The Effect of Note-Taking Style on Student Achievement: Guided Notes Versus Concept Mapping With a Guided Notes Review.

摘要

This mixed-method study was an investigation of two note-taking styles, guided notes alone and concept mapping with a guided notes review, in order to compare their effectiveness. The investigation involved two groups of students, the control group and the experimental group. The control group was taught using guided notes alone. The experimental group was taught using concept mapping with a guided notes review and then surveyed regarding preferences toward styles. The students' post-exam scores and overall percentages were analyzed by running separate paired t-tests, combined paired t-tests, and one-way ANOVAs to determine if note-taking style impacts academic achievement. Analysis of the results indicated that the range of scores decreased when students were taught using concept mapping with a guided notes review. The minimum scores of the lower- achieving students increased while the higher-achieving students maintained their maximum scores. The students' surveys, however, offered mixed results. The majority of the participants indicated that they preferred using guided notes alone. A few students indicated that they saw benefits from helping to create the notes and concept maps and then reviewing with the guided notes. More research using more data sets and larger comparison groups should be conducted to validate these results. Guided notes alone can be beneficial to some students; however, if teachers opt to use concept mapping with a guided notes review, they may discover that more of their students are successful. It is also recommended that teachers investigate this practice with younger students. The earlier students are asked to ascertain facts for themselves and learn to record their own notes, the more successful they may be in their learning.