Impact of e-portfolios on teacher assessment and student performance on learning science concepts in kindergarten

Abstract: This study examines the existing literature on information and communication technology and establishes that although there is a strong potential for these resources to generate improved student science concepts outcomes, many teachers fail to recognize that potential. The study then presents qualitative data acquired from teacher questionnaires, which identifies strong positive correlations among student performance, student self-assessment, and teacher assessment in cases where kindergarten-level educational tasks were presented through e-portfolios. Discussion of these findings suggests that the existing institutional pressures for e-portfolio adoption are well-justified and could result in improved student outcomes, as well as a higher instance of self-directed learning both at school and at home. The authors also conclude that ongoing implementation of these resources in early childhood education, together with relevant teacher training and parent engagement, may naturally overcome lingering resistance by certain stakeholders to the project of adopting these technologies.