Revisiting Reflection in E-Portfolios: A Chapelle’s Technological Perspective

E-Portfolios are digital dossiers that document students’ efforts, learning, and achievements over time. They characterise iterative processes of creation, compilation, curation, and reflection. Of these attributes, reflection is a core activity which promotes students’ learning of writing and metacognitive awareness. In this paper, I argue for augmenting the instructional potential of reflection within a virtual environment (i.e., e-Portfolios) by showcasing how various modes of digital reflection empower students’ metacognitive composing and thinking skills from a Chapelle’s technological perspective. I set the scene by describing the background of research before thematically reviewing the e-Portfolio scholarship with a focus on reflection. Afterwards, I critically appraise three digital reflection approaches: reflection as soliloquy, dialogue, and multilogue. Based upon the review, I discuss pedagogical and research implications concerning how to warrant the successful implementation of digital reflection in classroom-based e-Portfolio programmes and some practical strategies.