Testing expert-based vs. student-based cognitive models for a Grade 3 diagnostic mathematics assessment

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Roduta Roberts, Mary, Alves, Cecilia B., Chu, Man-Wai, Thompson, Margaret, Bahry Louise M., & Gotzmann, Andrea

• The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adequacy of three cognitive models, one developed by content experts and two generated from student verbal reports for explaining examinee performance on a grade 3 diagnostic mathematics test. For this study, the items were developed to directly measure the attributes in the cognitive model. The performance of each cognitive model was evaluated by examining its fit to different data samples: verbal report, total, high-, moderate-, and low ability using the Hierarchy Consistency Index (Cui & Leighton, 2009), a model-data fit index. This study utilized cognitive diagnostic assessments developed under the framework of construct-centered test design and analyzed using the Attribute Hierarchy Method (Gierl, Wang, & Zhou, 2008; Leighton, Gierl, & Hunka, 2004). Both the expert-based and the student-based cognitive models provided excellent fit to the verbal report and high ability samples, but moderate to poor fit to the total, moderate and low ability samples. Implications for cognitive model development for cognitive diagnostic assessment are discussed.

• Date created

  2014

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Validity
  • Cognitive Model
  • Hierarchy Consistency Index

• Type of Item

  Article (Published)

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R35D8NV6J

• License

  © 2014 Taylor & Francis. This version of this article is open access and can be downloaded and shared. The original author(s) and source must be cited.