The Effects of Interactive Note-taking on Increasing Rigor and Student Achievement for High-School Foreign Language

Oct 15, 2026

This study examines how interactive note-taking, using student interaction with teacher-provided notes, affects high-school Spanish learners’ test performance and critical thinking. Implemented over five weeks in two comparable classes, it compares pre- and intervention-period scores, evaluates critical thinking via a dedicated pre/post test, and measures confidence with surveys. Field notes and participation data capture both quantity and quality of classroom involvement. Results show increases in scores, critical thinking, and participation, while confidence shows no significant change.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background and Rationale

Rigor and Critical Thinking

Study Context and Purpose

Review of the Literature

Rigor and Critical Thinking Skills

Note-taking Strategies

5 The Effects of Interactive Note-taking on Increasing Rigor and Student Achievement for High-School Foreign Language Laura Droms Mountain View High School, Gwinnett County GA Abstract This study examined the effects of interactive note-taking, a method that relies on student interaction with teacher-provided notes, on student test scores and critical thinking skills in the high-school Spanish classroom. It also examined how interactive notetaking affected students’ confidence in note-taking and critical thinking skills and their level of participation in the classroom. Over a five-week period, interactive note-taking was implemented in one class (n = 29) while traditional foreign language methods were used in another class (n = 32). Changes in student evaluative performances were determined by comparing pre-intervention test scores to test scores during the intervention period. Pretest and posttest scores on a critical thinking skills test were used to determine the effects on critical thinking skills. Surveys were used to ascertain the effects on students’ confidence, and field notes and participation data were used to assess the quantity and quality of student participation in the classroom. Results indicated an increase in student test scores, critical thinking skills, and the quantity and quality of student participation with the use of interactive note-taking, but no significant differences were found for student confidence. Are high-school teachers effectively equipping students with the skills to be critical thinkers or just teaching them to regurgitate information to which they have been exposed? In order to be successful in college or the workplace, students must be adept at critical thinking skills, yet in a newsletter article, the Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement (CCSRI, 2006) reported that enrollment in remedial programs in colleges and job-training is staggeringly high, with 28% of students in four-year colleges and 42% in two-year colleges requiring remediation. This strong indicator of being unprepared for post-secondary work has led to a cry for increased rigor in high school classrooms. Rigor, however, is difficult to define and is not easily measured by standardized test scores. In Teaching What Matters Most, Strong, Silver, and Perini (2001) offer one of the best definitions of rigor stating “rigor is the goal of helping students develop the capacity to understand content that is complex, ambiguous, provocative, and personally or emotionally challenging”(p. 7). The challenge facing schools today is how to apply this and similar definitions to the high school curriculum. 60 Dimension 2013 The school for the current study is part of a diverse, urban school district. This school outlined as one of its goals the establishment of a standard for rigor across the curriculum in hopes that it would give students the confidence to enroll in more AP courses. As a strategy for reaching that goal, the school created a K-12 vertical team to pilot an interactive note-taking (INT) program. INT is a type of split-page note-taking. Notes addressing important concepts are provided on the right side of the note-taking page. On the left side of the note-taking page, students are encouraged to interact with the information found on the right side. The left-side activities range from focused practice, to summarization of new information, to application of information into new and creative situations. While note-taking has been widely accepted as an important tool for success and a means for learning new information in an academic setting, it has not often been associated with rigor. Hess, Jones, Carlock, and Walkup (2009) found that rigor increases as a result of participating in critical-thinking activities. Effective note-taking employs critical thinking, such as filtering and organizing new information, so that it can be integrated into existing knowledge (Makany, Kemp, & Dror, 2009; Marza

FAQs

What teaching method is studied, and how does it work?

The study focuses on interactive note-taking, a split-page format where students interact with information provided on the opposite side of the notes page through activities like summarizing and applying concepts.

How did the study measure changes in student performance and thinking?

Student evaluative performance was determined by comparing pre-intervention test scores with scores during the intervention period, and critical thinking was assessed using pretest and posttest scores on a critical thinking skills test.

What were the main results of interactive note-taking?

Interactive note-taking increased student test scores, critical thinking skills, and the quantity and quality of classroom participation, but it did not produce significant differences in students’ confidence.

Oct 15, 2026

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