The Metamemory, Memory Strategy and Study Technique Inventory (MMSSTI), a 93-item self-report questionnaire, was designed to assess metamemory, memory strategies, study techniques and the mental load of students at tertiary level. Exploratory factor analysis yielded 12 factors/subscales: three measure metamemory, five memory strategies, three study techniques and one mental load. The subscales have satisfactory to good internal consistencies. The metamemory subscales assess Monitoring and two kinds of regulatory processes, namely Time Allocation and Mental Representations of Information. Four memory strategy subscales measure encoding memory strategies, namely Rehearsal, Association/Organisation, Verbal Elaboration and Imagery, while one subscale assesses Retrieval Memory Strategies. The study techniques subscales measure Insight/Understanding, a Questioning Approach and Extracting Important Information. There is a subscale called Mental Load, which is a measurement of the interference of various factors in information processing and their constraints on the ability of the information processor to cope with the memory task demands.
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