ED477614 2003-12-00 The Impact of

Electronic Communication on Writing.

ERIC Digest.

ERIC Development Team

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The Impact of Electronic Communication on Writing. ERIC Digest....... 1

WRITING BEHAVIOR.......................................................... 2

WRITING PERFORMANCE.................................................. 2

CONCLUSION.................................................................. 4

REFERENCES.................................................................. 4

ERIC Identifier: ED477614

Publication Date: 2003-12-00

Author: Abdullah, Mardziah Hayati

Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading English and Communication Bloomington IN.

The Impact of Electronic Communication on

Writing. ERIC Digest.

THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT

ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC

Electronic communication (or e-communication) places new demands on language that

leads to interesting variations in written language use (Biesenbach-Lucas &

Wiesenforth, 2001). The language of e-mail, chats, Web-based discussions and SMS

messages is marked by features of both informal speech and formal writing, a host of

ED477614 2003-12-00 The Impact of Electronic Communication on Writing. ERIC Digest. Page 1 of 6
text-based icons and acronyms for managing social interaction, and changes in spelling

norms (Abdullah, 1998). In addition, the electronic medium (e-medium) provides a new

context for the writing process. These phenomena have prompted research on whether

students' frequent engagement with electronic writing (e-writing) has implications for

writing and writing instruction. This digest summarizes some insights gained from

research on writing behavior and performance in the electronic age.

WRITING BEHAVIOR

Word processing and e-publishing have brought about interesting developments in the

way writers write. In general, the malleable nature of electronic text has made the

physical process of composing more 'elastic' in that writers are quicker to commit

thought to writing and to reorganize content because it is simple to make changes on

the electronic screen (Leibowitz, 1999). Even young children find it easy to insert and

manipulate images and video or audio clips in their texts (Karchmer, 2001). In addition,

writers who publish on the Web perceive it as a new rhetorical space that provides

options for using non-linear, alternative structures, making it necessary for them to

anticipate how audiences might physically navigate through their hypertext

compositions. This consciousness creates complex perspectives and a "heightened

awareness of traditional rhetorical elements" in a way that text alone never could

(Mason, 2002).

There is also a tendency toward playfulness in e-communication. Danet (2001), in

studying visual and multimedia aspects of digital communication in email and Internet

Relay Chats (IRCs), found playful digital greetings, "jazz-like, improvisational writing,"

and a prevalent passion for visually extravagant digital fonts or what she calls "font

frenzy." Trupe (2002) also observed the playful construction of "multiple writer identities"

through linguistic techniques such as word choice and syntax. These aspects of

e-communication are part of an emergent cultural diversity in written communication.

Consequently, Danet points out, there is a tension between the informality of email

communication and traditional norms governing the form of official letters that writers

have to deal with.

Despite changing trends in e-communication, Abras (2002) found that writers in online

discourse still adhere to the "principle of relevance" present in oral discourse, which

presumes that when speakers say something, they will help listeners reach maximal

understanding with minimal processing effort. To achieve this aim in oral discourse,

speakers use visual cues provided by paralanguage, kinesics and synchrony to

complement verbal language. Although these cues are unavailable to writers in online

contexts, they still attempt to communicate them through text-based emoticons,

punctuation and other politeness markers; and their use of these politeness markers

increases once they realize that it helps to avoid misunderstandings.

WRITING PERFORMANCE

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Hailed as a powerful educational resource, the e-medium has not only revolutionized

the composing process but has also been found to encourage participation in writing

activity. One reason for this is that e-mail and online chats provide a non-threatening

atmosphere in which writers feel less inhibited about expressing themselves,

encouraging even timid students who usually refuse to speak in face-to-face

discussions to actively participate in online chats (Kupelian, 2001). Another reason is

that the Web provides an arena for writers to present their work to a real and larger

audience that extends beyond classroom and school boundaries (Karchmer, 2001).

When students realize that they are going to put their work on the Web for readers in

the real world, they are motivated to write (Leibowitz, 1999).

The online domain has also substantially increased opportunities for collaboration in

writing. Karchmer (2001) observes that teachers are using the Internet to create

complex partnerships among their students and post the results online. Online

collaborative tools allow students to exchange critiques synchronously or

asynchronously (Leibowitz, 1999; Kupelian, 2001). Students learn to reference each

other's texts, thus developing "threading and synthesizing skills" as well as a heightened

awareness of audience (Trupe, 2002). This sense of audience motivates them to write

carefully and to be more accountable for their writing (Leibowitz, 1999). Collaborative

writing activity has prompted researchers such as Honeycutt (2001) to compare the use

of synchronous chats and asynchronous e-mail in providing peer response for aiding

revision. While there was no difference in terms of the usefulness of comments, it was

found that students made significantly greater use of e-mail for detailed reference to the

contents and rhetoric, while they used chats for brainstorming and exploring the topic.

While the e-medium has been found to increase collaborative writing activity there are

mixed views on whether it has had a similar effect on the quantity and quality of writing

done by individual students. Because the e-medium reduces the intimidation factor

(Leibowitz, 1999) and offers attractive features, it improves students' attitudes towards

writing and practicing the target language (Kupelian, 2001) and encourages students to

produce more text (Trupe, 2002; Goldberg, et al., 2003). In one study, Gonzalez and

Perez (2001) found that second-language learners using e-mail for their dialogue

journals generated more language than those who used pencil and paper. However, a

second study, which addressed some of the limitations of the first, indicated that the

e-mail group did not significantly out-perform the pen-and-pencil group in length of text,

grammatical accuracy or vocabulary. Thus, there is no conclusive evidence that the use

of e-mail has any advantages in terms of student performance. In addition, while some

studies show that the amount of discourse increases when writing is done via e-mail,

the length of "academic" writing does not seem to be affected (Kupelian, 2001).

Although some researchers claim that students proofread more given the ease with

which revision can be carried out on-screen, Leibowitz (1999) found that many others

rely only on software to check spelling and grammar. Students are also often unwilling

to revisit words that have scrolled off their screen. Moreover, rewriting is a slow process

and is in conflict with the computer culture that encourages speed. As a result, students

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ED477614 2003-12-00 The Impact of Electronic Communication on Writing. ERIC Digest. Page 3 of 6
are more accustomed to writing in the conversational style of e-mail discussions, but not

in formal prose. Even if essays are longer and immaculately word-processed, they may

be poorly structured and articulated. There is an "additive style" in the writing, similar to

the structure of a small child's speech: "And this happened. And then that. And so then

this." While this style is acceptable in online communication, it translates into poor

structure in a formal essay.

In another study, Biesenbach and Wiesenforth (2001) examined the texts of writers

responding to writing prompts using different media: e-mail and word processing. While

there were no obvious differences between e-mail and word-processed writing in the

use of cohesive features, they differed in text length, with e-mail responses being

significantly shorter than word-processed essays. In word-processed essays, writers

make an effort to provide some kind of background information on the topic before

responding to the essay prompt, while e-mail writers tend to begin right away by

responding the prompt, doing away with contextualized information. This research

reveals yet another example of how writing is being shaped by the e-medium.

CONCLUSION

Both the process and content of writing are evolving in response to the increased use of

the e-medium for writing instruction and to the language of e-communication itself.

Along with changes in what and how students write, peer collaboration may result in a

"realignment of authority in the classroom" (Trupe, 2002), as students and teachers

place increasingly greater importance on student-based opinions and decisions.

Whether one views these changes as positive or negative depends on how closely one

believes writing should adhere to the conventions of formal writing we have hitherto

accepted, and how much one supports the goal of establishing the student's authority

as a writer. Some writing instructors philosophize that since e-writing tools and

e-language will continue to change, they must teach what will not change: the

connection between thinking and writing and the ability to articulate what one knows

(Leibowitz, 1999). This standpoint will certainly encourage teachers to continue seeking

more effective ways of using the e-tools in writing instruction.

REFERENCES

Abdullah, M. H. (1998). "Electronic discourse: Evolving conventions in online academic

environments". Bloomington, IN: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and

Communication. [ED 422 593]

Abras, C. (2002) The principle of relevance and metamessages in online discourse:

Electronic exchanges in a graduate course. Language, "Literacy and Culture Review"

1(2), 39-53.

Biesenbach-Lucas, S. & Wiesenforth, D. (2001). E-mail and word processing in the ESL

classroom: How the medium affects the message. "Language Learning and

www.eric.ed.gov ERIC Custom Transformations Team

Page 4 of 6 ED477614 2003-12-00 The Impact of Electronic Communication on Writing. ERIC Digest.
Technology", 5 (1), 135-165. [EJ 621 506]

Danet, B. (2001). Cyberplay: Communicating online. Oxford: Berg Publishing.

Goldberg, A., Russell. M. & Cook, A. (2003, March 10). The effect of computers on

student writing: A meta-analysis of studies from 1992 to 2002. "The Journal of

Technology, Learning, and Assessment", 2(1). Retrieved December 15, 2003, from

http://www.bc.edu/research/intasc/jtla/journal/pdf/v2n1_jtla.pdf

Gonzalez, B. M. & Perez, L. C. (2001, March). "Electronic mail in foreign language

learning revisited". Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of Teachers of English to

Speakers of Other Languages, St. Louis, MO. [ED 458 817]

Honeycutt, L. (2001). Comparing e-mail and synchronous conferencing in online peer

response. "Written Communication", 18(1), 26-60. [EJ 619 521]

Karchmer, R.A. (2001, May). Gaining a new, wider audience: Publishing student work

on the Internet. "Reading Online", 4(10). Retrieved October 26, 2003, from

http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=/

electronic/karchmer/index.html [EJ 662 523]

Kupelian, M. (2001). The use of e-mail in the L2 classroom: An overview. "Second

Language Learning & Teaching", 1. Retrieved on December 15, 2003, from

http://www.usq.edu.au/opacs/cllt/sllt/1-1/Kupelian01.htm Leibowitz, W. R. (1999).

Technology transforms writing and the teaching of writing. "Chronicle of Higher

Education", 46 (14), A67-A68. [EJ 597 490]

Mason, J. S. (2002). "From Gutenberg's galaxy to Cyberspace: The transforming power

of electronic hypertext". Toronto: CITD Press.

Trupe, A. (2002). "Academic Literacy in a Wired World: Redefining Genres for College

Writing Courses". Retrieved October 27, 2003 from

http://www.bridgewater.edu/~atrupe/AcadLit/WiredWorld.htm

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Digest #188 is EDO-CS-03-09, published December 2003 by the ERIC Clearinghouse

on Reading, English and Communication, 2805 E 10th St. #140, Bloomington, IN

47408-2698, Tel. (800) 759-4723. Full text at: http://eric.indiana.edu. ERIC Digests are

in the public domain and may be freely reproduced.

This project is funded at least in part with Federal funds from the US Dept. of Education

(contract #ED-99-CO-0028). The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect

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ED477614 2003-12-00 The Impact of Electronic Communication on Writing. ERIC Digest. Page 5 of 6
Title: The Impact of Electronic Communication on Writing. ERIC Digest.

Note: ERIC/REC Digest number 188.

Document Type: Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs)

(071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073);

Available From: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English and Communication, 2805

E. 10th St. #140, Bloomington, IN 47408-2698. Web site: http://eric.indiana.edu; Tel:

800-759-4723 (Toll Free).

Descriptors: Collaborative Writing, Computer Mediated Communication, Electronic

Text, Elementary Secondary Education, Higher Education, Language Usage, Writing

Achievement, Writing Instruction, Writing Processes, Written Language

Identifiers: ERIC Digests, Writing Behavior

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