Conditions d'élaboration de la matrice Q des modèles cognitifs et impact sur sa validité et sa fidélité

Abstract

This exploratory research compares Q-matrices related to two multiple choice tests in mathematics. These Q-matrices are elaborated in three different conditions. In the first one, only the items are available. In the second one, the items are presented as set together with a factor analysis. In the third condition, the item difficulty and discrimination parameters are provided to the experts as well as the distractors' analysis results. The cognitive model RUM (Reparametrized Unified Model) is used to compare the cognitive structure of the different matrices related to the same test. The form of the matrices, the agreement between the experts and the parameters estimated with the RUM are compared. The results tend to show that condition 2 cognitive structure is stronger for both tests. The difference with conditions 1 or 3 is, however, not very large. The third condition leads the experts to pay attention to non relevant aspects of the answering process and leads to the worst quality matrices.