Note-Taking Habits of 21st-Century College Students

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Table of Contents

Content of the Paper
Classification of the Research
Research Questions
Research Findings
What was New to Me from the Research?
References

“Note-taking habits of 21st Century college students: Implications for student learning, memory, and achievement” is an academic article written by five authors. These are Kayla Morehead, R. Benjamin Hollis, John Dunlosky, Rachael Blasiman, and Katherine A. Rawson (Morehead et. al., 2019). Morehead, Dunlosky, and Rawson work at Kent State University Department of psychological sciences, while Blasiman works at Kent State University Department of Psychology (Morehead et al., 2019). Hollis works at the office of continuing and distance education at Kent State University, United States of America (Morehead et. al., 2019).

Content of the Paper

The article by Morehead et al. (2019) is divided into 17 segments. These are abstract, introduction, changes that can influence habits of note-taking since 1974, an empirical framework for interpreting learners’ note-taking habits, and a historical overview of survey research on note-taking habits (Morehead et al., 2019). Other segments include an overview of the present survey of note-taking habits, method, results, discussion, limitations and future directions, closing remarks, notes, acknowledgments, disclosure statement, funding, references, and appendix (Morehead et al., 2019). The method segment is further subdivided into participants, materials, encoding and storage, note-taking skills and training, and procedure (Morehead et al., 2019). The section on results is subdivided into encoding, general encoding questions, storage function of note-taking, note-taking skills and training, and gender differences in note-taking.

The study appreciates various inventions, for instance, online classes and the use of electronic devices, in note-taking and classroom technologies since 1974. The article aims at investigating the impact of emerging technological developments on taking notes and updating the existing literature on the general note-taking behavior of students (Morehead et al., 2019). A total of 577 college scholars were surveyed adopting emerging queries relevant to note-taking and classroom technology and utilizing questions from preliminary surveys conducted (Morehead et al., 2019). Just like results from previous studies, it showed that students reported note-taking in classrooms as important (Morehead et al., 2019). Moreover, it reported increased flexibility in note-taking by evading physical classes and opting for online classes and note-taking using either a laptop or a notebook depending on the demands of the course. Conclusively, the article ascertained that students practice flexibility in note-taking even though they do not always make subtle decisions about when and how to take notes.

Classification of the Research

The survey conducted by Morehead and other authors presented in paragraph one can be categorized as descriptive research. Unlike experimental research which allows the researchers to manipulate and control one of the variables, descriptive research only measures and observes the variables under research (Kagel & Roth, 2020). The goal of descriptive research is to systematically and accurately describe a phenomenon, population, or situation. It answers the how, what, when, and where questions but not the why (Siedlecki, 2020). For instance, the segment on closing remarks meticulously outlines future recommendations like how the classroom will change in forty years, and what devices will be used by students for note-taking suggesting that this is descriptive research (Morehead et al., 2019). Moreover, the authors recommend future studies on how these devices will affect when and how learners further categorize it as descriptive research.

Descriptive research is most applicable to studies aiming to identify categories, characteristics, trends, and frequencies. For instance, the research by Morehead et al. (2019) seeks to investigate the impact of emerging technological developments on note-taking by students. Secondly, the article has a segment on changes influencing note-taking habits since 1974 which factors into trends in note-taking. Moreover, a historical overview of the research survey on the note-taking segment investigated the impact of learning behavior by students (Morehead et al., 2019), further confirming this as descriptive research. The data collection methods used in descriptive research include surveys, observations, and case studies (Alok & Mishra, 2017). The study extensively adopted survey research to gather voluminous data to be used for analyzing patterns, frequencies, and averages in note-taking at Kent State University (Morehead et al., 2019). A population sample of 577 students at Kent State University was surveyed using questions from previous studies as well as new inquiries relevant to technological developments in note-taking.

Research Questions

The research questions by the six authors can be deduced from the materials segment. Four research questions can be deduced; what were the note-taking behavior of students during online classes and in-class lectures? How did students review their notes and how was reviewing notes important to them? What was the attitude of students to taking good notes and having excellent note-taking skills? How did the students receive training on the improvement of note-taking skills?

Research Findings

The primary findings of the research are in line with the aforementioned research questions. First, 96% of the respondents reported taking notes during classes with 88% of the respondents feeling that note-taking is a prerequisite for effective learning. 38% of the participants had enrolled in online classes whereby 49% took notes during online lectures and 58% reported note-taking as a key component for effective learning. In both instances, students took notes according to the materials provided by the lecturer (Morehead et al., 2019). Secondly, 93% of the participants reported reviewing their notes after classes. 92% of these reviewed by reading their notes while nearly half tested themselves using the notes. Note reviewing helped students examine their level of comprehension. Thirdly, 89% reported a positive attitude toward taking good notes with 58% desiring to improve their note-taking skills. Lastly, most students reported being acquainted with note-taking skills in high school or mid-school by their teachers.

What was New to Me from the Research?

The new thing about this study is that it has helped me understand the pivotal role played by developments in technology in note-taking. As a student, technological advancements like the use of laptops and projectors are taken lightly. For instance, I rarely take notes during classes because the lecturer will send the notes to us afterward. However, this research has helped me understand that effective note-taking enhances comprehension and concentration. Another strange thing I have learned from this research is that majority of the students take their studies seriously and they would like to strive for their note-taking skills. The latter is evident in the majority of the respondents who reported to be actively taking notes during classes.

References

Alok, S., & Mishra, S. B. (2017). Handbook of research methodology: A compendium for scholars and researchers. Education.

Kagel, J. H., & Roth, A. E. (Eds.). (2020). The handbook of experimental economics, volume 2. Princeton university press.

Morehead, K., Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Blasiman, R., & Hollis, R. B. (2019). Note-taking habits of 21st-century college students: Implications for student learning, memory, and achievement. Memory, 27(6), 807-819. Web.

Siedlecki, S. L. (2020). Understanding descriptive research designs and methods. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 34(1), 8-12. Web.

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Note-Taking Habits of 21st-Century College Students

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