Clinician educators ’ conceptions of assessment in medical education

AbstractIn pursuing assessment excellence, clinician-educators who design and implement assessment are pivotal. The influence of their assessment practice in university-run licensure exams on student learning has direct implications for future patient care. While teaching practice has been shown to parallel conceptions of teaching, we know too little about conceptions of assessment in medical education to know if this is the case for assessment practice and conceptions of assessment. To explore clinician-educators ’ conceptions of assessment, a phenomenographic study was undertaken. Phenomenography explores conceptions, the qualitatively different ways of understanding a phenomenon. Data analysis identifies a range of hierarchically inclusive categories of understanding, from simple to more complex, and the dimensions that distinguish each category or conception. Thirty-one clerkship convenors in three diverse Southern settings were interviewed in three cycles of iterative data collection and analysis. Four conceptions of assessment were identified: passive operator, awakening enquirer, active owner a nd scholarly assessor. Six dimensions were elucidated to describe and distinguish each conception: purpose of assessment; temporal perspective; role and responsibility; accountability; reflexivity and emotional valence. Additionally, three characteristics that appeared to track the progressive natur e of the conceptions were identified: professional identity, assessment litera...

Source: Advances in Health Sciences Education - January 20, 2023 Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: research