THE IMMEDIATE RECALL OF ENGLISH LECTURE INFORMATION BY NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS OF ENGLISH AS A FUNCTION OF NOTETAKING (MEMORY, ACADEMIC SKILLS, CROSS-CULTURE, LISTENING COMPREHENSION, POST-SECONDARY).

Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of concurrent notetaking and the quality of notes taken on the immediate recall of English lecture information by both native and non-native speakers of English. Additionally, the impact of short-term memory and familiarity with English on lecture information recall was also assessed. The subjects were 136 native speakers and 123 non-native speakers enrolled in Freshman English Composition classes at The University of Arizona. The Digit Span subtest of the WISC-R was administered to obtain a measure of short-term memory. Subjects were randomly assigned to a "listening only" or a "listening and notetaking" condition during a videotaped lecture presentation on the evolution of the Egyptian pyramid structure. Immediately following the lecture, the notes were collected to preclude review, and a 15-item multiple-choice test on lecture concepts and a 15-item multiple-choice test covering lecture details were administered. The data were subjected to multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAS). A stepwise multiple regression analysis was also performed to determine which index/indices of note quality predicted information recall for American and international notetakers. Results indicated that (1) notetakers and non-notetakers did equally well in recalling lecture concepts and details; (2) no significant differences in the test performance of subjects who took "no notes," "low quality notes," "medium quality notes," or "high quality notes" were found; (3) subjects with high short-term memory ability recalled more concept and detail information than subjects with low short-term memory ability; and (4) native speakers of English recalled significantly more of the concepts and details presented in the lecture than non-native speakers. The regression analysis indicated that 4 of the 5 indices of note quality predicted recall performance, but the indices varied according to the kind of information tested and the subjects's ethno-cultural background. Implications concerning the nature of the findings and recommendations for future research were proposed.