Electronic portfolios in the classroom: factors impacting teachers’ integration of new technologies and new pedagogies

Abstract

This article presents the findings of a study on the use of an electronic portfolio (EP) in 16 elementary classrooms across Canada. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected to understand how teachers used EPs in their classrooms, to what extent they integrated the EP into their practice, and the factors influencing their use. Using expectancy theory, findings indicate that low implementers experienced significant technical obstacles and/or were reluctant to change their established practices, whereas high implementers reported feeling supported by their administration, experiencing growth in their teaching practice, and using more pedagogical practices that support self-regulated learning as a result of the scaffolding provided by the software.

Keywords:

• eportfolios
• technology integration
• constructivist pedagogy
• student-centred learning
• implementation fidelity