Applying the Network Item Response Model to Student Assessment Data

Abstract: This study discusses an alternative tool for modeling student assessment data. The model constructs networks from a matrix item responses and attempts to represent these data in low dimensional Euclidean space. This procedure has advantages over common methods used for modeling student assessment data such as Item Response Theory because it relaxes the highly restrictive local-independence assumption. This article provides a deep discussion of the model and the steps one must take to estimate it. To enable extending a present model by adding data, two methods for estimating the positions of new individuals in the network are discussed. Then, a real data analysis is then provided as a case study on using the model and how to interpret the results. Finally, the model is compared and contrasted to other popular models in psychological and educational measurement: Item response theory (IRT) and network psychometric Ising model for binary data.