The Mizan meta-memory and meta-concentration scale for students (MMSS): a test of its psychometric validity in a sample of university students

BACKGROUND: Predisposing factors for metacognitive dysfunctions are common in university students. However, there is currently no valid questionnaire instrument designed to assess metacognitive aspects including meta-memory and meta-concentration in students. To address this need, the present study investigated the psychometric validity of a brief questionnaire, the Mizan meta-memory and meta-concentration scale for students (MMSS) in university students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study with simple random sampling was conducted among students (n = 383, age = 18–35, body mass index = 21.2 ± 3.4 kg/m(2)) of Mizan-Tepi University, Ethiopia. MMSS, a socio-demographics questionnaire, and the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) were employed. RESULTS: No ceiling/floor effect was seen for the MMSS global and its sub-scale scores. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a 2-Factor model had excellent fit. Both, the comparative Fit Index (CFI) and goodness of fit index were above 0.95, while both the standardized root mean square residual and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) were less than 0.05, while χ(2)/df was less than 3 and PClose was 0.31. The 2-Factor MMSS model had adequate configural, metric, scalar, and strict invariances across gender groups as determined by a CFI > .95, RMSEA<.05, χ(2)/df < 3, non-significant Δχ(2) and/or ΔCFI≤.01. Good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.84, 0.80 and McDonald’s Omega =0.84, 0.82) was found for both subscales of the MMSS. No correlations between the MMSS scores and ESS score favored its divergent validity. CONCLUSION: The MMSS was found to have favorable psychometric validity for assessing meta-memory and meta-concentration among university students. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s40359-018-0275-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.