Reflection of Pre-Service ESL Teachers on Using e-Portfolio in Teacher Education

Abstract

Since the last decade of previous millennium e-portfolio has become a frequent topic of discussion in teacher education contexts. It is seen as one of the prominent innovations in educational technology that demonstrates teachers’ tangible development of competencies over time. Vast amount of literature is available that document the relative advantages and consequent advocacy for its implementation across disciplines, institutions, and applications. In Malaysia, research on e-portfolio is sparse, and particularly in pre-service teacher education it has never been explored. This article describes the findings of a qualitative study examining fifty-five pre-service ESL teachers’ learning experiences while they created e-portfolios as a part of their course requirement at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Data was collected through structured surveys. Findings indicate that most of the participants perceived the process of reflecting on course objectives contributed to their growth and development. Participants also reported several drawbacks of e-portfolios which are required to consider for its successful implementation in teacher education of Malaysia.