Application of Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment to the Test of Chinese as a Heritage Language (Reading)

The Test of Chinese as a Heritage Language, or Huawen Shuiping Ceshi (HC), is a newly developed proficiency test by a university in Guangzhou, China. It defines “Heritage Language” as a family-transmitted language that is non-dominant in broader society and often incompletely acquired. The reading test is one of its three subtests. To investigate the cognitive patterns of learners of Chinese as a heritage language and to provide diagnostic assessment for test takers and educational institutions, the Rule Space Model (RSM) was implemented to conduct a diagnostic research of 236 test takers’ responses on the reading test (Level 3). The research results indicate that: (1) the reading attributes of Chinese as a Heritage Language (Reading) were relatively accurately determined, and the hierarchical relationships of attributes were supported by the empirical data; (2) there were 12 mastery patterns of reading attributes for learners of Chinese as a heritage language. The RSM was successfully implemented in the diagnostic assessment of the reading test. This study can enhance the understanding of Chinese reading ability, advance the application of cognitive diagnosis in Chinese reading tests, and offer more detailed insights for reading instruction.