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The Effects of Guided Notes on Pre-lecture Quiz Scores in Introductory Psychology

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Abstract

Guided notes covering lectures have been shown to improve note quality and increase scores on quizzes covering lecture material. We sought to determine whether guided notes would also be beneficial in helping students prepare for quizzes covering assigned readings. We evaluated the efficacy of guided notes for reading assignments on undergraduates’ scores on quizzes covering reading material during one semester of an Introductory Psychology course. Guided notes produced statistically significant improvements in quiz scores and note accuracy. Together with previous literature, our results suggest that guided notes may be an effective component of college courses.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Cassandra Gonzalez, Erin Law, Erica Lozy, and James O’Neil for their help with reliability measurements. We would also like to thank Drs. Gregory Hanley, Denine Northrup, and Dave Palmer for their suggestions during the development of the project, and for their beneficial feedback on earlier versions of this paper.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Kathryn Glodowski

    Present address: Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 444 S. 44th St., Omaha, NE, 68131, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Western New England University, Springfield, MA, USA

    Kathryn Glodowski & Rachel Thompson

Authors
  1. Kathryn Glodowski
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  2. Rachel Thompson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kathryn Glodowski.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

This project was completed by the first author in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the doctoral program in Behavior Analysis at Western New England University. Kathryn Glodowski declares no conflict of interest. Rachel Thompson declares no conflict of interest.

Ethical Standards

All procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Appendices

Appendix 1: The Guided Note Covering a Reading Assignment on Psychopharmacology

figure a

Appendix 2: The Study Questionnaire Included on Each Quiz

What study strategies did you use to prepare for this quiz?

Check all that apply:

  Highlighted/underlined important information

  Reread the assignment

  Reviewed my notes

  Made and practiced with flashcards

  Made mnemonics to help me remember

  Studied with a friend/classmate

  Practiced answering possible quiz questions

  None of these

  Other:

Appendix 3: The Independent Note Covering a Reading Assignment on Sensation and Perception

figure b

Appendix 4: The Note Training Hand-Out Provided at the Beginning of the Guided Note Fading

figure c

Appendix 5: The Note Provided for a Health Psychology Reading Assignment During Step 2 of the Fading Procedure

figure d

Appendix 6: The Note Provided During Step 3 of the Fading Procedure

figure e

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Glodowski, K., Thompson, R. The Effects of Guided Notes on Pre-lecture Quiz Scores in Introductory Psychology. J Behav Educ 27, 101–123 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-017-9274-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-017-9274-7

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