E-portfolio model for student assessment in education : a case of Nairobi secondary schools

Abstract

A number of public secondary schools in Kenya lack a properly operational information management system to capture student academic and personal data as an evidence to show one’s learning journey over time. From the current system it is difficult to isolate student’s personal traits or talents such as negotiation skills, public relations, or even other key goals as stipulated in the Kenyan secondary school syllabus like promoting love for and loyalty to the nation. A good information management system inform of e-portfolio in a school would provide data on evidence of student’s abilities in a holistic sense and show a complete picture of what a student is. Such a system would be a better basis for informing interested parties like universities and potential employers of the student’s abilities other than use of test scores only. This study sought to develop an e-portfolio model that could aid in assessment in public secondary schools in Kenya. The study also sought to establish the content requirements for e-portfolios in public secondary schools within Nairobi County. This study adopted exploratory research design of a case study of public secondary schools in Nairobi County. Random sampling was used to select the sample size. Data collection was done through survey method where questionnaires were used. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results from the analyzed data were used as an indicator to the content requirements of an assessment e-portfolio in public secondary schools.