The purpose of the proposed Phase I project is to determine the feasibility of designing a video-based beginning Sign Language course for children, incorporating the effective instructional concepts and strategies reflected in the Ready! Set! Sign!! instructional product for adult learners produced through a U.S. Department of Education SBIR Phase II award. The efforts to determine the feasibility of a modified Ready! Set! Sign!! Sign Language course of instruction for hearing children is intended to directly address the problem of the poor communication between deaf and hard-of-hearing children and the hearing children with whom they come in contact with, both in mainstreamed school settings and in the community in general. The paucity of Sign Language instructional products targeting young hearing children as beginning signers emphasizes the importance of investigating the feasibility of creating effective Sign Language instruction for young hearing children. The instructional prototypes to be investigated in this Phase I feasibility study are based on research studies demonstrating the effectiveness of using the iconic characteristics of signs as a major instructional teaching tool. Of particular interest are studies suggesting iconicity as an effective teaching tool whether the learner is a first-grader or a college student.Summary of Anticipated Results and Implications:The results of the formative evaluation of the prototype Ready! Set! Sign!! instructional components modified for children between the ages of six and eleven, will provide the instructional foundation for all of the design and production tasks undertaken during Phase II. The modified Ready! Set! Sign!! children's version is expected to increase significantly the Sign Language skills of hearing children beyond the levels that existing Sign Language materials and pedagogues are currently achieving with these learners. The improved signing skills of the targeted learners should translate into major developmental and social benefits for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, while in school, and well beyond into their own adulthood. Studies also suggest that direct sign communication by hearing students with their deaf and hard-of-hearing peers increases the self-esteem and confidence of both populations.In addition to the primary market identified in the technical abstract, potential users of the Sign Language video-based course of instruction include deaf and hard-of-hearing children who are also beginning learners of Sign Language; deaf and hard-of-hearing children who need reinforcement, remediation, or expansion of their current Sign Language skills; mentally retarded persons and teachers and aides working with mentally retarded persons; and other disabled or special population including those with Cerebral Palsy, Apraxia, Speech and Language Disorders, Autism, Aphasia, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Learning Disabilities.
