Mental Effort and Load–Translingual Scale (MEL-TS)
Measures learning-related cognitive demand, specifically distinguishing between mental load and mental effort.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Mental Effort and Load–Translingual Scale (MEL-TS) was developed by Tino Endres, Lisa Bender, Stoo Sepp, Shirong Zhang, Louise David, Melanie Trypke, Dwayne Lieck, Juliette C. Désiron, Johanna Bohm, Sophia Weissgerber, Juan Cristobal Castro-Alonso, Fred Paas (2025). It is designed to measure Learning-Related Cognitive Demand. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 8 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Mental load, Mental effort.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Mental load | 1,2,3,4 | 4 |
| Mental effort | 5,6,7,8 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = 4, 5 = 5, 6 = 6, 7 = 7, 8 = 8, 9 = Strongly agree.
The scale includes 3 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 4 to 36. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low cognitive demand: 4 – 14
- Moderate cognitive demand: 15 – 25
- High cognitive demand: 26 – 36
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha .81 to .88.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 2 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.