Investigating the Alignment Between the Empirical Rasch Ordering of Linear Algebra Assessment Items and That Predicted by APOS Theory

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Multidisciplinary Measurement Using Rasch Modeling (Table 4)

Abstract

This study was conducted with 116 teachers who were studying linear algebra as part of an in-service upgrading programme at a Zimbabwean university. In this study we conduct a Rasch analysis of a16-item assessment based on the concept of the determinant of a matrix. We investigate the extent to which the empirical ordering of the items described in terms of the Rasch item difficulty locations, corresponded to the increasing cognitive complexity of the items predicted by Action Process Object (APOS) Theory. We found in general that there was a correlation in progression of difficulty between the predicted levels of difficulty according to APOS and the actual difficulty established empirically, except for three items.

Authors

• Sarah Bansilal, University of KwaZulu-Natal

• Cathrine Kazunga, University of KwaZulu-Natal