Saudi Students’ Note Taking Strategies: Perceptions and Difficulties

Abstract

The English language classrooms especially at the university level are based on the lecturing instruction method. This traditional method is commonly used despite its drawbacks. In order to avoid these drawbacks, learners develop certain techniques and strategies such as note taking. In fact, this strategy is defined as the act of recording newly exposed piece of knowledge or information in short notes to recall later. Despite the importance of note taking as an indispensable skill that university students should develop and master, the literature on the topic is still scarce especially in the Middle East which urges the need to conduct the current research whose main aim is to elicit the higher education students’ attitudes towards the implementation of this skill in their learning process. In fact, 93 male students currently studying at the University of Jeddah as English language students participated in the current work through the use of a semi structured interview and the submission of their note taking drafts. Results indicated that these participants misperceive what note taking really means and thus do not know and use much of the micro skills of this strategy. The educational partakers should reconsider note taking in lectures and instruct learners to use it in an effective way as this would help them promote their learning especially in the case of second/ foreign language learning.