Teachers' portfolio reflections: a comparative analysis

Abstract

Teachers' portfolios are emerging as a significant tool for professional development and assessment of competence. What teachers choose to include in their portfolios is often a function of external factors, such as what is publicly rewarded and valued as good performance. This article reports on an extension of research conducted in South Africa and Israel on the specific reflections teachers report about their own portfolios. Teachers were invited to indicate what they would include in their portfolios of performance and learning, to write reflections on what they see as evidence for professional growth, and to indicate how these inclusions are valued. The article reports on a comparative analysis of these reflections. The purpose is to develop an understanding of differences (and similarities) in terms of socio-political realities and broader educational culture. A comparative analysis drawn on interviews and portfolio entry data indicate similarities in the way teachers view good teaching, and the choice of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ evidence in portfolios. The main differences are related to external factors such as facilities within the school, degrees of autonomy teachers have, and the social cultural context in which they teach.