98 | Chapter 4 Implications for practice This study indicates that portfolio use has limited added value for, and might even interfere with, the support of SRL, when there is a close working relationship between trainees and supervisors. Moreover, the value of portfolio use for the support of SRL can easily become marginalised when the portfolio is a fundamental part of the assessment programme. Consequently, it is important to critically appraise which portfolio purpose(s) are valuable and attainable in a specific educational setting. If the support of SRL is considered a valuable and attainable purpose of portfolio use, it is important to realise that deliberate attention for this purpose is required during the design, guidance, assessment and evaluation of the portfolio. During all these processes, potential tensions of portfolio use need to be acknowledged, by informing stakeholders about the competing interests of different portfolio purposes. This will enable that any conflicts of interests can be openly discussed, and where possible resolved by developing a shared frame of reference concerning the purposes and functioning of the portfolio. Strengths and limitations In this study, as compared to portfolio evaluation studies, we chose a qualitative research methodology that included various stakeholder experiences, in order to attain a representation of the different processes in play during portfolio use. This approach resulted in a rich, contextualised overview of portfolio use in the light of SRL. We constructed an open interview guide, as we wanted to gain insight in the experiences, ideas and terminology of stakeholders, without sensitising them to the concept of SRL. The flipside of this approach was that the discussion extended to possibilities and limitations of portfolio use in general. Furthermore, our contextualist worldview summons us to be attentive of the transferability of this study. In this regard, it is the design of the GP specialty training, with trainees and supervisors working in close collaboration during WPL, that distinguishes our context in particular. Consequently, our results cannot fully be transferred to settings where trainees infrequently interact with their supervisors.
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