Journal of Research in Reading

Differing from other studies that I read, this study is the latest one. Therefore, this study summaries the previous studies of text-messaging and literacy and explores further. According to the previous studies, researchers pointed out the positive relationship between text-messaging and literacy abilities among children, however, they did not consider about young adults and those studies were also lacking in “naturalistic data, which is necessary to give ecological validity to findings”(p.251). So in this study, Michelle Drouin and Brent Driver(2014) focus more on comparing the actual text message characteristics of young adult sample with their standardized literacy abilities.

183 American undergraduates from an introductory psychology class were involved in this study with average age of 21.2 and average GPA of B grade. The measuring part in this study is divided into testing and survey. In the testing part, all participants were examined by test of Standardised reading, vocabulary, while in the survey, participants were interviewed by questions related specifically to their texting behaviours and text-messaging frequency.

The results turn out that it is not the total number of textism participants use but the textism categories they use determined whether text-messaging lead to higher or lower literacy abilities(p.266). It also explains “the discordant findings between children and adults with regard to textese use and literacy skills”(p.250). At the end of this study, Michelle Drouin and Brent Driver(2014) raised further questions for future research to take into account like “examine the impact of the technological capabilities of these phones on the writing features and literacy skills of those who use them” (p.266). and “determine whether any of these relationships between textese and literacy are casual”( p.266).

This study had limitation in the sample, though it’s large, we have no idea about what the test results will be like in other countries(p.265). This study gives me a feel like a sum of the previous studies, and it gave me more ideas to consider my topic in a more advanced way.

Drouin, M., & Driver, B. (2012). Texting, textese and literacy abilities: A naturalistic study. Journal of Research in Reading, 37(3), 250-267. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9817.2012.01532.x