Adolescents' out of school writing practices with technology

Abstract

Reports of writing assessment results from The Nation's Report Card (NAEP, 2011) and the New York State 2017 Grade 8 ELA assessment (NYSED Data Site, 2017) indicate that students in grade 8 are struggling with writing achievement on standardized assessments in school. Also, the use of technology is popular among most students. Research shows that the number of school aged students with personal cell phones and other electronics appears to be increasing (Lenhart, 2009). With this rise in technology use, it appears that eighth graders may be composing texts for self-expression and communication with peers every day, yet struggling with writing achievement in school. Thus, to obtain more information regarding students' writing with technology, appropriate research questions are: what are adolescents' out-ofschool writing practices?; and how do adolescents use technology in their out-of-school writing? By conducting an empirical study with a qualitative methodology, this research determined the out-of-school writing practices of three eighth grade students, specifically writing with technology. After analyzing digital writing samples, survey responses, and individual interviews of the three participants, the following findings emerged. First, the most prevalent out-of-school writing practice included texting or other typing on a cell phone, tablet, or game system. Second, following standard writing conventions was not a priority or necessity for the participants in their out-of-school writing. Third, textisms and emojis make up a large portion of the participants' writing with technology. And finally, the students prefer to type on a cell phone or computer rather than writing with paper and pencil. [from author's abstract]