Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Integrated Article

Degree

Doctor of Education

Program

Education

Supervisor

Webb, Stuart

Abstract

This thesis aims to investigate the extent to which learners can increase second or foreign language (L2) vocabulary learning through note taking. Note taking is a pervasive and important activity for language learners. It can not only help learners encode information into memory, but also facilitate their learning through later review. This thesis takes an integrated article format and is organized into (a) introduction (Chapter 1), (b) three main studies (Chapters 2, 3, & 4), and (c) conclusion (Chapter 5). The first study is a meta-analysis investigating the effectiveness of note taking through exposure to L2 input, and the other two studies are experimental studies involving Chinese university students who viewed an academic lecture while using different forms of note taking.

Study 1 (Chapter 2) meta-analyzed earlier studies of note taking in L2 research. Twenty-eight effect sizes from 21 studies (N = 1992) were retrieved. This study explored the overall effects of note taking as well as examined the extent to which the effectiveness of note taking is likely to vary as a function of a set of potential moderators (i.e., learner variables, treatment variables, note-taking features, learning target, and measurement type). Results revealed that note taking had a small to medium positive overall effect on learning through exposure to L2 input (g = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.25–0.84). Subsequent moderator analyses revealed that variability in the size of note-taking effects across studies was explained by learner variables (context, region, orthographic scripts, institutional level), treatment variables (mode of input, material type), note-taking features (note-taking behavior, number of note-taking sessions, provision and type of note-taking strategy instruction, total length of instruction, opportunity to review notes), learning target, and measurement type.

Study 2 (Chapter 3) examined the effects of the encoding function of note taking on L2 vocabulary learning. A total of 134 university students in China were randomly assigned into four groups: (1) viewing without note taking, (2) viewing with conventional note taking, (3) viewing with guided note taking, and (4) a control group. Knowledge of twenty-eight single words encountered in an open access lecture was measured. A counterbalanced form-recall and meaning-recall test were used from the pretest to the immediate posttest. Results showed that (a) guided note taking contributed to greater vocabulary learning than conventional note taking on the form-recall test, (b) both guided note taking and conventional note taking contributed to significant vocabulary gains on the meaning-recall test, and (c) viewing without note taking did not contribute to significant learning gains. The analyses also revealed that writing unknown words in notes, the inclusion of target words in the lecture slides, and learners’ prior vocabulary knowledge affected learning, but frequency of occurrence, word length, and learners’ level of comprehension did not.

Study 3 (Chapter 4) examined the effects of the external storage function of note taking on L2 vocabulary learning. A total of 128 university students in China were randomly assigned into five groups: (1) conventional note taking with immediate review, (2) conventional note taking with delayed review, (3) guided note taking with immediate review, (4) guided note taking with delayed review, and (5) a control group. Knowledge of twenty-eight words encountered in an open access lecture was measured. A counterbalanced form-recall and meaning-recall test was used through pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest. Results showed that (a) immediately after the treatment, taking notes in the guided note-taking condition played a larger role in vocabulary learning than reviewing the notes on both form- and meaning-recall tests, whereas the effectiveness of conventional note taking appears to depend more on reviewing notes at the form-recall but not the meaning-recall level, (b) reviewing notes after an interval in guided note taking contributed to significant vocabulary gains on the form-recall test. The analyses also revealed that writing unknown words in notes, learners’ level of comprehension and learners’ prior vocabulary knowledge affected learning, but review schedule, frequency of occurrence, target words presented in guided notes, and target words shown in the lecture slides did not.

Summary for Lay Audience

In naturalistic teaching contexts, the act of note taking is common. However, even if students acknowledge the importance of note taking, they often produce poor notes, which lowers the benefits of note taking for language learning. More studies are needed to explore different approaches to note taking that can best support learning. This thesis investigates whether learners can increase L2 word learning through note taking. It consists of three articles focusing on the effects of note taking. First, to clarify the overall effects of note taking, Study 1 systematically reviewed earlier studies of note taking in L2 learning. The other two studies were empirical studies involving Chinese university students encountering 28 unfamiliar English words while viewing an academic lecture. In first language (L1) research, it is widely acknowledged that the encoding function of note taking, where information is processed and organized, has a positive effect on learning. However, little attention has been paid to the L2 context. To examine the extent to which note taking through viewing academic lectures contributes to L2 vocabulary learning, Study 2 compared the effects of different forms of note taking (i.e., guided note taking, conventional note taking) on L2 vocabulary learning. Study 3 investigated the extent to which reviewing notes contributes to L2 vocabulary learning. Results showed that note taking benefits L2 learning but its effectiveness is likely to vary in relation to different factors (e.g., learners’ institutional level, whether note-taking instruction words was provided or not) (Study 1). Results also showed that L2 learners may benefit more through the use of guided notes than conventional notes (Study 2). In terms of reviewing notes, the act of guided note taking played a larger role in vocabulary learning than reviewing the notes on both form- and meaning-recall tests whereas the effectiveness of conventional note taking appears to depend more on reviewing notes at the form-recall but not the meaning-recall level; reviewing notes after an interval in guided note taking contributed to significant vocabulary gains on the form-recall test (Study 3). This thesis concludes with methodological and pedagogical implications for L2 vocabulary learning.

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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