Is SMS lingo affecting students' performance?
With cellular phones becoming indispensable in our modern lifestyles, SMS lingos are fast catching up with students who use short messaging services as the most affordable means to connect with friends.
According to a survey conducted last year by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry, it was found out that 66% of students own a mobile phones. More than 76% of them use their phones mainly to text friends. However, the addiction to short hand is affecting their language performance at school and college exams.
Even though, teachers are otherwise used to students using SMS lingos, these informal slangs and lingos are not tolerable in a formal exam setting. According to a news paper report, schools have decided to deduct marks in exams for those using SMS shorthand in their answers. The students should be prepared to lose marks in the board exams if they use SMS short forms. It is a step to ensure that students make a conscious effort to write English correctly. (Read more)
Many students at higher secondary level are found using SMS lingos in their board exams. Using "2" instead of "to", "ur" instead of "your", "btw" instead of "between", etc. are some of the common errors. According to examiners, these errors are commonly found in papers such as History, Economics and especially English. English being a lengthy paper, students usually end up using short cuts to make the most of the last few minutes of exam time. (Read more)
The bothersome observation is that students may develop a tendency to write that way using SMS shorthand subconsciously. Teachers feel that the use of SMS lingos have not only affected the ability of students to write the language correctly, but if not corrected at this stage, students may end up forgetting the correct spelling of words and how to frame formal sentence, impacting their literary expression adversely.
On the other hand, some students feel that SMS language can be used in Maths or Science papers. They feel that barring literature and language tests, other subjects that emphasis on concepts, knowledge and calculations, it is not wrong to use short forms.
