Does Diagnostic Feedback Promote Learning? Evidence From a Longitudinal Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Adam

Assessment for learning highlights feedback as a driver of learning, motivating investigation into whether cognitive diagnostic feedback (CDF) improves achievement and whether it outperforms traditional correct–incorrect response feedback (CIRF). Using a quasi-experimental design with a longitudinal cognitive diagnostic assessment, the study compared three feedback modes—CDF, CIRF, and no feedback. Results suggest CDF promotes learning and is especially more effective than CIRF in more challenging knowledge areas.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

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Does Diagnostic Feedback Promote Learning?

Research aim and feedback modes

Background: assessment for learning and diagnostic assessment

Cognitive diagnostic models and potential benefits

Example of a diagnostic feedback report

Comparing CDF and CIRF

AERA Open January-December 2021, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 1–15 DOI: 10. 1177/23328584211060804 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)© The Author(s) 2021. [https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero](https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero) Does Diagnostic Feedback Promote Learning? Evidence From a Longitudinal Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment Fang Tang Peida Zhan Zhejiang Normal University Assessment for learning emphasizes the importance of feedback to promote learning. To explore whether cognitive diagnostic feedback (CDF) promotes learning and whether it is more effective than traditional feedback in promoting learning, this study conducted a quasi-experiment by utilizing a longitudinal cognitive diagnostic assessment to compare the effect of three feedback modes on promoting learning, including CDF, correct–incorrect response feedback (CIRF), and no feedback. The results provided some evidence for the conclusion that CDF can promote students’ learning and is more effective than CIRF in promoting learning, especially in more challenging areas of knowledge. Keywords: cognitive diagnosis, feedback, longitudinal cognitive diagnostic assessment, assessment for learning In educational and psychological research, feedback has been examined for its ability to inform, identify, and correct errors (Whyte et al., 1995). Assessment for learning (Wiliam, 2011) emphasizes the importance of feedback to promote learning. Specifically, it considers that students’learning status should be promptly evaluated, and corresponding feedback is given in the teaching process to promote learning. With the development of psychometrics, cognitive diagnostic assessments (CDAs; Leighton & Gierl, 2007) or learning diagnostic assessments (Zhan, 2020a, 2020b), which objectively quantify students’ current learning status of knowledge and skills (collectively known as latent attributes) and provide the corresponding cognitive diagnostic feedback (CDF), have drawn increasing interest. In CDAs, a latent attribute can either correspond to a concrete knowledge point or refer to a more abstract latent construct. CDAs offer researchers a framework of formative assessments that are capable of providing educators with detailed information about student mastery status (e.g., mastery or nonmastery) of latent attributes in a given subject area, with examples including (a) fraction subtraction (Tatsuoka, 1983),(b) rational number operations (Tang & Zhan, 2020),(c) voltage and current (Ohm’s law) (Zhan et al., 2019), (d) geometric sequences (Shute et al., 2008), (e) buoyancy (Gao et al., 2020), and (f) proportional reasoning (Tjoe & de la Torre, 2013) . Researchers have applied CDAs more broadly in the psychological and behavioral sciences, such as for learning mode (H. Li et al., 2020), spatial rotation (S. Wang et al., 2018), problem-solving competence (Zhan & Qiao, 2020), situational judgment (Sorrel et al., 2016), and psychological disorders (Templin & Henson, 2006) . Currently, several cognitive diagnosis models (CDMs) or diagnostic classification models (for review, see von Davier & Lee, 2019)—such as the most popular deterministic-inputs, noisy “AND” gate (DINA) model (Junker & Sijtsma, 2001) and its generalization (de la Torre, 2011)—have been proposed to provide theoretical support for CDAs. CDMs are a family of restricted latent class models that model relationships between discrete latent attributes and observed item responses. CDMs have the potential to provide richer individual-level diagnostic information (i.e., CDF) than traditional psychometric models (e.g., item response theory models; Ma & de la Torre, 2020). A previous survey has shown that teachers are eager to obtain detailed individual-level diagnostic information and corresponding remedial strategies (Huff & Goodman, 2007) . Figure 1 shows an example of how CDF can be presented in the form of a

FAQs

What is the main question of the study?

Whether cognitive diagnostic feedback (CDF) promotes learning and whether it is more effective than traditional correct–incorrect response feedback (CIRF).

How did the study test the effect of different feedback modes?

Through a quasi-experiment using a longitudinal cognitive diagnostic assessment that compared CDF, CIRF, and no feedback.

What do the findings indicate about CDF versus CIRF?

CDF can promote students’ learning and is more effective than CIRF, particularly in more challenging knowledge areas.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Adam