Portraying Professional Development in Preservice Teacher Education: can portfolios do the job?

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Abstract
Using a form of collaborative action research among university faculty, teacher associates in schools and preservice teachers, the efficacy of using professional portfolios to enable the participants to document, understand and assess the professional growth of student teachers was explored. In this longitudinal study, 15 student teachers were followed through two practica and one internship during the course of 3 years. Interview data was examined to discern what themes evolved when student teachers were deeply engaged in self‐evaluation through portfolio development. Three categories of themes were identified: those that emerged early in students’ practicum experiences and dissipated, those that emerged and remained throughout the study, and those that were manifested later in the study. The thematic structure and the processes that the themes represent reveal insights into the nature of teaching and learning to teach, and they demonstrate the efficacy of the portfolio process in facilitating and portraying development.

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