Handwritten notes produce better conceptual learning than laptop-typed notes.

Is it true that handwritten notes produce better conceptual learning than laptop-typed notes?

Partly. A 2024 meta-analysis of 24 studies reports that taking and reviewing handwritten notes yields higher achievement than typing among college students, and one experiment found handwriting better on conceptual quiz questions. However, a 2026 listening-test study found no significant performance differences between handwriting and typing, and a 2025 study examined whether typing could help high-ADHD students, so the evidence covers achievement broadly rather than conceptual learning specifically and is mixed.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 3 sources for, 2 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.

Typed Versus Handwritten Lecture Notes and College Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis. (2024). hal.science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09914-w

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

Shimko, G. A. & James, K. H. (2025). The Effects of Notetaking Modality and Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on Learning. eric.ed.gov. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2025.2493257

Rosi-Schumacher, M. & DeGiovanni, J. C. (2022). Using the Lessons of Learning Science to Improve Medical Education in Otolaryngology.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1177/01455613231160509

Crumb, R. M., Hildebrandt, R., & Sutton, T. M. (2020). The Value of Handwritten Notes: A Failure to Find State-Dependent Effects When Using a Laptop to Take Notes and Complete a Quiz. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628320979895

M., C. R., Ryan, H., & M., S. T. (2022). The Value of Handwritten Notes: A Failure to Find State-Dependent Effects When Using a Laptop to Take Notes and Complete a Quiz. eric.ed.gov. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628320979895

Kim, J. (2026). Handwritten Versus Typed Notes: The Impact of Note‐Taking Modes in Second Language Listening Tests. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.70185