The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how learners describe what factors lead learners to abandon a learning strategy and adopt another learning strategy and how the new learning strategy differs from previously learned and implemented learning strategies to reduce the extraneous cognitive load on a single science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topic at a public university in Southwest California. The researcher used the cognitive load theory as the theoretical foundation for this study. The research questions were: How do first-year undergraduate learners describe what factors lead learners to abandon a learning strategy and adopt another learning strategy on a single STEM topic to reduce the extraneous cognitive load? How do first-year undergraduate learners describe the new learning strategy as different from previously learned and implemented learning strategies learners have used to reduce the extraneous cognitive load on a single STEM topic? The study's methodology was qualitative with a descriptive design. The purposive sampling approach included 45 first-year undergraduate learners in prerequisite STEM courses. The researcher recruited all participants from schools in a four-year public university in Southwest California. This researcher used questionnaires, focus groups, and semistructured interviews as data sources. Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis helped the researcher to validate coded information. The findings from this study identified 10 themes. The researcher's conclusions showed that these themes might influence undergraduate STEM learners' problem-solving behavior in STEM classes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]