Creating the Subject of Portfolios

Written Communication Jan 2005

Tony Scott

Abstract

This article presents research from a qualitative study of the way that reflective writing is solicited, taught, composed, and assessed within a state-mandated portfolio curriculum. The research situates reflective texts generated by participating students within the larger goals and bureaucratic processes of the school system. The study finds that reflective letters are a genre within the state curriculum that regulates the substance and tone of students’ reflections. At the classroom level, the genre provides a mode that students adopt with the assurance that their reflections will meet state evaluators’ expectations. At the bureaucratic level, the genre helps to continually validate the state’s portfolio curriculum through its strong encouragement of stylized narratives of progress. The study demonstrates the importance of understanding how large-scale assessments shape pedagogy and students’ writing.

Journal: Written Communication
Published: 2005-01-01
DOI: 10.1177/0741088304271831
Open Access: Closed
Topics: assessment qualitative research multimodality multilingual writers

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

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