As practitioners in the field of education, especially within health professions, understanding and improving assessment validity is crucial. A recent critical review by Kinnear et al. (2022) explores how argumentation theory can inform and enhance the validity of educational assessments. This blog post will delve into the key findings of the research and provide actionable insights for practitioners looking to refine their skills.
The Importance of Validity in Educational Assessments
Assessment validity is a cornerstone of effective educational practices. It ensures that the interpretations and uses of assessment scores are supported by robust evidence. However, many validity arguments are often just clusters of evidence lacking a guiding framework to evaluate their merits. This is where argumentation theory comes into play.
An Introduction to Argumentation Theory
Argumentation theory is dedicated to understanding the production, analysis, and evaluation of arguments. The study by Kinnear et al. highlights two specific orientations within argumentation theory that are particularly beneficial for health professions education (HPE): new rhetoric and informal logic.
New Rhetoric
The new rhetoric approach focuses on persuasion, emphasizing the audience's values and standards. This orientation aligns well with HPE's social imperative to be accountable to stakeholders such as the public and learners. By understanding and appealing to these values, practitioners can create more compelling and valid assessment arguments.
Informal Logic
Informal logic centers on identifying, structuring, and evaluating arguments in real-world settings. It provides tools for analyzing and evaluating validity arguments using various normative standards. This approach helps practitioners structure their assessments in a way that enhances clarity and persuasiveness.
Practical Applications for Practitioners
- Engage with Your Audience: Understand the values and expectations of your stakeholders. Tailor your assessment arguments to resonate with these perspectives.
- Structure Your Arguments: Use informal logic to organize your evidence clearly and logically. This will help in presenting a cohesive argument that supports your assessment's validity.
- Pursue Continuous Learning: Stay updated with the latest research in argumentation theory and its applications in educational assessments. Attend conferences, webinars, or read publications to enhance your understanding.
The integration of argumentation theory into assessment practices offers a transformative approach to enhancing validity. By focusing on persuasive communication through new rhetoric and logical structuring via informal logic, practitioners can significantly improve their assessment strategies.
If you are interested in exploring this topic further, consider diving deeper into the original research paper by Kinnear et al., titled "How argumentation theory can inform assessment validity: A critical review". This paper provides comprehensive insights into how different orientations within argumentation theory can reconceptualize assessment validity in generative ways.
