Long, Stephanie (2018). Exploring the perceived credibility of assessment in medical education: a scoping review. McGill Family Medicine Studies Online, 13: e10 

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Abstract

Background: In medical education, one of the goals of assessment is to support learning and improve performance. This goal is best achieved when trainees are receptive to and actively engage with the assessment process. Many factors contribute to whether learners will consider assessment-generated feedback as valuable, such as the perceived credibility of an assessment process and the feedback source. If assessment-generated feedback is not perceived as credible, it is unlikely to be integrated into a trainee's knowledge base, leaving the goal of improved performance unmet.

Methods: Applying a scoping study methodology, I searched the medical education scholarly literature for research relevant to assessment of medical trainees, and the perceived credibility of assessment, in five databases: OVID MedLine, ERIC, Scopus, PsycInfo, and EMBASE.

Results: The search strategy identified 3101 unique articles, which were coded for inclusion by myself and my principal supervisor, with a third reviewer adjudicating disagreements. Full-text review yielded 114 articles to be included in the synthesis. I identified three overarching themes that described perceptions of the assessment process and credibility: (i) characteristics of good assessment, (ii) consequences of assessment being perceived as credible (or not), and (iii) factors that affect the perceived credibility of assessment.

Conclusion: Medical trainees make complex judgments regarding the credibility of assessments and assessment-generated feedback to determine what information will be used to improve their performance and what information will be ignored. This review has identified factors that affect trainee perceptions of credibility of assessment and assessment-generated feedback. Findings from this review can be used to inform assessment development and administration, and the provision of assessment-generated feedback to improve the likelihood of supporting trainee performance.