In the study, a Chemical Bonds Achievement Test
(CBAT) was developed which consisted of a total of 35 items
including 20 multiple choice and 15 essay questions. After pilot
studies were conducted with 45 prospective chemistry teachers, the
test was revised. The number of multiple choice items was reduced
to 14, the number of open-ended questions was reduced to 10 and
the final version of the test was prepared. The reliability coefficient
(Kuder-Richardson 20) of the multiple choice test was calculated to
be 0.75 in the pilot study. The pilot study was conducted only as a data collection tool, not for the guide material.
The CBAT was applied to the study group twice as pre-test and
post-test to measure the level of knowledge about chemical bonds.
In the first part of the test, responses to essay questions were
grouped into three categories as completely understood, partially
understood, no undestanding/blank, and then percentages for each
category were calculated (Ayas, 2002; Özmen et al., 2002). For the
multiple choice part, Kuder-Richardson 20 reliability coefficient was
computed as 0.72. Additionally, the validity of the CBAT was verified
via the expert views of 6 faculty members at Marmara
University and 8 chemistry teachers from various high schools in
Istanbul.