Using Guided Notes to Improve the Academic Achievement of Incarcerated Adolescents with Learning and Behavior Problems

Abstract

This investigation examined the effects of guided notes on the academic performance of seven students with learning and behavior problems, who were in a medium-security juvenile detention center. The findings of this study indicate that using guided notes could be an effective strategy for improving the academic performance of incarcerated youths with learning and behavior problems. The results of this study replicate earlier studies in which guided notes were used during whole-class instruction (i.e.

A Review of the Effectiveness of Guided Notes for Students who Struggle Learning Academic Content

“…As this table reveals, students consistently retained more information from lectures when using guided notes, as they scored higher on quizzes, tests, and exams in each of the investigations that used this dependent variable (Austin et al, 2002;Bahadourian, Tam, Greer, & Rousseau, 2006;Boon, Burke, Fore, & Spencer, 2006;Hamilton, Seibert, Gardner, & Talbert-Johnson, 2000;Kreiner, 1997;Lazarus, 1993;Mastropieri et al, 2003;Musti-Rao, Kroeger, & Schumacher-Dyke, 2008;Neef et al, 2006;Patterson, 2005;Sweeney et al, 1999). In addition, several investigations revealed that students took more accurate notes when using guided notes versus traditional note taking (Austin, Lee, & Carr, 2004;Hamilton et al, 2000;Patterson, 2005;Sweeney et al, 1999), and were more satisfied with the use of guided notes (Austin et al, 2002;Boon, Fore, & Rasheed, 2007;Musti-Rao et al, 2008;Sweeney et al, 1999). Last, one investigation indicated that students engaged in more active responding in class when using guided notes (Austin et al, 2002).…”

“…For example, in this review, participants' grade levels ranged from elementary school level through university graduate level. Students included those with disabilities, incarcerated youth, and typical achieving peers (Hamilton et al, 2000;Lazarus, 1993;Patterson, 2005;Sweeney et al, 1999).…”

“…Students pointed out that guided notes provided them with more time to think about concepts, ask questions, and make comments during lectures. Also, students indicated that guided notes increased their ability to select essential information from textbooks, improve academic outcomes, and earn better grades (Austin et al, 2002;Boon et al, 2007;Hamilton et al, 2000).…”

“…While watching the videotapes, students could write answers to key questions on the guided notes handout. This process would help students recall material and make inferences from key information for test preparation (Austin et al, 2002;Hamilton et al, 2000;Patterson, 2005).…”

Note-Taking Techniques for Students With Disabilities

“…Hence, for future reference, Study 1 that involved high school students with disabilities will be referred to as Lazarus (1993). In the remaining three studies that did not report individual IQ scores of the participants, Hamilton et al (2000) reported that IQ scores ranged from 81 to 119 for the 7 participants, Lazarus (1991) described the intelligence of the 6 participants with LD as being within the average range, and Sweeney et al (1999) did not report intelligence of the 3 participants in their study. From this sample, 79 students (64.75%) had LD; 30 students (24.59%) had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); 8 students (6.56%) had EBD; 4 students (3.28%) had cognitive impairments (CI); and 1 student (0.82%) was identified as developmentally delayed (DD).…”