This essay presents a theoretical and methodological approach to the construction of qualitative indicators, mainly for evaluation of changes in the educational field. It was prepared as a contribution to the self-evaluation process of a group of medical schools that are implementing a program for transformation of their traditional methods to other fundaments in philosophy and to the practice of active learning. The following concepts are discussed: indicator, production of indicators for evaluative research and construction of qualitative indicators, the latter in their two most frequent aspects: within the quantitative logic and the qualitative logic. Qualitative indicators within the quantitative view are mainly constructed by scales. In the qualitative perspective they emerge from the representations and practices of the participants of an investigation. The author emphasizes the need for constructing indicators for change that take into account structures, processes, relationships as well as the contribution of subjectivity of all participants. The conclusion is that internal validity of this kind of indicators can be achieved when the categories employed in this construction are theoretically and contextually founded and contain mutual meanings shared between the participants.
Medical education; health evaluation; medical sociology