brunei TVET might depend on teachers’ input, students’ motivation, type of e-portfolio software chosen, and connectivity setting.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ash, S., Clayton, P., & Arkinson, M. (2005). Integrating reflection and assessment to capture and improve student learning. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 11, 49–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Argyris, C., & Schön, D. (1974). Theory in practice: Increasing professional effectiveness. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1993). Perceived self-efficacy in cognitive development and functioning. Educational Psychologist, 28(2), 117–148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barbera, E. (2009). Mutual feedback in e-portfolio assessment: An approach to the netfolio system. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(2), 342–357.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barrett, H. (2007). Researching electronic portfolios and learner engagement: The REFLECT initiative. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50(6), 436–449.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boud, D., Keogh, R., & Walker, D. (1985). Reflection: Turning experience into learning. London: Kogan Page.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brandt, R. (2001). Foreword. In A. Costa (Ed.), Developing minds: A resource book for teaching thinking (pp. xii–xiv). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, C., Neal, R., & Fine, B. (2011). Using 21st century thinking skills applied to the TPACK instructional model, Paper presented at the annual meeting of the AECT International Convention. Jacksonville, FL: Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Retrieved from http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p511799_index.html.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryant, L. H., & Chittum, J. R. (2013). ePortfolio effectiveness: A(n ill-fated) search for empirical support. International Journal of ePortfolio, 3(2), 189–198.

    Google Scholar 

  • CMU. (2016). Students lack critical background skills. Retrieved from https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/solveproblem/strat-cantwrite/cantwrite-01.html

  • Cavilla, D. (2017). The effects of student reflection on academic performance and motivation. SAGE Open, 7(3), 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Challis, D. (2005). Towards the mature e-portfolio: Some implications for higher education. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 31(3), 17–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chua, J. H., & Jamil, H. (2014). The effect of field specialization variation on technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) among Malaysian TVET instructors. The Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Technology, 2(1), 36–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coffey, A. M. (2014). Using video to develop skills in reflection in teacher education students. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(9), 86–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Costa, A., & Kallick, B. (2008). Chapter 12. Learning through reflection. In A. L. Costa & B. Kallick (Eds.), Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind. Moorabbin, Vic: Hawker Brownlow Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crisp, G. T. (2012). Integrative assessment: Reframing assessment practice for current and future learning. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 37(1), 33–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daunert, A. L., & Price, L. (2014). E-portfolio: A practical tool for self- directed, reflective, and collaborative professional learning. In C. Harteis, A. Rausch, & J. Seifried (Eds.), Discourses on Professional Learning (pp. 231-251). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.

  • Dewey, J. (1933). How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. New York: D. C. Heath.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doig, B., Illsley, B., McLuckie, J., & Parsons, R. (2006). Using ePortfolios to enhance reflective learning and development. In A. Jafari & C. Kaufman (Eds.), Handbook of research on ePortfolios (pp. 158–167). London, UK: Idea Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, J. B., Phillips, M., Koehler, M. J., & Rosenberg, J. M. (2017). TPCK/TPACK research and development: Past, present, and future directions. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 33(3), i–viii.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatton, N., & Smith, D. (1995). Reflection in teacher education: Towards definition and implementation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 11(1), 33–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helyer, R., & Lee, D. (2012). The 21st century multiple generation workforce: Overlaps and differences but also challenges and benefits. Education + Training, 54(7), 545–578.

    Google Scholar 

  • IBTE. (2014). Vision and Mission. Retrieved from https://ibte.edu.bn/about/

  • Jenson, J. (2011). Promoting self-regulation and critical reflection through writing students’ use of electronic portfolio. International Journal of ePortfolio, 1(1), 49–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johns, C. (2000). Becoming a reflective practitioner: A reflective and holistic approach to clinical nursing, practice development and clinical supervision. Oxford: Blackwell Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2008). Introducing TPCK. In AACTE Committee on Innovation & Technology (Ed.), Handbook of technological pedagogical content knowledge for educators (pp. 3–29). New York, NY: Routledge.

  • Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leijen, Ä., Lam, I., Wildschut, L., Simons, P. R.-J., & Admiraal, W. (2009). Streaming video to enhance students’ reflection in dance education. Computers & Education, 52, 169–176.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levesque, R. J. R. (2014). Self-reflection. Encyclopedia of Adolescence, 2585–2586.

  • Lew, M. D. N., & Schmidt, H. G. (2011). Self-reflection and academic performance: Is there a relationship? Advances in Health Sciences Education, 16(4), 529–545.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mestre, J. P. (1994). Cognitive aspects of learning and teaching science. In S. J. Fitzsimmons & L.C. Kerpelman (Eds.), Teacher Enhancement for Elementary and Secondary Science and Mathematics: Status, Issues and Problems (pp. 31–53). Washington, D.C.: National Science Foundation (NSF 94-80).

  • Microsoft Support. (2016). Getting started with the OneNote Class Notebook: A walkthrough for teachers. Retrieved from https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Getting-Started-with-the-OneNote-Class-Notebook-A-Walkthrough-for-Teachers-28666b8e-b0ae-48fe-b001-1874f5f6db58

  • Mishra, P., Koehler, M. J., & Henriksen, D. (2011). The seven trans-disciplinary habits of mind: Extending the TPACK framework towards 21st century learning. Educational Technology, 51(2), 22–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moon, J. (1999). Reflection in learning and professional development. London:Kogan Page.

  • Moon, J. (2001). Short courses and workshops: Improving the impact of learning and professional development. London: Kogan Page.

  • Moon, J. (2004). A handbook of reflective and experiential learning – Theory and practice. London: RoutledgeFalmer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paulus, T., & Spence, M. (2010). Using blogs to identify misconceptions in a large undergraduate nutrition course. TechTrends, 54(5), 62–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peet, M., Lonn, S., Gurin, P., Boyer, K., Matney, M., Marra, T., & Daley, A. (2011). Fostering integrative knowledge through ePortfolios. International Journal of ePortfolio, 1(1), 11–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Porntaweekul, S., Raksasataya, S., & Nethanomsak, T. (2016). Developing reflective thinking instructional model for enhancing students’ desirable learning outcomes. Educational Research and Reviews, 11(6), 238–251.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinton, S., & Smallbone, T. (2010). Feeding forward: Using feedback to promote student reflection and learning: A teaching model. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 47, 125–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodgers, C. (2002). Defining reflection: Another look at John Dewey and reflective thinking. Teachers College Record, 104(4), 842–866.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rolheiser, C., Bower, B., & Stevahn, L. (2000). The portfolio organizer: Succeeding with portfolios in your classroom. Alexandra, VA: American Society for Curriculum Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rummel, E. (2008). Constructing cognition. American Scientist, 96(1), 80–82.

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Samaras, A. P., & Fox, R. K. (2013). Capturing the process of critical reflective teaching practices through e-portfolios. Professional Development in Education, 39(1), 23–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schön, D. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • SEAMEO VOCTECH. (2014). Integration of transferable skills in TVET curriculum, teaching-learning and assessment. Final Report of the Workshop Organised by SEAMEO VOCTECH in collaboration with the British Council, British High Commission Singapore, and UNESCO Bangkok, S31 Sukhumvit Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand, 13–14 March 2014.

  • Smith, M. K. (2011). Donald Schön: Learning, Reflection and Change. The Encyclopedia of Informal Education. Retrieved from http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-schon.htm.

  • Sultana, F., Lim, C. P., & Liang, M. (2020). E-portfolios and the development of students’ reflective thinking at a Hong Kong University. Journal of Computers in Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-020-00157-6.

  • Stevens, D. D., & Cooper, J. E. (2009). Journal keeping. How to Use Reflective Writing for Learning, Teaching, Professional Insight and Positive Change. Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing.

  • Strudler, N., & Wetzel, K. (2005). The diffusion of electronic portfolios in teacher education: Issues of initiation and implementation. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 37(4), 411–433.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swardt, H. C., Toit, H. S., & Botha, A. (2012). Guided reflection as a tool to deal with the theory– Practice gap in critical care nursing students. Health SA Gesondheid, 17(1), 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sylvia, B., Valerio, D., & Lorenza, G. (2012). The reflective journal: A tool for enhancing experience-based learning in nursing students in clinical practice. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 3(3), 102–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tan, E. H. Y., Shahrill, M., Tan, A., Salleh, S. M., Jaidin, J. H., Jawawi, R., & Husain, S. (2018). The potential use of ePortfolio in supporting collaborative professional learning. Advanced Science Letters, 24(7), 5401–5404.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tanujaya, B., Mumu, J., & Margono, G. (2017). The relationship between higher order thinking skills and academic performance of student in mathematics instruction. International Education Studies, 10(11), 78–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, A. D., & Mishra, P. (2007). Breaking news: TPCK becomes TPACK! Journal of Computing in Teacher Education, 24(2), 38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tosun, N., & Bariş, M. F. (2011). E-portfolio applications in education. The Online Journal of New Horizons in Education, 1(4), 42–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2012). Youth and skills: Putting education to work. EFA Global Monitoring Report UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNICEF. (2012). Global evaluation of life skills education programmes. NY: Evaluation Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valtonen, T., Sointu, E., Kukkonen, J., Kontkanen, S., Lambert, M. C., & Mäkitalo-Siegl, K. (2017). TPACK updated to measure pre-service teachers’ twenty-first century skills. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 33(3), 15–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veal, K. (2017). How to enhance skills development with learning. Asian Development Bank: Development Asia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wald, H. S., Borkan, J. M., Taylor, J. S., Anthony, D., & Reis, S. P. (2012). Fostering and evaluating reflective capacity in medical education: Developing the REFLECT rubric for assessing reflective writing. Academic Medicine, 87(1), 41–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallman, A., Lindblad, A. K., Hall, S., Lundmark, A., & Ring, L. (2008). A categorization scheme for assessing pharmacy students’ levels of reflection during internships. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 72(1), 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weber, E. (2009). Quantifying student learning: How to analyze assessment data. Ecology, 101, 501–511.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, J. D. (2006). Why kids need to be bored: A case study of self-reflection and academic performance. Research in Middle Level Education RMLE Online, 29(5), 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winchester, T. M., & Winchester, M. (2011). Exploring the impact of faculty reflection on weekly student evaluations of teaching. International Journal for Academic Development, 16(2), 119–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wuetherick, B., & Dickinson, J. (2015). Why ePortfolios? Student perceptions of eportfolio use in continuing education learning environments. International Journal of ePortfolio, 5(1), 39–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yancey, K. (1998). Getting beyond exhaustion: Reflection, self-assessment and learning. Clearing House, 72, 13–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang, M., Tai, M., & Lim, C. P. (2016). The role of e-portfolios in supporting productive learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 47(6), 1276–1286.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Availability of data and material

All data and materials support the published claims and comply with field standards.

Code availability

Not applicable.

Funding

The Government of Brunei Darussalam through a special scholarship grant was given to the first author to support this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Office of the Permanent Secretary of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam

    Syazana Hj. Ebil

  2. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam

    Sallimah M. Salleh & Masitah Shahrill

Authors
  1. Syazana Hj. Ebil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sallimah M. Salleh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Masitah Shahrill
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

This article was based primarily on the first (principal) author’s Master of Teaching research report, and Dr Sallimah M. Salleh (second author) was the research supervisor. Dr Syazana Hj Ebil (first author) wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Dr Masitah Shahrill (third author) commented and edited on the subsequent versions of the manuscript. All authors approved the final submission.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Masitah Shahrill.

Ethics declarations

Conflicts of interest/competing interests

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hj. Ebil, S., Salleh, S.M. & Shahrill, M. The use of E-portfolio for self-reflection to promote learning: a case of TVET students. Educ Inf Technol 25, 5797–5814 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10248-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10248-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation