The usage of cyber slang and the academic writing behavior among College students in a Private Higher Educational Institution

Abstract

This study aims to determine the correlation between the usage of Cyber Slang and Academic Writing Behavior in a Private Higher Educational Institution for the Academic Year 2023-2024, utilizing the descriptive-correlational research design. Using Slovin’s formula, it was calculated that 173 was the sample size wherein 89 students were in their first year, and 84 were in their second year. The research instrument involved a self-report online questionnaire through Google Forms and data was collected for a month. The questionnaire consisted of 14 items for Cyber Slang Usage and 19 items for Academic Writing Behavior, both graded on a 5-point scale. The results were analyzed using mean scores for each level of usage. The data gathering focused on 1st and 2nd-year students through their block representatives' messenger. After data collection, the information is encoded in Google Excel, and a statistician helped analyze the results. IBM’s SPSS 20.0 statistical package program is utilized to analyze the descriptive statistics: frequency count, percentage, and measures of central tendency. The results revealed that respondents had a moderate usage of cyber slang, and their academic writing behavior showed 'satisfactory' indicating efficiency in producing written outputs adhering to formal writing. The Pearson correlation coefficient (r), set at a 0.05 level of significance, was used to analyze the correlation between cyber slang usage and academic writing behavior, which revealed no significant relationship between the usage of cyber slang and academic writing behavior. Therefore, respondents can switch language according to various situations and objectives.