Eight deaf children in kindergarten to 3rd grade classes will be randomly selected for single case research. Their language skills will be monitored and assessed daily. Using a noncurrent multiple baseline design (Single Case Research Design or SCRD), Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction (SISI) will be administered to two children in each of four classes.
A randomized selection method will be employed to select deaf children to participate in single case research. Two children will be selected from each age group between 5 and 10, making a total of eight students. Their language skills will be closely monitored and evaluated over the course of the year. Following the noncurrent multiple baseline design, in succession across 8 child participants in 4 classes, 2 SCRD participants in a class will begin receiving SISI while other children remain in the baseline for 3 weeks. Brainstorming occurs on Monday and the final sign language composition is shared on Friday. At the end of each day's intervention, child participants will independently narrate their expressed message recorded on videos. A score of 1 (applied correctly), 0.5 (applied but incorrectly), or 0 (omitted) will be given to their inclusion of target sign language skills, which is converted into percentages. If a child receives 100% on their target SL skill for 3 consecutive days (3 data points), Teacher 1 will select a new sign language skill to target. If the child receives 0% or 50% on their target sign language skill, Teacher 1 continues to focus on the same sign language skill.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
8
Evidence-based instructional methods, grounded in cognitive, sociocultural, and linguistic theories, are applied to interventions that support sign language development in deaf children.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
Sign Language Skills
Deaf children's development of target sign language skills will be documented.
Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment 9 academic months later.
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