Validity of the learning portfolio analysis of a

Authors: Eva GregoriGiralt José Luis MenéndezVarela

Publish Date: 2014/07/31

Volume: 43, Issue: 1, Pages: 1-17

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Abstract

Validity is a central issue in portfoliobased assessment This empirical study used a quantitative approach to analyse the validity of the inferences drawn from a disciplinary course work portfolio assessment comprising professionspecific and learning competencies The study also examined the problems involved in the development of the portfolios and the features of the portfolio design that had a positive effect on validity Teachers evaluated the performance of 25 firstyear university students who produced portfolios for an obligatory course in a fine arts degree The study data comprised the 1300 scores obtained by the students To assess the adequacy of the portfolio in its educational context both the students’ workload and their final grades were examined The examination of the final grades and factor analyses confirmed the validity of portfoliobased assessment but also revealed the difficulty of encouraging students to reflect on the learning process especially where higherorder learning outcomes were concerned The students considered that the 2549  increase in hours of autonomous work made the workload excessive With a Cronbach α above 90 however the use of a wellstructured portfolio and a descriptive and detailed assessment system helped to compensate for the complexity of the learning outcomes and the students’ lack of familiarity with portfoliosThis research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and grants ERDF HAR200806046/ARTE the Institute of Education Sciences REDICE06 A060106 the Vicerectorate for Teaching Policy and the Programme for Teaching Innovation 2011PIDUB/23 at the University of Barcelona

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