Possible effects of text messaging on Grade 11 EFAL learners' written work

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Periodical article

Title:	Possible effects of text messaging on Grade 11 EFAL learners' written work
Authors:	Thubakgale, Katlego Chaka, Chaka
Year:	2016
Periodical:	Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa (ISSN 1753-5395)
Volume:	47
Issue:	2
Pages:	223-245
Language:	English
Geographic term:	South Africa
Subjects:	writing spelling mobile telephone adolescents pupils
External link:	https://doi.org/10.1080/10228195.2016.1185139
Abstract:	This study investigated the possible effects of text messaging on the written work of Grade 11 English first additional language learners at a public high school in Pretoria (South Africa). It had 41 participants - 38 Grade 11 EFAL learners (n = 38, M = 10, F = 28, mean age = 17.4 years) and 3 female Grade 11 EFAL teachers. It used three sampling techniques to select participants: opportunistic purposeful, voluntary, and convenience sampling techniques. Some text message features which the study detected in two written learner activities were: shortenings; contractions; g-clippings; letter homophones; number homophones; no full stops; incorrect capitalisation; spelling errors; and non-conventional spelling errors (textism spelling errors). One of the findings of the study is that text message features as a percentage of the word count in both learner activities had a lower prevalence in and, therefore, a less negative effect on the written work of the learners. Bibliogr., sum. [Journal abstract]