Taking Class Notes by Hand Compared to Typing: Effects on Children’s Recall and Understanding

The increasing adoption of educational technology in school classrooms has resulted in greater use of electronic devices to take lesson notes. Recent research comparing performance of adult students who recorded lecture notes using computer keyboards or by handwriting reports somewhat conflicting findings on their factual recall and conceptual understanding. There is very little, if any, research in children on the effect of mode of note-taking on recall and understanding. The present study compared the recall and understanding of children taking handwritten notes or typing their notes. Twenty-six boys aged 10-11 years old participated in the study. Factual recall and understanding of a history and a biology lesson were assessed using multiple choice questions (MCQ). MCQ tests were carried out both immediately after each lesson and one week later. Factual recall was not affected by the mode of note-taking but, in both lessons, children who handwrote notes had greater conceptual understanding one week after viewing their lesson, compared to those who typed notes. This is the first study to assess the effect of mode of note-taking on children’s understanding and our findings have implications for educational policy on the use of keyboards to take notes.