ERIC Number: EJ1486149
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0144-3410
EISSN: EISSN-1469-5820
Available Date: 0000-00-00
The Effects of Notetaking Modality and Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on Learning
Gabrielle A. Shimko1; Karin H. James1
Educational Psychology, v45 n5 p541-560 2025
College students with attention/deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit difficulty in lecture notetaking, which may exacerbate persistent academic difficulties. Higher ADHD symptoms are related to slower handwriting speed (HWS), potentially disrupting learning during the notetaking process. This study investigated whether typing notes could compensate for slower HWS and facilitate more learning than handwritten notes in individuals with higher ADHD symptoms. College students oversampled for ADHD diagnoses watched a 15-min TedTalk while taking handwritten, typed, or no notes and took a quiz to assess learning. Fine motor dexterity, HWS, typing speed, sustained attention, and ADHD symptoms were measured. Participants with higher ADHD symptoms learned significantly more if they took handwritten or typed notes as compared to not taking notes. Slower HWS and worse sustained attention related to higher ADHD symptoms. Thus, active notetaking facilitated learning, particularly for students with higher ADHD symptoms, and the optimal modality may depend on individual transcription abilities.
Descriptors: College Students, Students with Disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Notetaking, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Handwriting, Keyboarding (Data Entry), Recall (Psychology), Attention
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 2T32HD007475
Author Affiliations: 1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States

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