The effect of text messaging on 9- and 10-year-old children's reading, spelling and phonological processing skills

     This article explores a research study that was designed to measure the effect of text messaging on children’s literacy skills.  The specific study group were children ages 9 and 10.  There were 114 children selected to participate in the study.  All of the students had never owned a mobile phone before.  The participants were randomly placed into two groups.  One group was given mobile phones to use on weekends and during a one week vacation from school. The mobile phones were only capable of sending and receiving text messages. The other group was the control group who did no text messaging.  The study was conducted over a ten week period.

The motivation for the study came about from two conflicting points of view on the topic.  There was a widespread concern in the media that texting (using shortened or abbreviated or phonetic substitutes for words) was having a negative impact on childrens’ performance and scores on standardized tests and spelling skills.  A previous study suggested that the children’s literacy skills were improved through the text messaging process.  The researchers in this study found that the previous studies had some limitations in that the used contrived text messaging scenarios and not real world use and they were unable to show causality.

Both groups were given pre and post tests in reading and spelling.  The researchers took into account individual differences in IQ and the children’s performance on the pre test. After all of the components of the study were complete the findings were “that the children who were given access to mobile phones for the purpose of text messaging did not perform differently from the children who were not given mobile phones in terms of their literacy development.”  Also, “textism use during texting was linked to spelling development and the number of messages sent and received was linked to lexical retrieval skills.”  So the conclusion is that even though literacy skills were not improved by the text messaging, there was also no adverse effect on literacy skills from the activity.

This study appears to have been founded in highly scientific procedures and measurements of the data collected.  The one question I would have concerns the group selected. In the researchers own words “The majority of children aged between 8 and 15 years in the United Kingdom and United States own mobile phones, and text messaging (SMS) is a popular function of the phones among this age group.”  So the requirement of selecting students who had never owned a cell phone makes me question if there is a significant factor in this minority that would affect the outcome of the research. 

Wood, C. , Jackson, E. , Hart, L. , Plester, B. , & Wilde, L. (2011). The effect of text messaging on 9- and 10-year-old children's reading, spelling and phonological processing skills. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 27(1), 28-36.

Monsters, Inc.

Monsters, Inc.: Film, 2001  Studio: Disney/Pixar Director: Pete Docter

Run time: 92 minutes.

Plot: Monsters, Inc. is a power generating company that exists in a city known as Monstropolis, where no humans dwell.  The power is generated through the screams of children that the monsters scare... it’s their job.  The main monster characters are Sulley and his best friend and co-worker, Mike Wazowski. It is business as usual until one day a 2 year old human girl named Boo, is discovered to have been inadvertently brought into Monstropolis by Sulley after a long night’s work.  Chaos ensues as the human detection alarm is sounded (human children are believed to carry dreaded diseases that are fatal to monsters) and Sulley and Mike secretly attempt to return Boo through her door without being discovered by the other monsters and especially not by the CEO of Monsters, Inc., Mr. Waternoose.  Will Sulley and Mike save Monstropolis?  What happens to Boo?  Is there and alternative energy source for Monsters, Inc.?  Watch the DVD and find out.

Review/Personal thoughts:  This is another great animated film.  The monsters themselves are non-threatening physically and quite lovable characters. The relationship that develops between Sulley and Boo is endearing. Sulley and Mike are clearly the “good” monsters and Randall and Mr. Waternoose are clearly the “evil” monsters.  The animation is fantastic and the music is entertaining. Most tweens will surely enjoy this film.  Sulley is “friendly”, learns to “be himself” and  “follows his heart”. The classic themes of good vs. evil, fear, loyalty, and courage are additional messages for tweens to contemplate. I recommend this film without hesitation.

Rated: G

Interest Level: Ages 5 and up

Awards:  Academy Awards, Oscar, Best Music, Original Song, 2002

Nominated: Academy Awards, Oscar, Best Animated Feature, 2002

Day of Tears by Julius Lester

Day of Tears: a novel in dialogue. by Julius Lester. Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Paperbacks for Children, 2007. 177 pages.

Plot: This story is based on the largest slave auction in United States history.  Approximately 429 human slaves were sold over a two day period netting over $303,000 (equivalent to 6.7 million dollars today.)  All of the slaves were the property of Pierce Butler whose gambling debts forced his choice.  Butler has two daughters named  Sarah and Frances.  Not only did Pierce grow up alongside many of the slaves as brothers and sisters, but the two Butler girls have been raised by Emma, also a slave. The lives of all of the characters are powerfully revealed by first person narratives that detail the story’s events.  Some of the dialogues are written in the present chronicling the events leading up to and including the auction and some are written as flashbacks 20 years after the auction.  The slaves have lived a relatively good life on the plantation, being well cared for and raising their own families.  The auction shatters the families as there are no guarantees families stay together.  In an incredibly devastating moment, Pierce agrees to sell Emma, even though he has promised her parents that he would not.  Frances and Sarah are stunned and in tears by their father’s heartless action.  Emma’s mother, Mattie doesn’t even get to say good bye to her daughter  She is left to say “I start thinking about Emma and tears rush to my eyes... Lord, please have mercy on my child! Please, I beg you. Have mercy on my child!”  More scenes are played out including escapes, the underground railroad, reunions and revenge.

Review/Personal thoughts:  I don’t believe it is an exaggeration to label this book as brilliant. The story is masterfully told and made powerfully believable through Lester’s dialogues. Even though I have been schooled in U.S. History, never has the horror of the reality of humans buying and selling other humans as personal property been made so strikingly evident. Slavery, betrayal, the consequences of our actions, freedom, abolition, courage, racism, family, love and incomprehensible demoralization are all themes that are revealed through the characters words.  Far be it from me to ever require anyone to read a book, but this book might be an exception.  My life was changed by reading it. I can’t help but believe the lives of tweens who read it will also be changed.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Reading Level: 4.4  Interest level: Ages 10 and up.

Awards: Coretta Scott King Award/Honor 2006

Notable/Best Books (A.L.A.) 2006

Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes

Olive’s Ocean. by Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow Books, 2003. 217 pages.

Plot: Olive is the name of a young girl we never meet because she has been killed in a car accident before this story begins.  Her mother though shows up at 12-year old Martha Boyle’s house with a page from Olive’s diary which forever changes Martha’s life.  Martha learns that Olive had longed to be her friend, wanted to visit the ocean and, like Martha, had dreamed of being an author.  Martha travels with her family to her grandmother’s cottage on the beach for a summer vacation. A deeper bonding with her grandmother, a love for the ocean and the coast, the tingling sensation of “first” love, a new appreciation for her mom and dad, the dynamics of an older brother and younger sister, and Martha’s first venture into writing all unfold this summer.  All the while, Martha is “honoring” Olive with this journey to the ocean and through adolescence.  She fills a jar with ocean water “for Olive.”  After a betrayal by an older neighbor boy who tricks her into her first kiss, Martha is given a new perspective on what is to discover one’s self.  “And at that very minute, what was inside her head and heart made her feel as though there was no one else in the whole world she would rather be.”

Review/Personal thoughts:  This is an excellent book for Tweens.  One almost has the sensation of floating through this book as it effortlessly flows revealing characters, settings and plot.  This book was a joy to read.  The reader is invited to explore themes like adolescence, coming of age, family ties, first love, betrayal, death, old age, creativity, self-realization, friendship and the unpredictability of life. The author has captured authentic emotions and makes them a gift to the reader. I highly recommend this book.

Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Reading Level: 6.6  Interest level: Ages 10 to 13

Awards:  Newbery Medal/Honor 2003

Fearless - Taylor Swift

Album: Fearless Artist: Taylor Swift Record Label: Big Machine Records, 2008

Review:  What an incredible album!  Taylor Swift is talented and creative. This is her second album and a follow-up to her self-titled album, Taylor Swift. She wrote or co-wrote all 13 of the songs on this album. Lyrics are important in a song.  Swift uses the words to paint poignant and real life scenes that evoke emotions in the listener.  Her honesty is present - these are scenes she has lived, not invented.  Her songs are dominated by the subject of love in many forms - mostly romantic, but parents love for their children, a love for a sibling and the love for a friend.  My favorite song on the album is “Fifteen”.  This song is a story of starting high school, best friends, first love, popularity, betrayal and freedom - all in ONE song!  She sings “In your life you'll do things greater, Than dating the boy on the football team, But I didn't know it at fifteen” “'Cause when you're fifteen and, Somebody tells you they love you, You're gonna believe them.”  This song has  every chance of becoming an anthem for a generation of girls like Janis Ian’s “At Seventeen.”  The first hit single from this album is “Love Story” and Swift weaves the story of Romeo and Juliet into a modern tale of a boy and girl drawn to each other and lacking parental approval and she sings “"Romeo, save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel. This love is difficult, but it's real.”  On “The Best Day” Taylor has crafted a beautiful tribute to her mother who has obviously loved and supported her.     What mother wouldn’t love to hear their daughter sing “I know you were on my side even when I was wrong, And I love you for giving me your eyes, Staying back and watching me shine, and I didn't know if you knew, So I'm taking this chance to say that I had the best day with you today”  Taylor Swift is 18 years old and she has what it takes to be performing for many years. I own this album. My daughter owns this album. Tweens who can listen, will be guided, entertained, and inspired by every song on this album.  Share this with a tween and you might just open up their heart.

Genre: Country, Pop

Interest Level: Ages 12 and up.

Awards:  Grammy Award, Album of the Year, 2010

Wall-E

WALL·E: Film, 2008  Studio: Disney/Pixar Director: Andrew Stanton Run time: 98 minutes.

Plot: WALL-E is a robot who roams the earth as the only “creature” left (with the exception of one cockroach companion) after the earth can no longer support human life.  WALL-E gets up every morning and does what he was programed to do - collect and compress trash that has accumulated on the Earth’s surface.  Every once in awhile  he brings back some interesting piece of trash that he adds to his collection which includes a working video screen and old movies. One day the calm of WALL-E’s world is shattered by the landing of a giant spaceship out of which comes EVE, a modern robot sent back to Earth to determine if it can support life again.  WALL-E shares a small growing plant with EVE who is programmed to recognize this as a sign of life, stores it, and shuts down.  WALL-E is confused by EVE’s lack of response and when the spaceship returns for EVE, he goes with her. They arrive at a giant space station that is now home to all of the humans who evacuated earth. The humans are shuttled around on hovering chairs, watch video screens and are all overweight and out of shape.  The evil company issues a computer command to abort the plan to return to earth, but WALL-E, the captain and EVE all lead the humans in a mutiny against the company and it’s evil robots.  Will Earth ever be inhabited by humans again? What happens to the sole living plant?  Will WALL-E and EVE live happily ever after?

Review/Personal thoughts:  This is a great animated film!  Once again I am reminded of how difficult it is for me to place an upper age limit on the interest level of tween material because I, as an adult, love this film. The film has very few spoken words in the first half of the film, but there is no doubt about the communications and “feelings” that are taking place. Themes explored include; love, environmentalism, technology, life, longing, triumph, relationships and personal growth.  Highly recommended by this reviewer.

Rated: G

Interest Level: Ages 5 and up

Awards:  Academy Awards, Oscar, Best Animated Feature Film of the Year, 2009

Tweeting Tweens and Teens Improve Skills with New High-Tech Writing Coach

     The article addresses an ongoing need with tweens and teens which is the lack of adequate writing and grammar skills.  The author connects this lack of skills to the pervasiveness of text messaging and online social communication sites where the shortcuts to written language dominate the entries.  

Writing Coach is a high-tech tool created by Pearson, a global education and technology company.  The foundation of the tool is the ability to assess each student’s writing and grammar skills individually and then customize a program which provides immediate feedback. Writing Coach “looks at a student's work in progress, one paragraph at a time, and analyzes the ideas, topic support, and organization in their essay.”  

The results of working with this tool are dramatic.  Middle school students in one district saw an increase in fluency, length of written responses and quality of writing.  The claim is that these students “improved their proficiency as writers from 65 percent to 97 percent during the 2009-2010 school year.”

My experience as a public high school teacher certainly confirms the need for improvement in writing and grammar skills of students. I have seen the need overwhelmingly in English learners. There is no doubt that text messaging and online social communication is pervasive among tweens and teens.  I don’t know that the author provided enough support for the contention that the use of these shortened writing forms “causes” poor writing skills. I use text messaging daily and I include the shortened forms and abbreviations for words, however this would never spill over into or decrease my writing skills in a formal setting. 

The improvement claimed in increases in student performance are not supported by research - at least the article does not cite or present the data.  If these increases can be attained, let’s implement them, but they must be supported by research.  One missing element in the article that stands out for me is that there is no mention of the cost of the program.  I don’t have the sense that Pearson has developed this tool and is now gifting it to the world.  Education is in dire financial crisis and cost is critical to all programs.  It is certainly worthy of a closer look.

Tweeting Tweens and Teens Improve Skills with New High-Tech Writing Coach.  Feb 1, 2011 pNAPRWeb Newswire, p.NA. Retrieved February 05, 2011, from General OneFile via Gale:

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