On Improving Reading Of High School Students By Note-taking

This study investigates the implementation of note-taking intervention based on reading strategy approach with senior students. The students' English academic achievement, the students' reading habits and reading strategies are the effects studied. A total of 109 full-time Senior 1 students from a senior school, Nan Chang, JiangXi Province, participate in the study during the academic year of 2005-2006.Through pre-experimental research way, the study has utilized a pre-and-post-test one-group design. Before the intervention, the researcher has made a preliminary investigation about the students' reading habits and reading strategies questionnaire in order to identify the problems which have the effect on the students' reading and English performance. The pre-testing includes several items measuring the lexical, the sentence, the main idea,details,inference and attitude. After an intervention for 12 weeks, the samples are post-tested using the same set of test.Data have been analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Results of the study show that note-taking appeared to have a significant positive impact on the students' reading ability and English learning as well as on English competence. This study demonstrates the feasibility of implementing such an approach into English teaching. Future research might provide the opportunity to enrich the abilities in teaching in general.