Learning Gaps in Chemistry: A Strand-Based Analysis of Senior High School Students

Abstract

This study examined the level of mastery in chemistry competencies among 81 Grade 12 students from the Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM), Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS), and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) strands in a public senior high school in Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines. The study aimed to identify strand-specific learning gaps that could inform the development of targeted instructional interventions. A descriptive research design was employed, utilizing a validated 30-item achievement test aligned with Bloom’s Taxonomy to assess students’ conceptual understanding across selected chemistry competencies. The results revealed a statistically significant difference in performance across academic strands. ABM students demonstrated the highest level of proficiency, attaining a Mean Percentage Score (MPS) of 78.73%, which corresponds to the “Moving Towards Mastery” classification. In contrast, ICT and HUMSS students obtained lower MPS values of 59.80% and 55.15%, respectively, both categorized under the “Average” mastery level. Across content domains, students performed more strongly in contextualized and macroscopic topics, such as star formation (79.01%) and the identification of active ingredients in household cleaning products (76.54%). However, substantial difficulties were observed in abstract and theory-intensive concepts. Notably, the synthesis of new elements based on atomic number yielded a low mastery level of 28.40%. These findings highlight persistent conceptual gaps in chemistry learning, particularly among non-STEM academic strands, and underscore the limitations of uniform instructional approaches. The study emphasizes the need for strand-responsive and differentiated instructional strategies, supported by contextualized learning materials and visual representations, to enhance students’ understanding of abstract chemical principles and reduce performance disparities within the senior high school chemistry curriculum.