‘I felt a new connection between my fingers and brain’: a thematic analysis of student reflections on the use of pen and paper during lectures

Figures & data

Table 1. Phases of thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke 2006, 87).

Phase	Description of process
1. Familiarizing yourself with your data	Transcribing data (if necessary), reading and re-reading the data, noting down initial ideas
2. Generating initial codes	Coding interesting features of the data in a systematic fashion across the entire data set, collating data relevant to each code
3. Searching for themes	Collating codes into potential themes, gathering all data relevant to each potential theme
4. Reviewing themes	Checking if the themes work in relation to the coded extracts (Level 1) and the entire data set (Level 2), generating a thematic ‘map’ of the analysis
5. Defining and naming themes	Ongoing analysis to refine the specifics of each theme, and the overall story the analysis tells, generating clear definitions and names for each theme.
6. Producing the report	The final opportunity for analysis. Selection of vivid, compelling extract examples, final analysis of selected extracts, relating back of the analysis to the research question and literature, producing a scholarly report of the analysis

Table 2. Example of the coding process (phases 2, and 3 in the thematic analysis).

Direct quotes	Descriptive	Interpretative
‘Using a computer […] more likely to write of the teacher's exact words, then to put own words into the paper’ [14]	You write the lecturer's words, not your own	Disconnect between hand and mind
‘When I write on a computer it goes automatically and I just write what I hear without thinking’ [5]	Typist	Disconnect between hand and mind

Table 3. Overview of themes.

Theme		Description	Example from data set
Overarching theme	New connections	Focus: How students describe the interaction between learning and writing tools in the lecture room Scope: Students reflecting on the use of paper for reading and writing in the lecture room Purpose: Understanding how students experience writing tools and learning	‘I felt a new connection between my fingers and brain’ [8]
Theme 1	Handwriting as note making	Focus: This theme explores the relation between handwriting and memory. Scope: Students reflecting on remembering Purpose: Understanding the importance of note making for remembering lecture notes	‘I rather use longer time on taking notes I do remember, than typing it digitally, just to read it over five more times before exam’ [66]
Theme 2	Being present for learning	Focus: This theme explores the relation between the use of computer and pen in relation to how students experience being in the lecture room Scope: Students reflecting on presence and distraction in the lecture room Purpose: Understanding the importance of being present for learning	‘It also makes me focus on what the main points are because I will not be able to write everything the lecturer is saying. This forces me to choose what I should note and makes me more present’ [72]
Theme 3	Freedom to think	Focus: This theme explores the relation between handwriting and learning Scope: Students reflecting on experiences of freedom, flexibility, and creativity Purpose: Understanding handwriting as liberating thought and learning	‘There is normally a price to pay with technology. Have we lost a part of who we are, of how we express and communicate to others, to become ‘standardized’? Have we lost the freedom and creativity the pen gives us?’ [10]
Theme 4	Materiality of reading and writing	Focus: This theme explores the interactions between students and computers and pen & paper Scope: Student reflections on interacting with writing tools. Purpose: Understanding the affordances of computers and pen & paper	‘The physical movement of my hand as I shape letters and words on paper seems to contribute to me remembering the material better’ [29]

Figure 1. A mind-map of a lecture, made by one of the students [47].

Figure 2. Mind-map used to structure a handwritten essay [84].

Figure 3. Types of affordances (Hartson 2003, 323).

Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. 2006. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3 (2): 77–101.

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Hartson, Rex. 2003. “Cognitive, Physical, Sensory, and Functional Affordances in Interaction Design.” Behaviour & Information Technology 22 (5): 315–338.

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