Theoretical and Methodological Foundations for the Use of a Researcher’s Portfolio in Project-based Chemistry Education
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The article substantiates the theoretical and methodological foundations for using a researcher’s portfolio as a structured didactic tool for implementing project-based learning in chemistry education at general secondary schools. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to develop effective pedagogical instruments that systematize, document, and support students’ research activities in accordance with the competence-based approach and the principles of the New Ukrainian School. Particular attention is given to the role of the researcher’s portfolio in organizing project-based learning, promoting formative assessment, and developing students’ research competence. The study analyzes the conceptual foundations of portfolio technology in modern pedagogy and clarifies the specific features of a researcher’s portfolio as a means of documenting the stages of scientific inquiry, including problem formulation, hypothesis development, experiment planning and implementation, data analysis, interpretation of results, and reflection on the research process. A classification of student portfolios in chemistry education is presented, distinguishing subject portfolios, project portfolios, and researcher’s portfolios. The article proposes a structural model of a researcher’s portfolio integrated with the stages of a learning project and the logic of scientific research in chemistry. The model includes several interconnected blocks: identification, organizational-project, research, team-organizational, information-analytical, presentation, and reflective-evaluative components. The methodological conditions for the effective implementation of the researcher’s portfolio in the educational process are also defined. It is argued that systematic use of the researcher’s portfolio promotes the development of students’ scientific thinking, research skills, and reflective abilities, and facilitates the transition from reproductive laboratory work to meaningful project-based and research-oriented learning in chemistry.
Authors: A. KRYVORUCHKO, N. SHYIAN, S. STRYZHAK, O. KULENKO
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7162449336