Notetaking Instruction for Prospective EFL Teachers: Effects on Notetaking Skills and Perceptions

Abstract

Notetaking is a vital skill at the university level since students are responsible for their learning and notetaking is their primary method of recording and storing information. However, students may struggle with simultaneously following the lesson and taking notes, which requires systematic training. This study will contribute to the literature by focusing on the outcomes of providing prospective English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers with notetaking instruction. It is also aimed to investigate prospective EFL teachers’ perceptions of notetaking and notetaking instruction. Participants of the study were 39 prospective EFL teachers (junior ELT department students) enrolled in a Listening and Notetaking course. A mixed method approach was employed in the study, in which both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through text analysis of participants’ notes and semi-structured interviews (n = 10). Quantitative data were analysed through paired samples t-test, chi square test, and Wilcoxon signed rank test. Qualitative data were analysed through content analysis. The findings revealed that providing learners with notetaking instruction is beneficial in many aspects including recording more information units, having better organization, and deciding what is important. Students’ perceptions of notetaking were found to be mostly positive. They consider it a useful strategy for following lectures better and for overall academic success.