Researchers describe txt sp3ak as "brain workout" for kids

Another study has confirmed that text/IM/chat speak doesn’t hurt kids’ language and spelling skills, with one researcher describing the act of translating the abbreviations as a “brain workout” for those who participate.

by Jacqui Cheng

Text messaging haters, avert your eyes: another study shows that text speak isn’t hurting kids’ ability to spell. A recent study out of the University of Alberta says that kids who are well-versed in proper spelling are not only unaffected by the atrocities introduced by shortened words and text slang, they actually use complex structures when chatting with each other in addition to new words.

The study, published in Reading and Writing, involved third-year psychology students led by Professor Connie Varnhagen to examine minors’ text usage habits. The group surveyed 40 students between the ages of 12 and 17, asking them to save their instant messages for a week and then complete a standardized spelling test at the end of the survey. What they found was not what everyone has come to expect—that kids who engage heavily in abbreviated chat would perform poorly on spelling tests—but that kids’ text speak generally mirrored their real-life skills.

“Kids who are good spellers [academically] are good spellers in instant messaging,” Varnhagen said. “And kids who are poor spellers in English class are poor spellers in instant messaging.”

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