2017 Volume 33 Issue 2 Pages 93-105
Abstract Learning portfolios are educational tools that help students to build their educational careers in multiple steps : to record and store their own educational outcomes, to make self-assessments of their learning attainment levels, and then to find their educational agenda, in their campus life.
In this study, we performed a questionnaire survey on final-year students just prior to graduation in fiscal 2014 and 2015. Next, in order to clarify the educational effects of the improvement of learning portfolios on educational career building, and to visualize the changes in generic skills associated with the self-managed learning, we performed an annual survey of the students’ self-assessment of the learning outcomes.
Regarding self-managed learning skills and educational career building, there were significant increases in the percentage of affirmative answers to the questions regarding “renewed recognition of the importance of self-management” and “heightened sense of purpose” in their campus life (up to approximately 60% in fiscal 2015) (p<0.05, respectively, compared to fiscal 2014). Moreover, regarding generic skills associated with self-managed learning, there was an increased percentage of affirmative answers in fiscal 2015, compared to fiscal 2014.
It is suggested that the learning portfolios, which focus on the importance of willingness to learn and self-management, may promote educational career building in campus life. Furthermore, it may increase the generic skills associated with self-managed learning skills after improvement of the learning portfolios.
