Comparing Analog and Digital Note-Taking Among Middle School Students.

摘要

Taking notes is an important component to learning because it helps develop analytical skills and enhances students' reflection. In today's classrooms, at least two thirds of instruction involves lecture or presentation with students relying on note-taking so they can refer to the information for later study. Digital note-taking is the use of cell phones, computers, and other digital technology devices to take notes. However, the speed and efficiency offered by digital note-taking may not translate into improved understanding or higher levels of student achievement. The specific problem addressed was middle school students' lack of appropriate note-taking skills. The purpose of this quantitative pretest/posttest nonequivalent control group study was to examine the effectiveness of digital note-taking relative to traditional note-taking in terms of gains in eighth-grade Catholic school students' academic performance in social studies. Study participants were 118 middle school students in the eighth grade at a private Catholic school, half of whom received a digital note-taking intervention while the other half used traditional note-taking. Based on study results, the null hypothesis was rejected, and it was concluded that middle school students who used digital note-taking significantly improved on posttest scores compared to students who used traditional note-taking. Thus, student performance may benefit by using digital note-taking devices. Further research regarding teaching practices that encorporate emerging educational technology is important for helping educators and educational systems meet student learners at their level of technology use.