A Latent Transition Analysis Model for Assessing Change in Cognitive Skills

Latent transition analysis (LTA) was initially developed to provide a means of measuring change in dynamic latent variables. In this article, we illustrate the use of a cognitive diagnostic model, the DINA model, as the measurement model in a LTA, thereby demonstrating a means of analyzing change in cognitive skills over time. An example is presented of an instructional treatment on a sample of seventh-grade students in several classrooms in a Midwestern school district. In the example, it is demonstrated how hypotheses could be framed and then tested regarding the form of the change in different groups within the population. Both manifest and latent groups also are defined and used to test additional hypotheses about change specific to particular subpopulations. Results suggest that the use of a DINA measurement model expands the utility of LTA to practical problems in educational measurement research.