Assessing Grade 11 Learners’ Mastery of Chemical Bonding: Development of a Standardized Tool and Analysis of Study Habits

Chemical bonding constitutes a foundational concept in General Chemistry, essential for understanding the structure and properties of matter. Despite its importance, it remains one of the least mastered topics among secondary learners, largely due to its abstract, multi-representational nature. The present study aimed to develop and validate a standardized assessment tool to measure Grade 11 learners’ mastery of chemical bonding and to examine their study habits in relation to learning outcomes. Employing a predominantly quantitative research design supplemented with qualitative insights, the study involved the systematic development, validation, and implementation of a chemical bonding assessment aligned with Bloom’s Taxonomy. Pilot testing with 150 Grade 11 learners was conducted, followed by item analysis and reliability testing, resulting in a standardized 39-item instrument. The finalized tool demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.80) and was subsequently administered to 117 Grade 11 learners across the Academic and Technical–Professional tracks. Descriptive analyses revealed that the majority of learners did not achieve the mastery threshold, with only four respondents attaining a passing score. The highest levels of mastery were observed in tasks involving identification of chemical bond types, whereas the lowest performance emerged in competencies requiring prediction of compound types based on bonding-related data. Complementary qualitative findings from an open-ended study habits questionnaire indicated that learners employed a range of self-regulated learning strategies; however, discrepancies persisted between study effort and the attainment of deep conceptual understanding. Collectively, these results underscore the critical need for validated diagnostic assessment tools and instructional interventions that simultaneously foster conceptual comprehension and effective learning strategies, thereby enhancing learners’ mastery of chemical bonding.