Participatory construct mapping

This paper introduces participatory construct mapping, a method that puts adolescent girls' own voices at the centre of designing assessments used to measure life skills and gender-related change.

The article, published in Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, introduces participatory construct mapping as a method for improving the cultural and contextual validity of educational assessments. Drawing on feminist and decolonial methodologies, the approach involves test takers directly in defining what an assessment should measure.

The author developed this approach while revising Room to Read's Adolescent Life Skills Assessment, a tool used to measure girls' progress in skills such as leadership, decision-making, collaboration and emotional resilience, alongside gender knowledge and attitudes. Working in Nepal, Tanzania and Bangladesh, the author and team conducted scenario based discussions with adolescent girls in each country. They then mapped constructs to reflect the skills that matter to girls at home, school and community level.

The resulting 'construct maps' set out clear levels for each skill, grounded in girls' own descriptions rather than assumptions imposed from outside. These maps then formed the basis for writing test questions and were checked through piloting with students.

Pilot testing and qualitative feedback were used to check both the psychometric rigour and the participant engagement of the resulting items.

This article was authored by Fernanda Gandara from Room to Read, an organisation working to end illiteracy and gender inequality through children's literacy programmes and its Girls' Education and Gender Equality Program, which helps adolescent girls build life skills such as leadership, decision-making and resilience to succeed in school and beyond.

Key messages

• Participatory construct mapping involves test takers in defining what an assessment measures, making assumptions about skills and gender norms explicit rather than assumed.
• The method was used to revise Room to Read's Adolescent Life Skills Assessment across Nepal, Tanzania and Bangladesh, covering leadership, decision-making, collaboration, resilience and gender attitudes.
• Small group discussions of six to eight adolescent girls, using scenarios comparing hypothetical girls at different skill levels, proved most effective for gathering ordered, usable data.
• Discussions worked best at around 45 minutes, with safeguarding measures in place, including at least two adults present and no teachers or programme staff in the room.
• Some pilot participants found certain questions uncomfortable, particularly those relating to bullying or gender violence, which shaped how items were refined.
• The approach can improve cultural relevance without giving up the ability to compare results across different countries.