Abstract

The measured states of knowledge, in terms of concepts and associated entities can be represented and expressed in a variety of ways: pictorial, diagrammatic, symbolic or linguistic. A symbolic approach within the framework of matrix algebra is proposed in this study as a good representation for modelling the learner's state of knowledge. This form of representation allows for mathematical manipulations and operations on the entities that make up these matrices. This permits the determination of knowledge gain from successive tests that are administered and recorded within this framework. The technique is very general and flexible.