Student's portfolio: how the Mahara can be used to support the development of social and communication skills in students

Tanja Rupnik Vec
[email protected]
Zavod RS za šolstvo

Ines Celin
[email protected]
Šolski center Postojna - Gimnazija Ilirska Bistrica

Jasna Vuradin Popović
[email protected]
Gimnazija Murska Sobota

Marjana Bradič
[email protected]
Srednja šola za storitvene dejavnosti in logistiko Celje

Predstavitev

Povzetek

Namen pričujoče raziskave je bil ugotoviti učinkovitost spodbujanja razvoja veščin komunikacije in sodelovanja s pomočjo razvojnega elektronskega listovnika, ki so ga dijakinje in dijaki oblikovali v spletni aplikaciji Mahara. V raziskavo je bilo vključenih 49 dijakov iz treh srednjih šol. V prvem koraku so profesorice pri pouku psihologije izvedle delavnico, v kateri so si dijaki ustvarili predstavo o veščinah sodelovanja in komunikacije, analizirali razvitost omenjenih veščin pri sebi in si zastavili konkretne cilje razvoja na tem področju. Rešili so vprašalnik o sodelovanju in komunikaciji, ki je bil sestavljen v namene te raziskave. V obdobju dveh mesecev so bili dijaki v okviru učnih ur vključeni v dejavnosti, s katerimi so urili veščine sodelovanja in komunikacije, po vsaki dejavnosti pa so oddajali samorefleksije o napredku v e-listovnik. V sredini novembra so ponovno rešili vprašalnik. V primerjavi rezultatov zbranih pred in po dejavnostih ugotavljamo nekatere pomembne premike v veščinah sodelovanja in komunikacije, kot so jih dijaki ocenili na posameznih postavkah, kar smatramo kot pokazatelj, da so bile dejavnosti učinkovite. Bolj dosledni premiki z vidika posameznih faktorjev se žal niso izkazali, kar pripisujemo konkretnim ter ozko zastavljenim ciljem, ki so jih dijaki zasledovali v zelo kratkemu časovnem obdobju. Ugotavljamo še, da dijaki opažajo koristnost uporabe e-listovnika kot podporo razvoju različnih veščin, vendar pa je njihov namen, da bi ga samostojno in še naprej uporabljali, šibkeje izražen.

Ključne besede: e-listovnik, Mahara, sodelovanje, komunikacija, samorefleksija in samouravnavanje

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of promoting the development of communication and cooperation skills through electronic portfolio.  E-portfolios were created by the students during the psychology classes using the Web application Mahara. The study included 49 students from three secondary schools. In the first step teachers conducted a workshop in which students created the idea of cooperation and communication skills, analyzed the development of these skills with them and set concrete targets for development in this area. Then they filled out a questionnaire on cooperation and communication skills, which was composed for the purpose of this study. During the next two months, the students had many opportunities to practice collaboration and communication skills. After each activity they reflected on their progress in cooperation and communication skills. In mid-November students filled out the questionnaire again. We compared the results obtained before and after the systematic work on cooperation and communication skills and we found some significant shifts in the skills of cooperation and communication, as assessed by the students on some items, which we consider as an indication that the activities were effective. More consistent shifts in terms of individual factors were not proven. This can be attributed to specific and narrow objectives pursued by students for a very short period of time. We noted also that students perceived the usefulness of e-portfolio to support the development of various skills, but their purpose to create them in future was weakly expressed.

Key words: e-portfolio, Mahara, cooperation and communication skills, self-reflection and self-regulation