Improving accuracy and usage by correctly selecting: The effects of model selection in cognitive diagnosis computerized adaptive testing

Decisions on how to calibrate an item bank might have major implications in the subsequent performance of the adaptive algorithms. One of these decisions is model selection, which can become problematic in the context of cognitive diagnosis computerized adaptive testing, given the wide range of mode...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Sorrel Luján, Miguel Ángel, Abad García, Francisco José, Najera Álvarez, Pablo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Repositorio:Biblos-e Archivo. Repositorio Institucional de la UAM
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.uam.es:10486/703185
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10486/703185
https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0146621620977682
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:classification accuracy
cognitive diagnosis models
computerized adaptive testing
G-DINA
item usage
model comparison
Psicología
Descripción
Sumario:Decisions on how to calibrate an item bank might have major implications in the subsequent performance of the adaptive algorithms. One of these decisions is model selection, which can become problematic in the context of cognitive diagnosis computerized adaptive testing, given the wide range of models available. This article aims to determine whether model selection indices can be used to improve the performance of adaptive tests. Three factors were considered in a simulation study, that is, calibration sample size, Q-matrix complexity, and item bank length. Results based on the true item parameters, and general and single reduced model estimates were compared to those of the combination of appropriate models. The results indicate that fitting a single reduced model or a general model will not generally provide optimal results. Results based on the combination of models selected by the fit index were always closer to those obtained with the true item parameters. The implications for practical settings include an improvement in terms of classification accuracy and, consequently, testing time, and a more balanced use of the item bank. An R package was developed, named cdcatR, to facilitate adaptive applications in this context