Taking notes by hand improves students' understanding of lecture material compared with typing notes.

Is it true that taking notes by hand improves students' understanding of lecture material compared with typing notes?

Yes. A 2024 meta-analysis of 24 studies reports that taking and reviewing handwritten notes leads to higher achievement than typing, and a 2014 set of three studies found laptop note-takers performed worse on conceptual questions. A further study comparing handwriting, stylus and typing found learning gains tied to typing ability, and one paper notes conflicting adult findings and little child research.

Verdict: SUPPORTED · 4 sources for, 0 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

R., H. S. & J., E. C. (2021). Taking Class Notes by Hand Compared to Typing: Effects on Children's Recall and Understanding. eric.ed.gov. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2020.1781307

Flanigan, A. E., Wheeler, J., Colliot, T., Lu, J., & Kiewra, K. A. (2024). Typed versus Handwritten Lecture Notes and College Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis. eric.ed.gov. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09914-w

PA, M. & DM, O. (2014). The pen is mightier than the keyboard: advantages of longhand over laptop note taking.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614524581

キーボード入力によるノートテイキングにおけるタイピング熟練度の学習効果への影響. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.4307/jsee.74.1_79