Benefits of sign language interpreting and text alternatives for deaf students' classroom learning

Four experiments examined the utility of real-time text in supporting deaf students' learning from lectures in postsecondary (Experiments 1 and 2) and secondary classrooms (Experiments 3 and 4). Experiment 1 compared the effects on learning of sign language interpreting, real-time text (C-Print), and both. Real-time text alone led to significantly higher performance by deaf students than the other two conditions, but performance by deaf students in all conditions was significantly below that of hearing peers who saw lectures without any support services. Experiment 2 compared interpreting and two forms of real-time text, C-Print and Communication Access Real-Time Translation, at immediate testing and after a 1-week delay (with study notes). No significant differences among support services were obtained at either testing. Experiment 3 also failed to reveal significant effects at immediate or delayed testing in a comparison of real-time text, direct (signed) instruction, and both. Experiment 4 found no significant differences between interpreting and interpreting plus real-time text on the learning of either new words or the content of television programs. Alternative accounts of the observed pattern of results are considered, but it is concluded that neither sign language interpreting nor real-time text have any inherent, generalized advantage over the other in supporting deaf students in secondary or postsecondary settings. Providing deaf students with both services simultaneously does not appear to provide any generalized benefit, at least for the kinds of materials utilized here.     

Approaches to studying in deaf and hearing students in higher education

We conducted a survey to compare the responses of 149 deaf students and 121 hearing students taking the same courses to a shortened and adapted version of the Approaches to Studying Inventory. In general, the impact of deafness on approaches to studying was relatively slight, and deaf students appeared to be at least as capable as hearing students of engaging with the underlying meaning of the materials to be learned. We used factor analysis to identify eight scales, and differences between the two groups were statistically significant on four of these scales. Discriminant analysis indicated that deaf students found it more difficult to relate ideas on different topics and that this was more marked in those who preferred to communicate using sign. However, deaf students were more likely than hearing students to adopt a critical approach and to analyze the internal structure of the topics studied.     

Hyperlink format, categorization abilities and memory span as contributors to deaf users hypertext access

Sixty deaf and hearing students were asked to search for goods in a Hypertext Supermarket with either graphical or textual links of high typicality, frequency, and familiarity. Additionally, they performed a picture and word categorization task and two working memory span tasks (spatial and verbal). Results showed that deaf students were faster in graphical than in verbal hypertext when the number of visited pages per search trial was blocked. Regardless of stimuli format, accuracy differences between groups did not appear, although deaf students were slower than hearing students in both Web search and categorization tasks (graphical or verbal). No relation between the two tasks was found. Correlation analyses showed that deaf students with higher spatial span were faster in graphical Web search, but no correlations emerged between verbal span and verbal Web search. A hypothesis of different strategies used by the two groups for searching information in hypertext is formulated. It is suggested that deaf users use a visual-matching strategy more than a semantic approach to make navigation decisions.     

The relationship between reading achievement and morphological word analysis in deaf and hearing students matched for reading level

This study extends the findings of Gaustad, Kelly, Payne, and Lylak (2002), which showed that deaf college students and hearing middle school students appeared to have approximately the same morphological knowledge and word segmentation skills. Because the average grade level reading abilities for the two groups of students were also similar, those research findings suggested that deaf students' morphological development was progressing as might be expected relative to reading level. This study further examined the specific relationship between morphologically based word identification skills and reading achievement levels, as well as differences in the error patterns of deaf and hearing readers. Comparison of performance between pairs of deaf college students and hearing middle school students matched for reading achievement level shows significant superiority of younger hearing participants for skills relating especially to the meaning of derivational morphemes and roots, and the segmentation of words containing multiple types of morphemes. Group subtest comparisons and item analysis comparisons of specific morpheme knowledge and word segmentation show clear differences in the morphographic skills of hearing middle school readers over deaf college students, even though they were matched and appear to read at the same grade levels, as measured by standardized tests.     

The effects of captions on deaf students' content comprehension, cognitive load, and motivation in online learning

The authors examined the effects of captions on deaf students' content comprehension, cognitive load, and motivation in online learning. The participants in the study were 62 deaf adult students who had limited reading comprehension skills and used sign language as a first language. Participants were randomly assigned to either the control group or the experimental group. The independent variable was the presence of captions, and the dependent variables were content comprehension, cognitive load, and motivation. The study applied a posttest-only control group design. The results of the experiment indicated a significant difference (t = -2.16, p < .05) in content comprehension but no statistically significant difference in cognitive load and motivation between the two groups. These results led to suggestions for improvements in learning materials for deaf individuals.     

Deaf college students' perceptions of their social-emotional adjustment

This study examined differences between deaf and hearing students' perceptions of their social emotional adjustment as they transition to college. The 16PF-Adolescent Personality Questionnaire Life Difficulties Scale was completed by 205 deaf students and 185 hearing students. A multivariate analyses of variance and subsequent univariate tests found that deaf students rated themselves as experiencing significantly higher home life difficulties than hearing students, and deaf students rated themselves as having fewer coping difficulties than hearing students. Results also revealed a hearing status by gender interaction with deaf females rating themselves significantly higher on worry than deaf males, hearing females, and hearing males. An exploratory factor analysis of the Life Difficulties subscales yielded three factors of life difficulties for deaf college students but only two factors for hearing college students. These findings suggest that there are differences between deaf and hearing students who are transitioning to college with regards to their social-emotional adjustment.     

Student perceptions and instructional effectiveness of deaf and hearing teachers

The study examined the views of deaf and hard of hearing secondary-level students when asked about their preferences for deaf vs. hearing teachers. It also compared elementary- and secondary-level students' achievement scores based on the hearing status of their teachers. Deaf and hard of hearing secondary-level students showed greater preference for deaf teachers, with deaf students showing greater preference for deaf teachers than hard of hearing students did. No significant differences were found in the achievement levels of students based on differences in teacher hearing status. The study supports the limited research done in the past.     

Vision problems among students in schools and programs for deaf children. A survey of teachers of deaf students.

Vision problems are more common among deaf people than among the general population. Eight percent of the students in schools and programs for deaf children can be expected to have vision problems. We sent questionnaires to institutions and programs for deaf children, requesting information about the extent of vision problems among their students and about their teachers' levels of preparation in the area of vision impairment. Responses were received from 490 teachers. The data confirm that significant numbers of deaf students also have vision problems, and that teachers do not receive adequate training and information to meet the needs of this population.     

Patterns of spelling in young deaf and hard of hearing students

The study examined the invented spelling abilities demonstrated by kindergarten and first-grade deaf and hard of hearing students. The study included two parts: In Part 1, the researcher compared three groups (deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing) using posttesting only on the Early Reading Screening Inventory, or ERSI (Morris, 1998), and in part 2 collected and analyzed samples of the spelling of deaf students in a Total Communication program. Analysis showed that the deaf group performed significantly differently in three areas: concept of word, word recognition, and phoneme awareness ("invented spelling"; Read, 1971). The deaf group outperformed the hearing and hard of hearing groups in concept of word and word recognition. But in phoneme awareness, the deaf group performed significantly less well than the hearing group. Therefore, the deaf group's spelling was followed for 1 year. Deaf students' spelling patterns were not the same as those of hearing and hard of hearing students. Deaf students' spelling miscues were directly related to the cueing systems of lipreading, signing, and fingerspelling.     

Metacognitive Performances of Hearing Students and of Students who are Deaf and Hard‐of‐Hearing on Two Types of Measures: Visual–voiced and visual–visual stimuli

A small sample of 20 hearing students and 20 students who are deaf and hard‐of‐hearing participated in this study, which compared their performances on two measures of metacognition. The first measure required participants to visually analyse real‐life pictures and then to choose a response from four options (voiced or signed) indicating which was the best explanation of what was depicted. The second measure required participants to look at five pictures and then to point to the picture that was different. Results identified no significant differences between the performances of the two groups of students on either measure. Males in both groups performed at comparable levels on the two measures, whereas females who were hearing and those who were deaf or hard‐of‐hearing performed significantly better on the visual–voiced measure than on the visual–visual measure. Limitations of this study and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

Toward greater understanding of depression in deaf individuals

We compared the prevalence of depressive symptoms among deaf and hearing college students and examined the relationships among depressive symptoms, personality characteristics, and perceived parental attitudes and behaviors in these two groups. Measures were revised to meet the language needs of the deaf subjects. Mild levels of depressive symptoms were more prevalent in the deaf than in the hearing students, but more severe depression was not. In both groups, depressive symptoms were associated with perceptions of lower maternal care and higher maternal over-protection. Deaf and hearing subjects did not differ on these perceived maternal characteristics. Depressive symptoms were associated with socially dependent personality characteristics in the hearing sample only. We discuss the implications of the findings for the role of personality development in depression in deaf individuals.     

聋人与听力正常人拓扑性质知觉的比较实验研究

选取12名聋人被试与16名听力正常人被试,采用“不同拓扑等价性条件下目标刺激检测任务”的实验范式,对聋人与听力正常人的拓扑性质知觉进行了比较研究。结果表明:(1)在对拓扑等价任务和拓扑不等价任务的反应速度上,听力正常人存在显著差异,表现为对拓扑不等价任务的反应速度快于拓扑等价任务;聋人不存在显著差异。(2)在对拓扑等价任务和拓扑不等价任务的反应准确性上,聋人和听力正常人均不存在显著差异。(3)聋人和听力正常人对拓扑等价任务和拓扑不等价任务的反应速度均不存在显著差异。(4)聋人和听力正常人在对拓扑等价任务的反应准确性上不存在显著差异,而在对拓扑不等价任务的反应准确性上存在显著差异,表现为听力正常人的反应准确性高于聋人。     

初中阶段聋生与普通学生自我意识的比较研究

本文采用问卷调查法,对初中阶段聋生和普通学生的自我意识特点进行了比较研究。结果表明:两类学生的自我意识水平存在显著性差异,前者明显低于后者,但其中焦虑程度后者高于前者;聋生的自我意识水平性别差异不显著,普通学生的自我意识水平存在显著性别差异;聋生和普通学生的自我意识水平均存在显著的年级差异。     

Understanding communication among deaf students who sign and speak: a trivial pursuit?

Classroom communication between deaf students was modeled using a question-and-answer game. Participants consisted of student pairs that relied on spoken language, pairs that relied on American Sign Language (ASL), and mixed pairs in which one student used spoken language and one signed. Although the task encouraged students to request clarification of messages they did not understand, such requests were rare, and did not vary across groups. Face-to-face communication was relatively poor in all groups. Students in the ASL group understood questions more readily than students who relied on oral communication. Although comprehension was low for all groups, those using oral communication provided more correct free responses, although the numbers were low; no significant differences existed for multiple-choice responses. Results are discussed in terms of the possibility that many deaf students have developed lower criteria for comprehension, and related challenges for classroom communication access.     

The pragmatic skills of profoundly deaf children

This study investigated the ability of normally hearing students and two groups of profoundly deaf students, one using oral and one using signed communication, to employ a series of pragmatic skills required for effective face-to-face interaction. Specifically considered were the ability of listeners to request clarification, the ability of speakers to respond to requests, and the strategies speakers use at times of communication breakdown. Differences were found between the two groups suggesting that the profoundly deaf students had difficulty consistently using appropriate, productive pragmatic behaviors in their face-to-face dyadic interactions.     

The effect of the method of repeated readings on the reading rate and word recognition accuracy of deaf adolescents

This study examined the effects of the method of repeated readings (RR), a well-accepted remedial reading technique for improving the reading rate of hearing children, with deaf adolescents. Forty-two students from a midwestern residential school for the deaf were randomly assigned into treatment and control groups. The groups were equivalent with respect to age, level of hearing loss, reading achievement, and mental ability. All subjects read material previously determined to be at their instructional levels. Members of the treatment group were videotaped during the initial reading of an assigned passage, allowed to practice over three 15-minute sessions, then videotaped again during a final reading of the assigned passage. The control group differed only in that it practiced reading material other than the assigned passage. Reading rates and word recognition accuracy were recorded for the initial and final reading of each of five passages. Results indicated that the treatment subjects demonstrated significant improvement between pre- and posttesting regarding reading rate and two measures of word recognition accuracy. The performance of subjects engaged in nonrepetitive reading demonstrated minimal improvement. We discuss applicability of this procedure with a deaf population and implications for future research and practice.     

Visual analyses and discriminations: one approach to measuring students' metacognition

THE METACOGNITIVE performance of four groups of students was examined. The students' processes of visual analysis and discrimination of real-life pictures were used to measure metacognition. There were 61 participants: 18 hearing students, 18 deaf and hard of hearing students, 16 students with mild mental disabilities, and 9 students with physical disabilities. Analysis revealed no significant differences among hearing students, deaf and hard of hearing students, and students with physical disabilities. The performance of these three groups of students was significantly better than the performance of students with mild mental disabilities. It appears that students with mild mental disabilities encountered difficulties with pictures that required complex visual analyses and discriminations. These difficulties were manifested in a form of deficient simultaneous visual processing along with a low level of knowledge acquisition.     

初中聋生心理健康状况与家庭环境的相关研究

目的:探讨影响初中聋生心理健康的家庭因素,为促进聋生心理健康,改善家庭环境提供依据。方法:采用整群和分层整群抽样的方法,使用《心理健康诊断测验量表》(MHT)和《家庭环境量表》(FES)对河北省85名初中聋生和120名健听学生进行了问卷调查。结果:初中聋生和健听学生心理健康水平没有差异;聋女生的心理健康状况显著高于男生;初中聋生与健听学生家庭环境在亲和度、成功性、娱乐性和控制性四个因子方面差异极显著;父母亲的文化程度与聋生的自责倾向、冲动倾向显著相关。结论:初中聋生的心理健康状况受性别、父母文化程度、家庭环境等多因素影响。     

Effects of two instructional sets on the validity of the Kaufman assessment battery for children–nonverbal scale with a group of severely hearing impaired children

The purpose of the study was to investigate the use of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC)–Nonverbal Scale with severely hearing impaired children. The K-ABC was administered to 49 children enrolled at a public residential school for the deaf. Test instructions were given to one group employing American sign language (ASL), plus pantomime and gestures, while the other group received pantomime and gesture (PG) instructions only. No significant difference was found between the two group mean nonverbal K-ABC scores. Also, neither group scored significantly different from the K-ABC norms. Both groups scored significantly lower than K-ABC norms on the Spatial Memory subtest. Significant correlations were found between the K-ABC and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). A significant correlation also was found between K-ABC scores and Reading Comprehension. A post hoc analysis of data found that, regardless of the instructional set, the children scored significantly lower on the Nonverbal K-ABC than they did on the WISC-R Performance Scale. The study provides support for the appropriateness of the K-ABC for use with deaf children.     

聋生竞争意识的内隐认知实验研究

实验采用Jacoby的加工分离程序(PDP) ,以及2X3X2三因素混合设计,考察了聋学生40名,正常学生40名被试对良性竞争语词和过渡竞争语词、中性词三类刺激材料内隐与外显记忆贡献。结果显示:( 1 )聋生与正常生竞争性具有内隐特征;( 2 )聋生表现出无意识性提取贡献大于意识性提取贡献;( 3)聋生在良性竞争性和过渡竞争性维度上,没有明显的差别;( 4 )聋生和正常生竞争性的两个维度在意识性提取贡献上有非常显著的差异,在无意识提取贡献上差别不显著,且在良性竞争性维度上聋生强于正常生,在过渡竞争性维度上正常生强于聋生