{
  "abstract": "The Force Concept Inventory (FCI) is one of the most widely used research-based assessments in physics education, yet the assumption that its underlying cognitive structure is transferable across educational contexts remains largely untested. This study investigates the transferability of FCI Q-matrices using the Generalized Deterministic Inputs, Noisy \"And\" Gate (G-DINA) cognitive diagnostic applied to two large cohorts: students from the Learning About STEM Student Outcomes (LASSO) online system database in the United States (N = 4,750) and introductory physics students at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa (N = 1,016). Rather than treating the analysis as a local model calibration exercise, we frame the problem as one of cross-context cognitive invariance. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analyses revealed substantial cross-cultural differences, with 14 of 30 items exhibiting high DIF after controlling for latent skill mastery. These differences were concentrated in force dynamics and contact-force reasoning and remained invariant under alternative Q-matrix specifications. The findings suggest that observed differences reflect genuine variations in students' conceptual reasoning rather than psychometric artifacts, highlighting the importance of validating Q-matrix structures before deploying cognitive diagnostic and adaptive assessments across diverse non-local educational settings.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2609.12869",
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Wade Naylor"
    },
    {
      "name": "Raheeq Tahir"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alan S. Cornell"
    },
    {
      "name": "Xuelan Qiu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4vhte5ddk2zh0.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.12869",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "4vhte5ddk2zh0",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.12869",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.ed-ph"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3304|Science Education and Pedagogy"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7212914077",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.12869",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-18",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4vhte5ddk2zh0.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:23:03Z",
      "native_id": "2609.12869",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.12869"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.ed-ph",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "The Force Concept Inventory Across Continents: Testing Q-Matrix Transferability and Cross-Cultural Differences in Mechanics Reasoning",
  "title_text": "The Force Concept Inventory Across Continents: Testing Q-Matrix Transferability and Cross-Cultural Differences in Mechanics Reasoning",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:23:03Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/4vhte5ddk2zh0",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}