Eight ways to get a grip on validity as a social imperative

Area of Science:

• Educational Measurement and Assessment
• Health Professions Education Research

Background:

• Current assessment trends in Health Professions Education (HPE) include programmatic, longitudinal, and rater-based assessment.
• Validity is increasingly viewed through the lens of its social consequences and impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conceptualize and operationalize 'validity as a social imperative' within HPE.
• To provide practical guidance for embedding social validity principles into assessment development and quality monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of validity conceptualizations in HPE.
• Analysis of current assessment trends.
• Qualitative data from stakeholder interviews.

Main Results:

• Identified 'validity as a social imperative' as a key conceptualization in HPE.
• Described eight actionable strategies for implementing validation practices aligned with social imperatives.
• Highlighted the importance of considering social consequences throughout the assessment lifecycle.

Conclusions:

• Adopting a social imperative approach to validity is crucial for responsible assessment in HPE.
• The proposed strategies offer a framework for enhancing assessment quality and ethical considerations.
• Further research and implementation are needed to fully integrate social validity principles into HPE assessment practices.