There is a significant body of research on the use of ePortfolios as an assessment tool in the school and tertiary educational sectors, however there is very little documented evidence on how they are used in early childhood education. In New Zealand ePortfolios are becoming more widespread as a platform to present children’s formative assessment documentation but little is known about how they could impact on parent/family engagement with their children’s learning; teachers’ formative assessment practices; how they contribute to children’s learning journeys and indeed how children could use ePortfolios.
This PhD study sought to find a new way to engage parents/families and children in young children’s learning through presenting assessment for learning in an ePortfolio. Furthermore it aimed to investigate that if by using this platform early childhood education teachers changed or adjusted their formative assessment practices.
The study was carried out with a centre-based early childhood education service where this form of assessment presentation was entirely new to their teachers, families and children. Prior to the research the setting was presenting children’s assessment documentation in paper-based portfolios. The research was qualitative using case study methodology. A mixed methods approach was used and data was collected through observations, interviews, surveys, and analysis of assessment documentation.
The notion of an early childhood education setting as the hub of a ‘community of practice’ (Lave & Wenger, 1991) provided a useful theoretical framework for this study. A community of practice in some form was already evident in the setting. This means, something is already known about the connections inside this community of practice (children, teachers, parents/families) utilising paper-based portfolios, but it was not known what connections would be made with the ePortfolio platform, and indeed how members would engage with it. This presentation will present the findings of this research.