Using Sign Language to Promote Reading Comprehension for Deaf

Students

Jean F. Andrews, Ph.D.Lamar University

Jean.andrews@lamar.eduMarch 9, 2010: Taichung Deaf SchoolMarch 10, 2010: Tainan Deaf School

Topics• Definitions• Reading achievement levels of US deaf• Case studies and importance of Background

variables• ASL and English structures differ • Research showing correlation btwn ASL and

English reading• Instructional Practices• ASL/English bilingual strategies• Summary and conclusions

Terms

Language experiencesPhonological codingSign codingOrthographyVisual PhonicsPhonemic awarenessAlphabetic principleSchema theory graphemes

PhonicsFluencyVocabularyReading ComprehensionPrior knowledgeMetacognitionSyntax Morphology Inferences Phonological awareness Phonemic awareness

Reading achievement & deafness

1. average18 to 19 yr old student with severe to profound HL leave school at the 3rd or 4th grade reading level (Traxler, 2000).

2. Annual growth rate of less than a half grade per year with leveling off or plateau effect occuring at 3rd to 4th grade level for most students (Trezek & al., 2010).

What is reading achievement?

• A measure of reading comprehension• A number that compares proficiency across

different age groups• Criterion-references or standardized

What is the simple view of reading comprehension? (Trezek et al., 2010)

• Emphasis on… 1.Decoding2.comprehension of single passage3.Passage-specific information

What is the broader view of reading comprehension?

• Emphasis on1. Prior knowledge2. Metacognition3. Attitude 4. Engagement5. Use of several passages on comprehension tests

Shortcomings of comprehension tests

1. Use of one short passage for assessment purposes

2. Overuse of literal questions3. Need for inferential questions4. Need for reader to make evaluative comments5. Overuse of multiple choice formats6. Overuse of passage format, what abt newspaper

and magazine formats

Background variables1. Age hearing loss2. Extent/type hearing loss3. IQ4. Ethnicity5. Gender6. Etiology7. Additional disabilities

8. Age of early education9. Mode(s) of

communication10. Language(s)11. Family language use12. Family sign/speech skill13. Books in home14. Type education15. Quality of

language/reading instruction

Case studies & background variables

Cases

1. Alicia2. Jake3. Ellen4. Matt5. Lola6. Natalie7. Larry

QUESTION• How do each of these

case studies illustrate the importance of background variables in understanding language and reading development?

ASL & EnglishASL

• Language status: historically suppressed and oppressed

• Does not have a written form• Linguistically described by

William Stokoe in 1960• Used by 2 million Deaf Americans• Visual, gestural modality• Facial grammar, Body movement• Use of space• Acquired easily by babies of deaf

parents• Deaf children learn ASL at

different times in their lives depending on access

English

• Language status: World’s most prestigious language (economy, government, research)

• Linear sequential grammar• Based on auditory language

(written form)• Morpho-grammar

information redundant• Acquired easily and

naturally by young babies

Linguistically congruent or linguistically distant?

• Chinese – English?• ASL – English?• Tawainese sign language –Chinese?• Spanish-English?• Hebrew-English?• Arabic-English?• HOW does this affect the teaching of

reading?

Correlations studies: ASL & English Read Comp relationships

• Moores (1987, 1990)• Mayberry (1989,

1994, 1999)• Strong & Prinz

(1997)• Hoffmeister

(2002)

• Padden & Ramsey (2002)• Smith (2006)• Rusher (2007)

Instructional Practices

• Balanced reading approach• Reading theory– Whole language– Interactionist– Dual coding theory– Schema theory

Taiwan folk tale: Instructional example

• How to implement a balanced reading lesson: whole to part and part to whole

Other instructional strategies using sign language to teach reading

• ASL summary technique• PVR (preview-view-review)• Free writing using story books (signed)• Sign-meaning-print connections to build

vocabulary• Using comic books (visual pictures) to teach

reading comprehension

ASL/English reading strategies in the classroom

• Codeswitching• Translation• ASL summary technique• PVR• Sandwiching, chaining (Padden, 2002)

Using ASL and visual diagrams

• Semantic mapping• Story maps• Venn Diagram• Timelines• Graphic organizers

How to assess?

• Sign fluency rubric (Easterbrooks & )• French’s ASL and reading checklists• Smith (2006) Test of American Sign Language-

Receptive (TASLA-R).

Deaf students reading errors using sign language

• What kinds of errors to deaf children make when reading in sign language?

• Are these errors phonologically based?• Visually based?• How does this impede the learning to decode?• Is decoding necessary?

Use of technology• Captioned TV• Pages• Video games• Videophones• Video relay• Remote interpreting• E-books• U-Tube• DVD technology

Summary and Conclusions

• Sign and English are linguistically distant• Semantic-based transfers can be made from

signing (through the air) and print• Specific sign to meaning to print strategies are

provided• How reading is assessed?• How sign is assessed?• Role of technology