EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF CHAT LANGUAGE FEATURES ON ENGLISH WRITING SKILLS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEPC.1164068Keywords:
Chat Language, Code-switching, Malaysian Secondary Education, WhatsApp Communication, Writing SkillsAbstract
This study investigated how chat language, including code-switching, abbreviations, slang, and informal expressions, influences the English writing skills of Malaysian secondary school students. A qualitative design was used with 60 Form Four and Form Five students from three urban secondary schools in Kota Bharu, Kuala Lumpur, and Kota Kinabalu, recruited from three urban secondary schools in Kota Bharu, Kuala Lumpur, and Kota Kinabalu via purposive sampling; these locations were chosen to reflect a range of linguistic and regional backgrounds. Data were drawn from a questionnaire covering students' chat language use and digital communication habits, along with their attitudes toward online interaction. Alongside 15 WhatsApp chat logs were analysed using Conversation Analysis (CA) to identify patterns such as code-switching, abbreviations, emojis, and informal lexical choices. Evidence of writing impact was drawn from students' self-reported questionnaire responses and a supplementary analysis of English examination scripts pre-screened by teachers for chat language features. Abbreviations and code-switching emerged as the most frequent features in WhatsApp communication, alongside heavy use of emojis and informal language. A partial transfer of chat language into formal writing was observed, mainly in vocabulary and sentence structure, and students with higher digital engagement were more likely to carry over informal elements such as code-switching and short forms, though most still maintained acceptable writing standards. In sum, the study points to both the benefits and the challenges mobile-mediated communication brings to English writing development.
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