SDCA Journal of Education

Abstract

This study aims to explore the knowledge and perceptions of the Grade 9 students towards internet slang. The researchers used convergent parallel mixed methods research design by utilizing a survey questionnaire consisting of a checklist, an opinion, a 5-point Likert scale, and an English grammar test. The results found that the Grade 9 students use Facebook most of the time and spend about three to six hours of the Internet, using more than one social networking site. Most of the Grade 9 students in General Emilio Aguinaldo National High School (GEANHS) have a high knowledge in different Internet slangs in terms of abbreviation, acronym, and new words and phrases. Despite the high knowledge of the students in the different forms of Internet slang, majority of the students demonstrated their advanced English skills like Spelling, Tenses of Verbs, Vocabulary, Subject and Verb Agreement, Grammar Usage and Mechanics, and Organization and Editing. The result of the perception shows that most of the Grade 9 students understand the proper usage of Internet slangs. They understand that Internet slangs are informal words that are most often used with friends in the social media and should not be used in formal writing like essay. The researchers recommend that English teachers in the public and private schools should guide and teach their students the proper usage of internet slangs and make their students constantly practice their English skills during school hours.

Keywords: English skill, Internet slang, Knowledge, Perceptions, General Emilio Aguinaldo National High School (GEANHS).