Yrkesdidaktiske tilnærminger til bruk av ePortfolio i barne- og ungdomsarbeiderfaget: Helhet og sammenheng i et fireårig løp

Abstract

The vocational training for child and youth care workers was established as a distinct educational pathway under Reform '94. This profession is primarily associated with the public sector, involving work in kindergartens, schools, after-school programs, and youth clubs, covering the age group 0-18 years. In line with the Norwegian school reform, Fagfornyelsen, there is an increasing expectation for students and apprentices in vocational training to lead their own learning processes. This involves reflecting on their own performance and identifying learning needs. Teachers and instructors are challenged to prepare students for complex and changing work environments using new technology. Results indicate that the use of ePortfolio as a digital learning folder effectively bridges school-based and workplace-based training. Implementing an ePortfolio didactic can enhance students' professional identity and pride, making the training more meaningful. However, this requires close collaboration between teachers and training offices. Evidence suggests that the use of digital documentation and learning tools helps bridge different learning arenas and upholds the curriculum framework's principle of "learning to learn". The article is based on empirical data from an innovation and research project aimed at improving documentation and learning systems in vocational education and training, focusing on how ePortfolio didactic can be applied in the child and youth care worker training. The research method used is a design-based approach, and the design criteria are based on a technological pedagogical framework, the TPACK model.The article is based on empirical data from an innovation and research project aimed at improving documentation and learning systems in vocational education and training. It focuses on how ePortfolio pedagogy can be utilized in the field of childcare and youth work to promote coherence and continuity throughout the four-year educational program. An electronic portfolio system, hereafter referred to as an ePortfolio, is a digital tool or system used to document, reflect upon, and showcase students’ learning and development in both school- and work-based learning situations. The field of childcare and youth work was established as a separate vocational education pathway under the Reform '94 initiative. Following the introduction of the curriculum renewal (2020), there is now an increasing expectation that students and apprentices take the lead in their own learning processes. This entails reflecting on their own performance and identifying learning needs. Vocational teachers and workplace mentors face the challenge of preparing students for complex and dynamic work environments, which often involve the use of new technologies. The profession is primarily linked to the public sector, involving work in kindergartens, schools, after-school programs, and youth clubs, and covers the age range of 0–18 years. The results show that using ePortfolios as a digital learning tool effectively connects school-based and workplace-based training. Implementing ePortfolio pedagogy can enhance students’ professional identity and pride, making the training more meaningful. However, this requires close collaboration between teachers and training offices. Using ePortfolios as a documentation and learning tool bridges the gap between different learning arenas and upholds the curriculum framework’s principle of self-directed learning. Both upper secondary schools and training offices have increasingly adopted digital learning platforms where students’ individual ePortfolios are stored and further developed by the students themselves