Teens and writing

Another interesting report from the Pew Internet / American Life project has was published last week.
Lenhart, A. et al (2008) Writing, Technology and Teens. Pew Research Center. http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/
r/247/report_display.asp There were 700 telephone interviews (using quite a robust sampling methodology, explained in the report) and eight focus groups, all with teens in the USA.
The summary is "Teens write a lot, but they do not think of their emails, instant and text messages as writing. This disconnect matters because teens believe good writing is an essential skill for success and that more writing instruction at school would help them." That sounds a bit bland, but there is a lot more detail than that in the actual report! The nature and quality of learners' writing is generally a concern in the UK, too, in my experience.
Photo by Sheila Webber: fritillaries, Eltham Palace gardens, April 2008.