Date

2017

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Chair

Karla Swafford

Keywords

Literacy, Texting, Textisms, Textspeak, Writing

Disciplines

Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Educational Psychology | Other Education

Abstract

The purpose of this correlational study was to discover the impact of texting on writing achievement for middle school students. The theory guiding this study is Vygotsky’s Social Cognitive Theory (Newman & Holzman, 2013) as it explains that learning is influenced by one’s social environment. The data that will be collected consists of the scores of the writing portion of the 2014-2015 state standardized test (ISTEP), a student survey answering questions about texting practices, and student status information on Free and Reduced Meals. The multiple regression analysis will be used to analyze this data because as inferential statistics it can be used to predict whether this information can apply to other future populations. Texting is a common practice and so is utilizing textspeak, (the digital language developed in order to make written communication on cellular devices more efficient). Middle school students represent the largest demographic of frequent texters, therefore one may assume this practice has the potential to influence daily writing habits throughout one’s lifetime. This study must be conducted in order to determine how textspeak is impacting the evolution of language and document the changes in language on education and the world as a whole. This quantitative, correlational study analyzes state standardized test, writing scores and the effects of frequent texting of middle school students. The middle school has a population of approximately 1500 students and the sample will be selected by meeting the following requirements: any sixth through eighth grader who has a personal cellular device and who has returned a parent consent form. This study seeks to answer the questions: Is there a relationship between frequency of texting and adolescent writing achievement? and Is there a difference in the impact of texting between adolescents eligible for Free and Reduced Meals and those adolescents who are not eligible?

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