Student Factors Affecting Latent Transition of Mathematics Achievement Measuring From Latent Transition Analysis with a Mixture Item Response Theory Measurement Model

The extension of the latent transition analysis (LTA) to include continuous latent variables by incorporating a mixture Rasch (item response theory) measurement model (MRM) is applied in the three-time point measurements of students’ model of mathematic achievement affecting by student factors in this study. The two objectives in using the latent transition analysis with a mixture Rasch (item response theory) measurement model (LTA-MRM) are a) to study the three time measures of latent mathematic achievements and their transitions including the probability of those three transitions, and b) to study the effects of the dynamic student factors measuring 3 times on the student latent mathematic achievements and latent transitions. This study employs the student factors, consisting of types and duration of activities, as independent variables and the the latent transition analysis results, consisting of the latent mathematic achievement and latent transition, as dependent variables. The three sets of reliable and valid multiple choice tests are administered to the sample consisting of 217 grade 7, 8 and 9 students, Chulalongkorn University Demonstration Secondary School, and the Mplus computer program is used to estimate the LTA-MRM. The major findings are, a) the effects of student factors on latent mathematic achievements and their transitions varied, each round of measurement; with student factors, in the second round, having the highest transition probabilities of moving latent class; b) the student factors affect latent mathematic achievements and their transitions in all three rounds of measurement. Furthermore, the latent transition analysis results using LTA-MRM shed light on students grouping according to their latent abilities, the characteristics of each latent student group, and the latent transition model for each student.