Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Teachers' Practices and Attitudes of the Student Growth Portfolio Model in Tennessee
Abstract
The focus of this qualitative study was to explore kindergarten teachers’ instructional practices and attitudes regarding the student growth portfolio model within a public, school district in Tennessee. This study specifically explored teachers’ beliefs regarding the use of the portfolio and perceived effects on their instructional practices. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Interview questions focused on teachers’ attitudes towards the use of the portfolio assessment. A thematic analysis was used to identify issues within the grounded study and to identify emerging themes (Yin, 2009). The study’s findings suggest that pre-K and kindergarten teachers believed that the portfolio standards and assessments are not developmentally appropriate for pre-k and kindergarten students. However, the findings also suggest that pre-K and kindergarten teachers believed that their instructional practices were enhanced because of the portfolio process. Through the appraisal of the interview results and theories regarding early childhood development, it can be determined that the standards for the student growth portfolio model should be revised so that they are developmentally appropriate.
Subject Area
Early childhood education|Teacher education|Educational administration|Educational leadership|Curriculum development
Recommended Citation
Kaneal Gay Alexander,
"Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Teachers' Practices and Attitudes of the Student Growth Portfolio Model in Tennessee"
(2020).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI27834319.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI27834319