Short Message Service

Short Message Service

Jean Nasser, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Definitions and background

Short Message Service (SMS), also called text messaging, refers to a short electronic text message, that is sent or received over a wireless network via any cellular devices such as iPhone or Blackberry and is less than 160 characters (Pakter and Chen, 2013). SMS or text messaging refer to the ability to send and receive short text message between cellular devices (Jones, 2009). Kert (2011) described SMS as an international messaging system that has been used since 1992. SMS was included in the original design stage of the European global system for mobile communication (GSM), as an add-on with low priority to grow the attraction of GSM (Reid, F. J. & Reid, D. J., 2010).

Markett, Sanchez, Weber and Tangney (2006) refer to SMS as an application used among students to quickly send and receive text based messages at any time. Lee, Chung and Kim (2013) describe SMS texting as one of the most known mobile phone application among cell phone users, as 70% of cell phone users use short message service. Lee, Chung and Kim found that many universities and schools across the US started to implement SMS systems to send alerts or messages in the form of text to their students, staff, faculties and parents.

Works Cited

Chuang, Y. & Tsao C. (2013). Enhancing nursing students’ medication knowledge: the effect of learning materials delivered by short message service. Computers & Education, 61, 168-175.

Fotheringham, J. & Alder, E. (2012). Getting the message: supporting students’ transition from higher national to degree level study and the role of mobile technologies. Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 10(3), 264-274.

Goh, T.-T. (2011). Exploring gender differences in SMS-based mobile library search system adoption. Educational Technology & Society, 14 (4), 192–206.

Hayati, A., Jalilifar, A. & Mashhadi, A. (2011). Using short message service (SMS) to teach English idioms to EFL students. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(1), 66-81. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01260.x

Jones, G., Edwards, G. & Reid, A. (2009). How can mobile SMS communication support and enhance a first year undergraduate learning environment?. ALT-J Research in Learning Technology, 17(3), 201-218.

Kert, S. (2011). The use of SMS support in programming education. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 10(2), 268-273.

Lee, D., Chung, J. Y. & Kim, H. (2013). Text me when it becomes dangerous: Exploring the determinants of college students’ adoption of mobile-based text alerts short message service. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 563-569.

Librero, F., Ramos, A., Ranga, A. I., Triñona, J., & Lambert, D. (2007). Uses of the cell phone for education in the Philippines and Mongolia. Distance Education, 28(2), 231-244. doi:10.1080/01587910701439266

Lim, T., Fadzil, M., & Mansor, N. (2011). Mobile learning via SMS at open university Malaysia: equitable, effective, and sustainable. International Review of Research In Open & Distance Learning, 12(2), 122-137.

Lunsford, J. (2010). Using handheld technologies for student support: a model. Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology (RCET), 6(1), 55-69.

Markett, C., Sanchez, I. A., Weber, S. & Tangney, B. (2006). Using short message service to encourage interactivity in the classroom. Computers & Education, 46(3), 280-293.

Motiwalla, L. F. (2007). Mobile learning: a framework and evaluation. Computers and Education, 49(3), 581-596.

Pakter, A. & Chen L.-L. (2013). The daily text: increasing parental involvement in education with mobile text messaging. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 41(4), 353-367.

Reid, F. J. & Reid, D. J. (2010). The expressive and conversational affordances of mobile messaging. Behaviour & Information Technology, 29(1), 3-22. doi:10.1080/01449290701497079

Shafie, L., Azida, N., & Osman, N. (2010). SMS language and college writing: the languages of the College texters. International Journal of Emerging Technologies In Learning, 5(1), 26-31. doi:10.3991/ijet.v5i1.1010