Using Sankey diagrams to visualize drag and drop action sequences in technology-enhanced items
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 2, 2025

Using a Virtual Store As a Research Tool to Investigate Consumer In-store Behavior
Published on: July 24, 2017
Tao Gong1, Yang Jiang2, Luis E Saldivia2
1Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ, USA. tgong@ets.org.
Abstract:
We propose a Sankey diagram-based visualization method to illustrate test-takers' action sequences in technology-enhanced, drag-and-drop items. This method extends existing studies focusing only on initial or last attempt(s) of answer formulation, and extracts, at the item level, comprehensive information of test-takers' drag-and-drop actions. Using the process data from three mathematical items in the National Assessment of Educational Progress, we exemplify how to develop Sankey diagrams, discover frequent actions at each stage of problem solving, deduce test-takers' response strategies, and discuss the relationship among domain (i.e., mathematics) knowledge, response strategy, and item performance. The applications and future extensions of this method can contribute to process-based problem-solving research in educational assessments.
Related Concept Videos
Design Example: Designing Water Slide
Bernoulli's principle determines the water's velocity along the...
Drag Force and Terminal Speed
Guidelines and Strategies for Safe Computer Charting
Maintain Confidentiality and Security:
Signal Flow Graphs
In a signal-flow graph, branches denote the system's transfer functions, while nodes represent the signals. The direction of signal flow is indicated by arrows, with the corresponding...
Design Example: Forces in Sluice Gate
Key variables in...
Design Example: Flow of Oil Through Circular Pipes

