Flow-Based- Notetaking: Best Practices to Optimizing EFL Students’ Critical Information Recall

Abstract

Abstract: The present study examines the effect of the flow-based-notetaking instruction on Algerian university students’ critical information recalling of the Introduction to General Linguistics (ILG) content. A total number of 76 first year English as a foreign language (EFL) students divided into two groups participate in the study. One group referred to as the experimental group receives the flow-notetaking instruction, whereas, the other group (the control group) is not exposed to any training program. A pre-post-test design and an intervention is implemented to provide answers for the research questions addressed. The data are drawn from a set of ILG content activities and an interview. While the ILG activities are used to elicit the effectiveness of the intervention in enhancing students’ information recalling, the interview is used to scrutinize students’ perceptions of the flow-notetaking intervention. Findings of the study indicate that the intervention that the experimental group undergoes is effective in improving their ILG scores. In other words, although there is no significant difference between the control and the experimental group in their pre-test scores, at post-test, both groups differ significantly, with the experimental group significantly outperforms the control group in their scores. In terms of students’ view about the flow-notetaking intervention, data gathered seem to provide evidence for the effectiveness of the intervention in the students’ eyes, as the overall results reveal positive perceptions. Keywords: EFL students, flow-based-notetaking, information recalling, students’ perceptions.