No difference in factual or conceptual recall comprehension for tablet, laptop, and handwritten note-taking by medical students in the United States: a survey-based observational study.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Controlled educational study without stated randomization (graded by study design analogy).
PubMed 35468666 · doi:10.3352/jeehp.2022.19.8
What was done
Sixty-eight medical students at the University of California, Irvine were allocated into longhand, laptop, or tablet note-taking groups in August 2018. Participants watched a presentation while taking notes, viewed a short distractor video, and completed a 30-minute factual and conceptual recall assessment. Notes were also analyzed for word count, drawings, and supplemental media content.
What was found
No significant difference was observed in factual or conceptual recall scores among tablet, laptop, and handwritten note-taking groups (P=0.61). The median word count was 297.0 for laptop users, 131.5 for tablet users, and 121.0 for handwriting (P=0.01). The tablet group showed the highest presence of drawings, highlighting, and other media or tools.
Why it matters
The study suggests that traditional longhand note-taking may not be superior to tablet or laptop note-taking for immediate recall, supporting student preference in selecting digital or traditional tools.
Limits
The study had a small sample size (n=68) from a single institution tested over a single day. The abstract does not report randomization of allocation or baseline equivalence, and testing assessed only immediate recall rather than long-term retention.
Cited by
- context Taking notes with pen and paper results in better learning and retention compared to taking notes on a computer.