Dependent variable is a variable that changes because of the manipulation of the independent variable. The dependent variable in the scenario is the memorization capacity of the students since it is being manipulated by the strategies such as chunking and clustering to produce an outcome.
Independent variable is a variable that does not depend on another variable. It can stand alone and it does not change. The independent variable in the scenario is the memorization strategies such as chunking and clustering. Application of such strategies does not affect the status of the strategies.