Tomomi Sugai (Nagoya City University, Japan)
Rena Yamamoto (Nagoya City University, Japan)
Mayumi Kajiura (Nagoya City University, Japan)
Abstract
While some previous studies have suggested that note-taking may impair performance, the effect of note-taking on different levels of text difficulty remains unclear. In this study, we aim to investigate the relationship between the difficulty level of listening passages and the efficacy of note-taking. 33 Japanese EFL learners participated in the study, listening to passages based on reading tests from the Test of Practical English Proficiency at Grade 4 and Grade Pre-1 levels, with and without note-taking. After each listening session, we administered fifteen comprehension questions. The results of the accuracy rate revealed an interaction between test difficulty and note-taking, indicating that note-taking efficacy is influenced by the difficulty of the listening passages. Learners might be able to take notes more effectively during easier passages compared to more difficult ones, suggesting to us that note-taking may reduce their working memory capacity during the listening process.
Student Showcase: Research Paper (Video; 15 minutes)
Listening
Primarily of interest to teachers of university students
About the Presenters
Tomomi Sugai is a university student at Nagoya City University, majoring in international language and culture. She is particularly interested in second language acquisition and conducts research in this area. Her interests also include the impact of note-taking on listening comprehension across text difficulty levels in EFL learners.
Rena Yamamoto is a student at Nagoya City University, majoring in international language and culture. She is particularly interested in second language acquisition and conducts research in this area. Her interest also includes grammar, especially article usage.
Mayumi Kajiura is an associate professor at Nagoya City University, specializing in second language acquisition. Her focus is on examining listening learning from a neuroscience perspective. She is particularly interested in multimodal learning.
