1. literacy
2. warning
3. researchers
4. the internet
5. messages
6. adverse effect
7. conducted
8. advancement
9. language
10.education
11. research
12. university
13. involved
14. performance
15. private
16. tutorial
18. associate
19. dean
20. faculty
21. offered
22. reduces
23. worse

Words extracted from:

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=68340&sid=19698273&con_type=1&d_str=20080710

Study sends literacy warning

Researchers have found time spent on the internet, playing computer games and sending messages through mobile phones and computers has an adverse affect on students' reading and writing skills.

The study was conducted by the Centre for Advancement of Chinese Language Education and Research at Hong Kong University last year and involved 40 primary schools.

It also found the reading performance of students taught in the classroom is better than those who have private tutorial help.

Tse Shek-kam, associate dean of the university's education faculty, said private tuition usually covers checking children's homework, repeating the teaching offered in schools and pre-teaching.
"Private tutoring reduces students' time for reading. It does not improve the reading performance of children, infact, it makes their performance worse," he said.

BY GLORIA LAI