The Role of Note-taking in L2 Listening Performance

By employing both Independent-Samples T-Tests and 62 students’ notes analysis, this study examines the relative effectiveness of note-taking on Korean university students’ second language (L2) listening performance. The result of the statistical analysis indicates that there is no statistically significant difference between note-taking allowed and disallowed groups. However, in-depth analysis of students’ notes shows that the high performers actively participate in the listening process by encoding the information through visualization whereas the low performers merely store the information by listing the words they heard. The follow-up focus group interview with four students corroborated the research findings as well. It is suggested that classroom practitioners should encourage students to be active listeners by visualizing contents during the L2 listening process.