Message to worried parents: texting won't make children illiterate

20-1-2010

Message to worried parents: texting won’t make children illiterate

Pupils from across Britain take part in The Times Spelling Bee and there is a waiting list of schools hoping to enter

Children may LOL at the thought of adults trying to decipher text message abbreviations, such as OMG, CUL8R and IDK*. But rather than destroying their ability to write coherently, being fluent in text-speak could be a sign of superior literacy, academics claim.

Far from texting causing damage to children’s aptitude for writing properly (as well as repetitive strain injuries to their thumbs), as parents and teachers believe, regular texters often possess sophisticated literacy skills, a report out today says.

The research, funded by the British Academy, analysed the effect of text message use on 8 to 12-year-olds, as well as pulling together the findings of other studies.

The texting research by Coventry University discovered that children as young as 5 had mobile phones, but that the average age was 8.

It found that knowledge of “textisms” increased with age, with half of children in the last year of primary school using such language. Examples include shortenings such as bro for brother, contractions such as plz for please, omitted apostrophes such as wont for won’t, homophones such as 2moro for tomorrow, and acronyms such as WUU2 for what are you up to?

But Clare Wood, Reader in Developmental Psychology at the university, said that use of such text speak could be used to predict reading ability. Children familiar with texting had a high level of phonological awareness, an early developing skill that refers to the ability to detect, isolate and manipulate patterns of sound in speech, Dr Wood said: “We were surprised to learn that ... textism use was actually driving the development of phonological awareness and reading skill in children. Texting also appears to be a valuable form of contact with written English for many children, which enables them to practise reading and spelling on a daily basis.

“With further research, we hope to instil a change in attitude in teachers and parents — recognising the potential to use text-based exercises to engage children in phonological awareness activities. If we are seeing a decline in literacy standards among young children, it is in spite of text messaging, not because of it.”

More than four in five of the 63 children studied had their own mobile phone and the rest had regular access to one. The same proportion had a toy mobile phone from the age of 12 months, another study found.

The research cited John Humphrys, who wrote in a newspaper column that text messaging “vandals are doing to our language what Genghis Khan did to his neighbours 800 years ago”.

Other critics include teachers, one of whom said: “I have seen too many in our young generation who cannot distinguish between when common text message language is appropriate and when it is time to write formally.”

The findings come as children within that age group prepare to pit themselves against other schools in The Times Spelling Bee 2010. More than the maximum 1,000 schools applied to enter the championship, in its second year, and there is a waiting list.

Teams of 11 and 12-year-olds will compete in local heats beginning in March at cinemas around Britain. The Grand Final is in London in June.

At last year’s event, contestants successfully spelt words including ichthyology, analgesic, vestigial, outmanoeuvre and repertoire. Many of this year’s entrants are practising on the Times Spelling Bee website.

*LOL laugh out loud, or lots of love; OMG Oh my God; CUL8R See you later; IDK I don’t know. (Times)