The interpretation-use argument- the essential ingredient for high quality assessment design and validation

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Assessment Design
• Educational Measurement

Background:

• Growing interest in argument-based validity approaches in health professions education (HPE).
• The interpretation-use argument (IUA) is a critical but often poorly articulated first step in Kane's validity framework.
• Need for clear guidance on developing IUAs for HPE assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide guidance on developing the interpretation-use argument (IUA) for assessment design in HPE.
• To illustrate IUA development using a workplace performance assessment tool.
• To offer practical insights and lessons learned for researchers and educators.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Kane's argument-based validity framework.
• Drew inspiration from language assessment validity approaches.
• Employed Toulmin's model of informal logic to structure the IUA.
• Developed a worked example of an IUA for a workplace performance assessment.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a structured approach to developing IUAs using Toulmin's model.
• Presented Toulmin diagrams to visualize argument chains for assessment inferences.
• Highlighted practical challenges and lessons learned during IUA development.

Conclusions:

• A well-articulated IUA is essential for assessment design and validation in HPE.
• IUAs facilitate critique by others and guide the collection of validity evidence.
• This work provides a practical framework for strengthening the validity of HPE assessments.