Effect of Note-Taking With Student-Generated Questions on Primary School Students’ Note Quality and Social Studies Learning

Author: Guan-Yi Lee (Tainan Sianbei Elementary School) , Fu-Yun Yu (Graduate Institute of Education. National Cheng Kung University) 

Vol.&No.：Vol. 69, No. 2
Date：June 2024
Pages：173-208
DOI：https://doi.org/10.6209/JORIES.202406_69(2).0006

Abstract：
Introduction
Although researchers widely acknowledge the importance of learning strategies and study skills to sustained academic performance and growth, students often lack these essential capacities. In particular, many students struggle to efficiently organize and present the key content of course materials. With note-taking being considered fundamental and students’ general deficiency in these skills raising concerns among educators, researchers have been led to critically assess how educators can better equip students with necessary note-taking skills.
Note-taking during lectures produces generative effects and is generally indicated in research to lead to positive learning outcomes. Note-taking facilitates the activation and mobilization of mental processes such as directing, maintaining, and controlling attention. It also helps learners identify and understand the various relationships among concepts in instructional materials, which aid in forming internal connections. In addition, note-taking supports the transformation and reorganization of instructional content, which enhances retention and knowledge construction. Multiple studies have indicated the positive effects of note-taking on learning outcomes. Many scholars have emphasized the importance of reviewing one’s notes (i.e., note-review) to further enhance learning.
Conceptually, note-review involves learners revisiting the content of their written notes. Because student-generated questions (SGQs) underscore similar principles as those of note-taking (e.g., active construction of knowledge and meaningful learning) and empirical research generally supports the learning benefits of SGQs, multiple scholars have experimented with integrating SGQs to increase the benefits of note-review. Combining note-taking with SGQs can direct and prompt students to consult their notes as a reference to effectively and efficiently complete SGQs tasks, potentially leading to improved note quality.
Although multiple studies have investigated the effects of combining note-taking with SGQs and verified the effects of such a combination on academic performance and note quality, these studies are limited in their scope and the educational levels they involve. In addition, the effects of this combined strategy on vital educational outcomes, such as learning strategies, learning motivation, and attitudes toward the subject matter, remain unknown. Given the common learning challenges associated with social studies, the current study drew on information processing theory, metacognitive theory, and expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation to explore the effects of note-taking with SGQs on note quality, learning strategies, academic achievement, learning motivation, and attitudes toward social studies.
Methods
This study adopted a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental research design. Integrated strategies were introduced to support the learning of social studies. Two sixth-grade classes from an elementary school in Tainan City that the same social studies teacher taught were randomly selected for an 11-week study. These classes were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 25) or a control group (n = 23). The experimental group engaged in note-taking with SGQs, whereas the control group adopted the note-taking only strategy.
A set of instruments were used for measurement. First, with reference to the literature on note-taking, a detailed scoring scheme was developed to evaluate note quality. Second, first- and second-quarter social studies exams that were conducted school-wide were used as a pretest and posttest to evaluate academic performance after item analysis. Finally, scales with confirmed validity and reliability were used to measure the targeted affective learning outcomes. The data were analyzed by the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques.
Results and Discussion
This study yielded two primary findings. First, the group using note-taking with SGQs significantly outperformed the group using note-taking only in note quality (in terms of content and style). The experimental group also exhibited higher learning motivation (as indicated by task value, self-efficacy, and expectancy for success) and more positive attitudes toward social studies. Second, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in the use of learning strategies, including cognitive and metacognitive strategies, or in academic achievement.
A series of content analyses were conducted on the questions generated by the experimental group (n = 350), providing insights into the unconfirmed aspects of the research questions. First, in accordance with Bloom’s taxonomy, all questions were classified at low cognitive levels, with 65.70% classified at the “remember” level and 34.30% classified at the “understand” level. Second, although each instructional unit, on average, contained five to six main ideas, all generated questions addressed only one main idea per question. In other words, no questions of an interlinked nature or assessing cross-ideas were developed. Third, more than one-fifth of the questions generated by the same student (22.86% to be precise) focused on the same main idea. In summary, with all questions targeting low cognitive levels and failing to adequately cover all main ideas of the study material in SGQs, the cognitive and metacognitive strategies (e.g., rehearsal, organization, elaboration, planning, monitoring, revision, and evaluation) expected to be triggered by the SGQs and the generative effects expected to be produced by the SGQs for academic performance were not observed in this study.
Conclusion
Many theories and empirical studies support the positive effects of note-taking and SGQs, respectively. Although multiple scholars have examined the educational potential and effects of combining these two learning strategies, further research is required to determine their effects on wider domains and on higher-order thinking and affective outcomes. This study was conducted to explore the effects of note-taking with SGQs on primary school students’ note quality, the use of learning strategies, academic achievement, learning motivation, and attitudes toward social studies.
Given the synergistic effects of note-taking and SGQs, social studies teachers should incorporate these two strategies to enhance note quality, learning motivation, and students’ attitudes toward social studies. In addition, given the insights gained from content analyses of SGQs, teachers should focus on the technical and substantive dimensions of the generated questions. Specifically, these questions should be complete and correct in their formation. Also, questions should better target higher cognitive levels, such as application and analysis, rather than remembering and understanding. In addition, questions should include a broader range of main ideas to ensure a more comprehensive coverage of the learning content (i.e., flexibility) and emphasize the interconnections and links with prior knowledge and past learning experiences (i.e., elaboration). Focusing on these aspects can enable the realization and maximization of the intended learning outcomes of SGQs activities.

Keywords：teaching and learning in social studies, note-taking quality, note-taking strategy, student-generated questions, learning effects

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