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Blogs and Social Networks linked to educational benefits
3 Dec 2009
3 December 2009
Youngsters with an online presence show increased appetite for writing
Social networking sites and blogs may provide educational benefits for children, such as greater confidence and a more positive attitude towards writing, according to research published by the National Literacy Trust today.
Carried out by the National Literacy Trust in collaboration with ‘Everybody Writes’ (a writing project run by Booktrust and the National Literacy Trust), the first significant study of young people’s attitudes to writing in the UK finds that 49% of young people claim writing is ‘boring’. However, children that engage in technology based texts, such as blogs, enjoy writing more and have more positive attitudes towards writing - 57% express a general enjoyment of writing vs. 40% who don’t have a blog.
As well as increased enjoyment, having a blog or profile on a social networking site (SNS) is linked to greater confidence in writing ability. 61% of young people who keep a blog and 56% of those who have a profile on a SNS claim to be good or very good at writing, compared to 47% of those who don’t have either of these online writing channels.
Having a blog or a profile on a SNS is also related to writing behaviour. Pupils who are active online are significantly more likely to engage in more traditional forms of writing - for example short stories, letters, song lyrics and writing in a diary/journal - compared to those who don’t have a SNS presence.
The research finds that large numbers of young people engage with technology outside of school; 13% have their own website, 24% keep their own blog and 56% have a profile on a social networking site.
Jonathan Douglas , Director of the National Literacy Trust says:
“The digital age often gets a bad press but the findings of this report demonstrate that social networking sites and blogs are linked to young people’s more positive attitudes to writing.
“Standards in writing are consistently behind those in reading and neither skill is particularly well perceived by young people. In fact, our research found that 12% of young people don’t consider writing an important life skill despite an obvious link between writing ability and success in life. This is a real cause for concern.”
“Confidence and enjoyment are closely linked to the development of skills. Therefore, in order to improve standards we need to encourage children to write more and to enjoy writing, which could be supported by celebrating forms of writing they enjoy. Our research indicates that for many these are without doubt technology based forms.”
The report also identified which forms of writing were engaged with most regularly. Young people were asked which texts they wrote at least once a month and four out of the top five were technology based:
- 82% text messages
- (77% notes/answers in class/for homework)
- 73% instant messages
- 67% emails
- 63% social networking sites
In addition, the study investigated why young people who lacked writing confidence perceived themselves not to be good at writing. The reasons varied between different age groups. Lack of enjoyment was common among older pupils but more traditional problems, such as difficulty with punctuation and spelling, were cited as the main issues for children aged 7-11. Nearly one in five interviewees identified ‘not writing a lot’ as the main reason for not being a good writer.
Concludes Douglas:
“95% of the population needs to be functionally literate by 2020 in order to bring the UK in line with other developed countries. We believe that it is important to change young people’s attitudes to writing in order to achieve this goal.”
ends.
For further information, a copy of the report or to interview Jonathan Douglas please contact Anna Lindsay at the National Literacy Trust on 020 7820 6256 or anna.lindsay@literacytrust.org.uk
Notes to Editors:
About the report, Young people’s writing: Attitudes, behaviour and the role of technology by Christina Clark and George Dugdale, November 2009
The report was published by the National Literacy Trust in collaboration with ‘Everybody Writes’, a writing project run by Booktrust and the National Literacy Trust.
3001 children from England and Scotland were surveyed. The gender split was almost equal, 48.6% boys and 51.4% girls. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (20.2%), which is frequently used as a crude indicator of socio-economic background, was higher in this survey than the national average.
Full copies of the research report are available from http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/research/writing_survey_2009.html on Thursday 3 December 2009.
2 UK writing standards
In the UK students are assessed on their writing level at the end of each National Curriculum Key Stage. Writing standards are consistently below reading standards. In 2009 at Key Stage 1 81% of students reached the expected level for writing compared to 84% who reached the correct reading level. At Key Stage 2 86% of students were of the standard expected of their age group for reading, while only 67% reached the level expected for writing. For full details and annual figures, please see the National Literacy Trust website. www.literacytrust.org.uk
3 About the study, Readers and Reading: the National Report for England 2006
Twist, L., Schagen, I. and Hodgson, C. (2007). (PIRLS: Progress in International Reading Literacy Study). Slough: NFER.
This international study investigated the link between confidence and enjoyment in writing and the development of skills and concluded that “in England and most other countries, there is a positive association between attitude to reading and reading attainment.”
4. About the National Literacy Trust
The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity that transforms lives through literacy. We believe that society will only be fair when everyone has the literacy skills they need to communicate, to fulfil their potential and to contribute more to society. We campaign to improve public understanding of the vital importance of literacy, as well as delivering projects and working in partnership to reach those most in need of support.
To help us transform lives through literacy, you can make a donation. To find out how visit http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/About/donate.html
National Literacy Trust is a registered charity no. 1116260, and a company limited by guarantee, no. 5836486. Registered in England and Wales. Registered address: 68 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1RL. Tel: 020 7587 1842.
5. About Everybody Writes
Everybody Writes offers classroom teachers innovative ideas and practical resources to get primary pupils and secondary students excited about writing. The Everybody Writes approach is about exploring writing beyond the classroom and taking it into the playground, communities and even the workplace. Everybody Writes encourages schools to try out new and interesting ways of initiating writing and to offer their young people a real audience for their writing. Everybody Writes is a project run in partnership by Booktrust and The National Literacy Trust and funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).
For more information about Everybody Writes please visit www.everybodywrites.org.uk.
6. About Booktrust
Booktrust is an independent charity dedicated to encouraging people of all ages and cultures to engage with books. The written word underpins all our activity and enables us to fulfil our vision of inspiring a lifelong love of books for all.
For more information see www.booktrust.org.uk
