Relations between university students’ learning approach and representation of note-taking

Abstract

The aim of the study we present in this paper is to identify university students’ representation about note-taking and its use, as well as the possible relation between the type of representation and the students’ learning approach. In this context, it’s understood that the representation of note-taking and the students’ learning approach are variables that may affect both the note-taking process and the use of notes in formal educational contexts, especially at university. Participants were 55 third-year Psychology bachelor students. Data obtained from questionnaires and standardized tests (CEPEA. Barca, 1999), allowed us identifying different profiles of representation of note-taking and showed some differences in relation to the students’ learning approach. Our results showtthat students with a deep learning approach tend to represent note-taking as a complex instrument that allows knowledge construction and learning, and notaas a simple instrument to gather information. Also, students with a deep learning approach tend to do a more elaborated use of their notes than students with a surface approach, including writing activities as summaries, expanding the notes content with information from other sources or making outlines or conceptual maps.