Putting ePortfolios into Practice: Willingness of School Principals to Use the ePortfolio as a Hiring Tool in Poland and Spain

Abstract

The ePortfolio has been used extensively in education in various countries and for diverse career paths. It is a dynamic platform that students can use to compile and formulate a digital presentation using different types of media which can be updated and adapted for distinct purposes and audiences. Because the ePortfolio is, by nature, flexible and adaptable, it can be developed over the course of a student’s studies and be easily incorporated into professional networking platforms as a job search tool. The objective of this study was to assess and compare the willingness of school principals from Poland and Spain to use the ePortfolio as a hiring tool.  The authors also sought to ascertain whether the number of employees in the participants’ schools or previous contact with ePortfolio affected their opinion of it as a hiring tool. Participants took a survey after reviewing examples of career ePortfolios, and their answers were tabulated and analyzed. The results show that principals from both countries would be inclined to use the ePortfolio as a hiring tool, and that neither previous contact nor number of employees significantly affected their opinion. These results are significant as they demonstrate a broad willingness to implement the ePortfolio as a hiring tool, that was not significantly affected by country or size of school. It is also relevant that this broad support was shared by principals who were unfamiliar with the ePortfolio before participating in this study.