Notes on an electronic device vs. good ole paper and pen
Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been one to write. I do my best to write everything down, especially notes. However, as technology developed I began to see more and more people use other devices to take notes, for example, computers. We see it every day, we can go into any classroom and see that some are using their laptops, others are using their IPad, and some are using the good ole paper and pen.
Now, I’m completely set in my ways, I rarely take notes on any electronic devices, unless I am out of paper, because I’m convinced that I, and most people, do better on tests when the notes are physically written down. But is this true, is it true for all? To determine whether writing down the notes actually helps one do better on an exam, my experiment would be to have a lecture taught to two different groups, one taking notes on an electronic devices and the other taking notes with a paper and pen, which these would be the independent variables. I would then give them an exam on the material, which the outcome of the tests would be the dependent variable.
I figure that there are two different ways that I can go about this experiment. One way could be naturalistic observation. This way might be beneficial for those who get shy or don’t do well under pressure. However, I wouldn’t be able to control any outside variables. For example, are there people in one group, or even both groups, putting in more studying time? Are some conferring with each other? Are they even taking notes? Or are they simply “goofing around”? I may not be able to get an even representation of both parties, which would throw off the results as well. Nonetheless, there is a second option, which would be a lab experiment. This might put a little more pressure on the participants, but I would have a lot more control on the outside variables. But if I
decide to do it this way, then I need to decide whether I would want to separate the two groups or not; if I do decide to separate them, I need to make sure that the lectures are by the same teacher, that the lectures are exactly the same, word-for-word, which would be difficult to do. However, as a resolution, maybe I could do a recording of a lecture or a video of one and play it for the groups.
Regardless of the results, whether they agree with my hypothesis that writing the notes helps one do better on an exam or not, the ending can be beneficial to anyone and everyone. People would learn of the different studying techniques and which ones may be more beneficial. They can now use the information, apply it to themselves and determine what works for them.
After taking some time to really think about this experiment, I realized that it could be
more difficult than I thought. First I need to find people who qualify; which will be difficult because some may already be set in their ways, or have been conditioned to certain studying habits. I would need to make sure that the note taking is the only variable, so that means no extra studying time, or the same amount and so on. I also need
to figure out which way to conduct the study; I wouldn’t want anybody to be uncomfortable or have pressure put on them, so a naturalistic observation might be better, but then I wouldn’t be able to monitor what other variables are involved. I need to take into consideration that the notes each person takes might be different, some students might find something more important than others but I cannot guarantee which parts a student will jot down. Also, another variable might be there attentiveness; the students might not be paying attention at the same level, which would also affect the outcome. Overall, being a researcher is not as easy as one may think.
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