LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.

ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, noviembre, 2024, Volumen V, Número 6 p 21.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56712/latam.v5i6.2988

The upsides to working with a lap book as a study aid
Ventajas de trabajar con un lapbook como apoyo de estudio

Jenny Marisol Encalada Neira

encmarisol@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9703-5315

Unidad Educativa Municipal Eugenio Espejo
Quito – Ecuador

Artículo recibido: 31 de octubre de 2024. Aceptado para publicación: 15 de noviembre de 2024.

Conflictos de Interés: Ninguno que declarar.

Abstract
This research assesses the utility of lap books as a didactic aid in teaching crowded classrooms with
specific reference to the participation level and academic achievement. The study was carried out over
three terms of high school English classes in a school in Quito, Ecuador; the assessment of results
was done both through oral lessons and by end-term written tests. Results also reveal that lap books
foster better performance in tests in terms of an increased number of high scores and reduced lower
scores in subsequent years. Combining constructivist learning and differentiation as a teaching
approach, lap books enhance student participation as well as foster individual learning styles that
make the content more easily understandable and retained. The change that was observed across
terms indicates improved overall performance, and the existence of lap books facilitated equality in
terms of high grades. Consequently, based on such findings made in this study, it is recommended
that the development and use of lap books can be adopted as a more conceptually appealing approach
for enhancing students’ learning in situations where a more direct form of one student/teacher ratio,
interaction is due to large group sizes.

Keywords: study aid, lapbook, learning styles, creativity

Resumen
Esta investigación evalúa la utilidad de los libros de vuelta como ayuda didáctica en la enseñanza en
aulas concurridas, con referencia específica al nivel de participación y rendimiento académico. El
estudio se llevó a cabo durante tres semestres de clases de inglés de secundaria en un colegio de
Quito, Ecuador; La evaluación de los resultados se realizó tanto mediante lecciones orales como
mediante pruebas escritas de final de semestre. Los resultados también revelan que los libros de
vueltas fomentan un mejor rendimiento en las pruebas en términos de un mayor número de
puntuaciones altas y una reducción de las puntuaciones más bajas en los años siguientes. Al
combinar el aprendizaje constructivista y la diferenciación como enfoque de enseñanza, los libros
prácticos mejoran la participación de los estudiantes y fomentan estilos de aprendizaje individuales
que hacen que el contenido sea más fácilmente comprensible y retenido. El cambio que se observó
entre trimestres indica un mejor desempeño general, y la existencia de libros de vuelta facilitó la
igualdad en términos de altas calificaciones. En consecuencia, sobre la base de los hallazgos de este
estudio, se recomienda que el desarrollo y uso de libros portátiles se pueda adoptar como un enfoque
conceptualmente más atractivo para mejorar el aprendizaje de los estudiantes en situaciones donde
una forma más directa de una proporción estudiante/maestro, La interacción se debe al gran tamaño
de los grupos.

LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.

ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, noviembre, 2024, Volumen V, Número 6 p 22.

Palabras clave: ayuda al estudio, lapbook, estilos de aprendizaje, creatividad

Todo el contenido de LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades,
publicado en este sitio está disponibles bajo Licencia Creative Commons.

Cómo citar: Encalada Neira, J. M. (2024). The upsides to working with a lap book as a study aid.
LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades 5 (6), 21 – 31.
https://doi.org/10.56712/latam.v5i6.2988

LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.

ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, noviembre, 2024, Volumen V, Número 6 p 23.

INTRODUCTION

According to recent educational paradigms, learners are overwhelmed by anxiety to get passing marks
on tests, and consequently, they end up forgetting the knowledge learned. These challenges are
compounded by congestion in classrooms likely to have learners with learning needs. To tackle these
challenges, teachers are in search of new methods to apply in the classroom to improve learning,
interest, and valuable knowledge. In this regard, one of the useful tools that have desalinated potential
usage includes the lap book (Luo, 2020).

This study examines the facilitation of learning of lap books as a fun instructional tool in educating the
students. The lap books, due to their foldable construction, provide multiple connection possibilities,
which is suitable for reinforcement of conceptual-spatial, visual, and haptic knowledge, inclusive of key
concepts, structures, vocabulary, and forms across curricula (Voice & Stirton, 2020). This research will
therefore seek to affirm the usefulness of lap book activities to students’ understanding, retention of
content, and general academic performance.

In order to assess the benefits derived from the use of lap books, this research was conducted in a
senior English class in a school in Quito, Ecuador. To complement the concepts taught in English class,
students were taught how to rigorously make and fold remarkable lap books. This is because the
performance of the student was also measured by taking a final examination whereby a scoring sheet
was utilized.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The use of a lap book in learning has therefore been found to be an effective teaching practice that
encourages students’ participation and learning accomplishment. This section briefly discusses
previous work done on lap books to establish the voids that shall be used in developing the model for
this paper to address. Constructivism places a premium on learning by doing or learning by interacting
with objects in the environment. Studies by Manokore et al. (2023) show that lap books promote
constructivism in learning by allowing children to engage in manipulative learning and seek knowledge
on their own. When students make lap books, they are able to consolidate information while, in the
process, enhancing their understanding and remembering of what they have learned. Gardner’s Multiple
Intelligences means that distinct abilities of the student can improve the learning process. According
to research done by Ariza and Olatunde-Aiyedun (2023), it has been established that lap books can
meet the needs of various learning styles since the kind of book is more of a visual and tactile type.
This flexibility enables teachers to develop a better understanding of learner differences, which cannot
be captured in a pre-designed curriculum.

Differentiated instruction is designed to fit teaching methods and materials as close to the needs of
the students as possible (Manokore et al., 2023). In this type of instruction, it was found that lap books
can be useful tools in accordance with learning profiles since changes and adjustments can easily be
made to them. Studies by Bano et al. (2024) provide evidence to the proposition of lap books as a
means of addressing differentiated learning needs as learners move through the content at their own
ability and comprehending levels. Due to the availability of digital materials, teachers have considered
the utilization of digital lap books. These electronic versions allow the students to create and develop
hands-on projects by incorporating apps and websites for sharing and collaboration. Wei et al. (2021)
in their study suggest that motivation and consequently learning can be motivated by the use of
technology products; in this case, digital lap books would serve this purpose, especially with learners
who are more in touch with technology (Sokolova et al., 2021). Nonetheless, there is still a lack of prior
empirical evidence as to whether or not digital lap books are as effective as physical lap books in the
facilitation of learning outcomes.

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ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, noviembre, 2024, Volumen V, Número 6 p 24.

In addition to the lap books, the use of personal-owned wireless devices such as smart phones, tablets,
and iPads is allowed under the BYOD program (Tinmaz & Lee, 2019). With BYOD, several subjects can
be made to blend with lap books, wherein students can produce as well as retrieve digital material at
any time and place. Still, it is acknowledged that the presented usage may bring about various
advantages; there is a limited number of research concerning the ways lap books can be integrated into
BYOD practice, and this indicates an essential theoretical void (Sokolova et al., 2021).

In language arts, lap books have been very helpful in teaching vocabulary and grammar, as well as
reading comprehension and writing. Thus, the findings have shown that lap books help increase
learning achievements not only for the purpose of remembering the meanings of the given terms but
also for meaningful learning (Sakita et al., 2024).

Nevertheless, there is not enough literature that seeks to establish the thorough implication of lap
books with regard to the improvement of writing skills of students to other genres of writing. In science
education, it has been known that lap books are effective tools for concept development, experiments,
and data collection. Previous studies show that the use of lap books enables students to understand a
scientific concept better and sort the outcomes systematically (Sakita et al., 2024). Though prior
scholarship demonstrates their utility in science, more research is required about intended content
topics and the role of lap books in supporting scientific inquiry.

Other social studies subjects that are easy to teach using lap books are social studies, history,
geography, and civics, English as a Foreign Language, whereby students have a space to creatively
present the information they have gained (Sakita et al., 2024). Literature presents showed that
implementing lap books in social studies enhances creativity and enables the pupils to understand real-
life situations from history. However, the research seems to be lacking strong positive appraisals of
how lap books can improve civic learning and participation among students.

Gaps in the Literature

However, despite an emergent body of studies proving lap books useful in a wide range of learning
contexts, several questions remain unanswered. The literature has few papers that attempt to compare
the extent to which students utilize digital or physical forms of lapbooks as students learn (Sakita et
al., 2024). Since many previous studies focus on short-term outcomes, more long-term investigations
exploring the long-term consequences of the usage of lap books on students’ knowledge outcomes
and skills enhancement are expected. Further research is also needed to better understand how lap
books can be implemented in content-area learning, particularly in such areas as STEM.

Furthermore, the existing literature offers very scarce information with regard to proper suggestions of
how to use lap books most efficiently in classrooms with various learning students; courses,
particularly within the BYOD frameworks (Tinmaz & Lee, 2019). To fill these gaps, this article will explore
lap books as an innovative teaching tool for chaotic classrooms. Due to overcrowded classrooms, this
will afford a contribution to the existing literature on effective instructional practices.

METHODOLOGY

This research study took place in a state-funded high school in Quito, Ecuador, with thirty-six students
using a naturalistic approach over one academic year, which is split into three terms. The main research
question of this study was to assess the usefulness of lap books as an instructional instrumental point
for improving learners’ performance and interest based on the senior English class.

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ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, noviembre, 2024, Volumen V, Número 6 p 25.

Research Methods

The research was conducted using a quantitative and qualitative point of view, which allowed to present
the most accurate picture of student achievements and activity. Other forms of research employed are
assessments made at the end of each term, which makes it easy to assess students’ performance and,
therefore, determine the effect of the lap book intervention on student learning (Tinmaz & Lee, 2019).
During the first term, the assessment took the form of an oral presentation by the students on the
subjects of the period in question. This oral assessment was scored with a rubric that is intended for
the assessments of diverse criteria for oral communication, such as the clarity of language, the logic
of the presentation, and the level of knowledge of the topic (Luo, 2020). Through assessment against
the rubric marks, it was possible to have an appreciation of the students’ understanding of the content.

On the second and third terms, the homework consisted of a written test in which the lap book was
used to review the material beforehand. This was made easier since it enabled the students to use the
knowledge they had put in their lap books when answering questions on tests (Tinmaz & Lee, 2019).
These written tests were also assessed through criterion reference using aspects of knowledge,
analysis, imagination, writing, and the general quality of the answers. Each criterion was assigned a
five-point scale so that the students’ performance and the usefulness of lap books can be assessed in
detail.

Rationale for Methods

The use of a mixed-methods approach was deemed appropriate given the objective of establishing the
effect of lap books on students’ learning. Using both qualitative and quantitative data, the study sought
to go beyond merely assessing the results of students and also their motivation level while using the
lap books.

The pre-test allowed me to administer an initial check on students’ understanding of the curriculum
without the interference of the lap book intervention. It was very important when we wanted to assess
increased performance displayed in the following terms while using lap books.

The use of lap books as study aids in the written tests helped in determining how relevantly the students
were able to use this material in enhancing their learning. This is because the rubric criteria were
detailed in such a way that a number of aspects of a student’s performance would be adequately
covered when the scores given for the different periods were being compared.

Therefore, the chosen approach of this study enables understanding of the diverse advantages of the
use of lap books when there are too many students in a classroom and their impact on the students’
learning processes.

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FINDINGS

Table 1

Grades averages

GRADES AVERAGES
I TERM II TERM III TERM

No STUDENTS 36 36 36
ARITHMETIC AVERAGE 7,83 9,31 8,58
SCALES

10 12 17 9
9 0 12 5
7 to 8 14 6 20
5 to 6 2 0 1
<4 8 1 1

Graphic 1

Grades averages

It is evidenced in the second term that the number of students that reached a 10 as a grade was higher
than in the first term and second term. This indicates that the use of lap books as study aids might have
had a positive effect on students’’ performance, particularly in the second term. Also in the first term,
more students were recorded to have obtained scores of between 0 and 4 than those of the second
and third terms. This means that as the intervention of the lap books increased, the number of students
scoring at the lower end reduced, and this could mean that the students’ comprehension and retention
improved. 5 and 6 grades were infrequent in the three terms of the year, although the first term had
slightly more students of these grades than the following terms. This again strongly indicates that the
lapbook approach might have assisted some students not to perform at this midrange but rather
improve on it. In addition, the performance of students in grades 7 and 8 also improved, with the third
term registering the highest number in these categories. Such a pattern points toward a kind of
accumulation, as more frequent use of laptops led to more constant progress among students. In sum,

ARITHMETIC
AVERAGE

10 9 7 to 8 5 to 6 <4

7,83

8
9,31

0
1

8,58 9

1 1

GRADES-THREE TERMS
GRADES AVERAGES I TERM GRADES AVERAGES II TERM GRADES AVERAGES IIITERM

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ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, noviembre, 2024, Volumen V, Número 6 p 27.

these analyses indicate the students’ improvement in academic performance as they carried on using
lap books, concurring with the notion that the use of this tool can be helpful in addressing the learning
needs of multiple students in crowded classes.

DISCUSSION

From this study, it is clear that lap books can be used as an effective teaching aid in improving the
performance of learners, particularly in crowded classes. This number rises significantly during the
second term after employing the use of lap books, and the suggested intervention indicates that the lap
books enhance the students’ understanding and CU during their studies. This is in parallel with other
studies done on the application of active learning techniques that postulate that when students are
exposed to such tools, which are haptic and require a high level of interaction, it will enhance the
retention of knowledge as the student will be exposed to his or her learning through multiple senses
(Manokore et al., 2023). This paper shares constructivist learning theories, especially from Manokore
et al. (2023), which highlight that students learn much better when they build knowledge that is within
them rather than having it imposed on them. This is why lap books will complement this approach
because, as students attempt to make a physical connection with information, so too are they allowed
to construct an individualized, manipulatable model of what they are learning.

Also, the fact that the overall number of students who scored in the lowest grade ranges, <4 and 5-6,
decreases across the terms suggests that lap books may assist the weaker students to move from
failing to passing grades. This improvement supports the distinction for ability approach of the
differentiated instruction, which postulates that on and off flexible materials can address high and low
ability students, especially within overcrowded classes that allow minimal one-on-one interaction
between teacher and student (Sokolova et al., 2021). Lap books are organized and offer the kids an
opportunity to bias the lapbook, thus accommodating different learning abilities, which should be most
important to students who at the start of the activity have low performance abilities. Gardner’s multiple
intelligences theory also supports this approach because lap books encourage students to use their
visual-spatial, kinesthetic, and verbal-spatial connections, as well as their language skills, to
comprehend and memorize data.

That high performance was realized and sustained to the third term of learning implies that with the
use of lapbooks, the children have benefitted in their learning for the long term. Research evidence from
the areas of testing effect and spacing effect demonstrates that learners who use past information
often grasp more credit than students who cram (Luo, 2020). Through the cyclical construction as well
as utilization of facilities, known as lap books, it is posited that retrieval practice plays a role in the
strengthening of concepts across terms and consequently the improvement of memory, indicative of
academic development.

However, there are several considerations of the study that need to be looked into with regard to the
following: First of all, the research took place in one specifically selected school, which means that the
results could only be partially extrapolated to other schools. Subsequent research across more than
one school or with many students would be required to generalize the results found here (Voice &
Stirton, 2020). Further, since data was collected in the form of summative assessments and rubric-
based grading, there may always be scope for bias in the scores given. One more limitation of this study
is that other factors affecting student outcomes have not been considered, including the shifts in the
teaching-learning process, in the content of lessons, or in motivation during the school year.

The implications of this research can be interpreted by positing that lap books can be used in the regular
curriculum as a low-cost, high-yield intervention strategy for helping students learn in resource-
constrained, crowded classrooms. Schools could use lap books where necessary, depending on the
teaching sessions, where some concepts may prove difficult and, therefore, may need constant

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reinforcement. But future research should advance the use of technology to combine lap books with
hands-on, as there may be other benefits, such as facilitating student engagement and accessibility.

CONCLUSION

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of lap books in teaching and learning situations where lessons
are delivered in congested classrooms and also how it can boost students’ yields, understanding, and
interest. Engaging their senses in learning, lap books are consistent with constructivism and
differentiated instruction where all student learning styles are accommodated while they construct their
knowledge. In the three terms investigated, findings revealed that enhanced performance implies an
increase in the number of students obtaining higher grades than before while a decrease in students’
lower results. It simply implies that, through the development of lap books, the learning difficulties that
arise from large group teachings could be contained because here, the students are provided with a
form of learning that they can easily manage and customize, which makes it easy to reinforce your
learning lessons.

The outcomes corroborate the scope of the presented thesis: lap books as pedagogical tools are viable,
as are the multi-sensory learning solutions that might prove highly effective after teachers’ attention is
scarce. As such, lap books enhance learning delivery effectiveness and assist both high and low
performers, and the achieved academic benefits meet the overall curriculum objectives.

Future suggestions are to test the findings with more participants and of a higher variety in order to
confirm the possibilities of applying digital technologies to make lap books more engaging and teach
more effectively. Lap books could be considered as a solution in schools where there are many
students in a single classroom because the use of lap books in various subjects can aid in increasing
the quality of students’ learning. Finally, lap books symbolize a vital and efficient teaching aid for
teachers who want their students to perform well in difficult classroom settings in particular.

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