Decoding Portfolios: A Qualitative Document Analysis of Reflective Growth, Learning Quality, and Professional Readiness Among BTLED Fourth-Year Students
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Portfolio assessment can provide authentic documentary evidence of pre-service teachers’ development, but limited evidence explains how reflective growth, learning quality, and professional readiness are manifested together in Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood Education (BTLED) portfolios in the Philippine context. This study employed qualitative document analysis to examine the completed teaching portfolios of seven fourth-year BTLED pre-service teachers from Ifugao State University–Potia Campus. A researcher-adapted coding matrix organized documentary evidence into three dimensions reflective growth, learning quality, and professional readiness using four indicators per dimension and a four-level evidence scale from Emerging (E1) to Advanced (E4). The analysis showed advanced evidence for progression of learning, reflective depth, identity formation, organization and structure, competency alignment, authenticity of artifacts, quality of outputs, teaching competence, theory-to-practice integration, professional identity and ethics, and employability readiness; documentation of challenges and resolutions was assessed as Proficient (E3). Cross-portfolio analysis highlighted recurring patterns of professional identity formation, instructional competence, reflective practice, and preparation for employment. The findings suggest that portfolios can function as more than collections of course requirements: they can document how pre-service teachers connect experience, reflection, instructional work, and professional development. However, the findings represent documented evidence within a small purposively selected group and should not be interpreted as direct evidence of actual employment outcomes or generalized teacher competence. The study therefore supports strengthening portfolio design and assessment while recognizing the need for more systematic validation and multi-coder procedures in future research.
Institution: Ifugao State University
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7213455270