title: Psychometrics and its discontents: an historical perspective on the discourse of the measurement tradition.
abstract: Psychometrics has recently undergone extensive criticism within the medical education literature. The use of quantitative measurement using psychometric instruments such as response scales is thought to emphasize a narrow range of relevant learner skills and competencies. Recent reviews and commentaries suggest that a paradigm shift might be presently underway. We argue for caution, in that the psychometrics approach and the quantitative account of competencies that it reflects is based on a rich discussion regarding measurement and scaling that led to the establishment of this paradigm. Rather than reflecting a homogeneous discipline focused on core competencies devoid of consideration of context, the psychometric community has a history of discourse and debate within the field, with an acknowledgement that the techniques and instruments developed within psychometrics are heuristics that must be used pragmatically.
authors: Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.|Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
authors: Jordan Richard
authors: JR
authors: Schoenherr
authors: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, 515 N. State Street, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL, 60654, USA. shamstra@acgme.org.
authors: Stanley J
authors: SJ
authors: Hamstra
mesh_terms: D004501:Education, Medical / Q000266:history / Q000592:standards; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000266:history* / Q000379:methods; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000266:history* / Q000379:methods
keywords: History; Measurement and scaling; Medical education; Psychometrics