Resumen de Using electronic portfolios to foster literacy and self-regulated learning skills in elementary students
Philip C. Abrami, Vivek Venkatesh, Elizabeth Meyer, Anne Wade
The research presented here is a continuation of a line of inquiry that explores the impacts of an electronic portfolio software called ePEARL, which is a knowledge tool designed to support the key phases of self-regulated learning (SRL)—forethought, performance, and self-reflection—and promote student learning. Participants in this study were 21 teachers from elementary schools (Grades 4–6) and their students (N = 319) from 9 urban and rural English school boards in Quebec and Alberta, Canada, who participated during the 2008–2009 school year. Students with low enthusiasm for the use of ePEARL were excluded from the main sample as they exhibited different patterns in learning gains and self-regulatory skills as compared with those with high and medium enthusiasm. Multivariate analyses of covariance showed that students motivated to use the software made significantly greater gains compared with controls in 3 of 4 writing and reading skills (p < .01) as assessed by the constructed response subtest of the Canadian Achievement Test (fourth edition). Multivariate analyses of covariance of student survey data revealed that, over time, students who used the software reported higher levels of SRL processes than those in the control group (p < .01). Implications of the findings for school leaders and teacher educators regarding the use of electronic portfolios are discussed.
