Note-taking Mixed Methods Research Review - Essay Example

No matter how the copy-and-paste technique appeals to students, many experiences reduced learning. Several studies have shown that students just get huge chunks of information over the internet and paste them without selecting the important points. Some students may prefer typing their notes or selecting smaller bits of information to paste, so they think critically and learn in the process (Igo, Kiewra and Bruning, 2008, p. 151). The effect of the technique varies from one student to another as each student can distinguish his or her own learning preference.

The limitation of the quantitative analysis showed that the results do not align with the restriction hypothesis. Supposedly the restricted copy-and-paste group should have learned better than the unrestricted group, but the results showed the opposite as the unrestricted group performed better. Although two of the groups (7-word and unrestricted) seemed to have learned more. The previous research explained that the 7-word group outperformed the unrestricted group, but the recent findings contradicted the past studies.

Preliminary analysis showed that all notes occupied the note chart with the right number of words with the proper note-taking cues. Sadly, the note characteristics did not give any solid evidence regarding the recent findings (Igo, Kiewra and Bruning, 2008, p. 157). The mixed-method was used by the study to verify the authenticity of previous researches regarding the learning and note-taking. The statistics measured the amount of error in the experiment as the size has an effect on the level of learning.

The study also made a follow-up on the model in cognitive research made by the American Psychological Association. The qualitative aspect allowed the researchers to study the behavior of the learners in response to the restriction treatment (Igo, Kiewra and Bruning, 2008, p. 166). The two seminal works of various authors contributed to the study being reviewed as mixed-method showed how learning can be effective through restricted copy-and-paste as it allows the students to read and analyze the prose they read.

The work of Benton, Glover, Monkowski, & Shaughnessy (1983) showed that restricted note-taking gave the students the opportunity to make difficult decisions as they use their brain in higher levels of thinking. For further verification, the qualitative evidence was tested as Igo et. al (2005) created experimental tests with double and triple restriction than the original 7-word limitation (Igo, Kiewra and Bruning, 2008, p. 152).