Bridging Validity Frameworks in Assessment: Beyond Traditional Approaches in Health Professions Education

Area of Science:

• Educational Measurement
• Health Professions Education
• Assessment Validity

Background:

• High-stakes assessments require robust validity evidence due to significant consequences.
• Health professions educators face challenges with conceptualizing and applying validity frameworks.
• A lack of clarity and practical application hinders effective validity analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize existing validity frameworks in educational assessment.
• To propose an integrated approach for understanding and applying validity evidence.
• To provide practical guidance for health professions educators using assessment instruments.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of prominent validity frameworks (Messick, Kane, Russell).
• Identification and comparison of key elements within these models.
• Development of a proposal for integrating different validity concepts.

Main Results:

• Identified common elements across Messick's and Kane's validity models.
• Proposed a method for aligning Messick's sources of validity with Kane's inference types.
• Demonstrated practical application through examples in health professions education.

Conclusions:

• An integrated framework can enhance the understanding and use of validity evidence.
• The proposed approach offers practical guidance for applied assessment settings.
• Advances in validity research support its integration into health professions education.