A group of researchers surveyed a set of 2110 first year college students (of which, 1366 completed the survey) about their most frequently used writing genres and studied the factors that influenced them.
From the start, it was found that SMS text messaging, emails, and lecture note taking were the most frequently used types of writing. Forty-six percent indicated that texting was the most prominent for of writing for them. Only nine percent chose email as their most frequently used.
A list was compiled of what was determined to be the most frequently used writing genres. Of the top ten, half were of a digital form. Another was created based on how each genre was valued. Texting still ranked number one. However academic papers and other school/career papers were ranked just below, unlike the previous list. The genres that were practiced less frequently were ranked higher in value.
Although text messaging was ranked number one in both lists, it was valued considerable less than it was used, forty-seven percent and seventy-eight percent respectively. Of the genres associated with school, ninety-seven percent were done as an assignment.
Students seemed to associate word processing with their most valuable writing. However, Twitter and other social media platforms were used the most frequently. Participants also preferred to write alone; an interesting statistic consider how open many students are through social media. Also, students rarely sought help from available writing consultants or tutors, even for their higher value genres.
The end of the article explains in great detail, the researchers' methods throughout the survey process. They even present possible biases that may have skewed the results.
This was a well thought research article. It presented its findings clearly throughout the paper. I found it to be an appropriate read for the assignment at hand.
Word Count: 300
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