Learning from a lecture: Effects of comprehension monitoring

Abstract The effects of explicit instruction in how to take notes during a lecture were investigated. Subjects were college freshmen enrolled in a developmental reading class at a major southeastern university. Six sections of the class were randomly assigned to three treatment conditions: explicit instruction in notetaking, explicit instruction with self‐questioning, and a control group. Dependent measures included an immediate assessment of quality of notes, a multiple‐choice test on the content of the lecture, and a student‐generated summary of the content of the lecture. Delayed measures in the form of a multiple‐choice test and a student‐generated summary were also administered. Results lend preliminary support for providing explicit instruction with a self‐questioning strategy in how to take notes from a lecture. This approach was effective in improving quality of notes and immediate comprehension of lecture information with low performing college freshmen. Future research should focus on replication of this study using longer, authentic lectures over which students are being tested within the context of their regular academic classes.