Quality of life and metamemory in higher education students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose:  to analyze the quality of life and metamemory and verify their predictors in students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:  a cross-sectional survey carried out through online collection with the application of an initial questionnaire to characterize the sample, the WHOQOL-brief to investigate the quality of life, and the Metamemory Questionnaire in Adults (short version) - MIAr to evaluate metamemory in a group of undergraduate and postgraduate students. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Multiple linear regression was performed to verify the predictor variables. A significance level of 5% (p ≤ 0.05) was considered.

Results:  977 university students participated in the study, the majority (70.73%) of whom were females and with an income range below three minimum wages (63.56%). For quality of life, income range, being in the risk group for COVID-19, and age were predictors for both the undergraduate and postgraduate groups. In contrast, on an excellent metamemory, the predictors were male gender and age.

Conclusion:  for students, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the main predictor of quality of life was having a higher income bracket, and the main predictor of metamemory was being a male.

Keywords:
Teaching; Pandemics; Students; Quality of Life; Metacognition