Note-Taking Strategies and Traces of Cognition in Language Learning

Abstract

Recent investigations into language learning behaviours have revealed that note-taking is one of the most frequently used strategies, particularly at elementary and intermediate stages. This paper reports on a study which attempts to find out the kinds of note-taking strategies language learners use, why they use them, and the nature of the mental processes which underlie note-taking behaviours. It uses verbal reports obtained from learners about their strategy use as they work on a range of language tasks as the basis for analysing instances of note-taking strategies. Results indicate that learners use five distinctive kinds of note-taking strategies, and that each of these is deployed for different purposes in acquiring the target language. It is argued that note-taking behaviours in language learning are best viewed as traces of cognition and that the functions of such traces warrant further investigation.