Reflective practice among pre-service teachers: the role of portfolios

BackgroundIn Belgium, and elsewhere, the use of portfolios as a reflective practice for pre-service primary and secondary teachers has long been established in higher education. Reflective thinking is recognised as an effective process for examining daily practices, awakening students to the key elements of their profession, and fostering lifelong learning. With the emergence of the competency-based approach to employability, the link between portfolio-based reflective practice and the development of students' employability competences remains to be explored.PurposeThe aim of this study was to examine how portfolios, as a reflective practice, can promote pre-service physical education (PE) teachers' reflective thinking and their employability competences, and to consider the support that might need to be offered to help pre-service teachers better reflect on their employability competences.MethodQualitative research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with 16 pre-service PE teachers in one Belgian university. Thematic analysis, based on a dual deductive and inductive coding approach, was undertaken to discover patterns in the data. To investigate the role of portfolio-based reflective practice for reflection and employability, co-occurrences between the identified codes were examined.FindingsAnalysis of the interview data showed that students used the portfolio as a reflective practice. The portfolio experience appeared to foster employability competences, particularly expertise, lifelong learning, social competences and efficacy beliefs. In addition, the portfolio enabled students to explore their beliefs and knowledge and to validate their assumptions and beliefs. The support of peers and tutors was crucial during this experience.ConclusionCourse designers may wish to improve portfolio use by thoughtfully incorporating all phases of reflective practice, encouraging students not only to reflect on their competence development but also to take meaningful action. Organising portfolios in a way that prompts students to draw on prior knowledge, beliefs, and experiences, while facilitating with key stakeholders, such as peers and teachers, could further support their professional development.