Note-making in Biology: How the School Experience Influences Note-making Practice and Approach at University

Abstract

In South Africa there is mounting concern surrounding the throughput of undergraduates. The preparation of school-learners for the challenges presented in the academic environment at university has come into question. First-years are expected to construct notes in biology; these notes act as an interface between the lecturer and students when the latter prepare for assessments. The literature highlights that the quality of notes that students make is related to their grades. This study investigates the influence of the students’ note-making practice at school on the quality of notes that first-years construct during an Introductory Biology course at university. Sixty first-year students who registered for the course, over a three-year period, participated in this study. Data collection entailed the completion of a questionnaire, participation in individual face-to-face interviews at the beginning of each semester in the first year and the beginning of the second year, and the analysis of the students’ notes. The findings show that students’ school experience in note-making influences the quality of their notes when they enter university. This finding is significant since biology is content heavy, and with limited guidance at university the students rely on the school experience to guide them in compiling their notes. A model for improving note-making practice is presented in this paper, and shows how the students’ construction of their notes may act as a means to improve their learning.

Keywords:

• First-year transition
• note-making
• writing to learn
• biology
• school

ORCID

Shalini Dukhan http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2139-3232