Examining Longhand vs. Laptop Debate: A Replication Study

Abstract

There is a considerable controversy regarding laptop usage in the classroom, with some studies arguing the benefits of laptops in the classroom and others suggesting that a laptop free environment is superior. In an effort to address this controversy, Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014) conducted three different experiments to determine whether typing notes on a laptop or handwriting notes in a notebook impacted academic performance. This research replicated the first of these experiments in a classroom environment as opposed to a lab environment. The original study found that students who did not use laptops for note-taking in class performed better on conceptual application questions, while our study found that students who do not use laptops for note-taking in class performed better on factual recall questions instead. Our updated findings suggest there is more work to do to understand the longhand versus laptop debate.