Investigating Notetaking Strategies to Improve Reading Comprehension and Retention in Language Learning Contexts

Abstract

Abstract

This study examines how training in note-taking strategies influences the ability of Iraqi EFL learners to comprehend and retain information from written texts, while taking gender into account as a potential moderator. A total of 78 intermediate-level college EFL participants were at random allocated to either an experimental group or a control group, with no specialized instruction provided to the control group, whereas the experimental group was trained in Notetaking techniques utilizing graphic organizers as a framework.

Data were collected through a multiple-choice reading comprehension test, two written recall tasks (immediate and delayed), and an analysis of students’ notes. The outcomes of the two-way ANOVA technique indicated that the experimental group showed significantly higher performance than the control one in terms of both comprehending and recalling measures. Gender, however, has no statistically significant influence on participants’ comprehension or retention outcomes. Further analysis of written recall demonstrated that compared to the control group, the experimental group showed greater success in both identifying relationships between ideas and retaining a larger number of key concepts.