Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2013 Evaluation of sign language learning tools: Understanding features for improved collaboration and communication between a parent and a child Melissa Burton Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the Databases and Information Systems Commons Recommended Citation Burton, Melissa, "Evaluation of sign language learning tools: Understanding features for improved collaboration and communication between a parent and a child" (2013). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 13120. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/13120 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. 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Evaluation of sign language learning tools: Understanding features for improved collaboration and communication between a parent and a child by Melissa Burton A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Major: Human Computer Interaction Program of Study Committee: Stephen Gilbert, Major Professor Michael Dorneich Debra Satterfield Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2013 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... iv CHAPTER 1 ................................................................................................................................... 1 Problem Statement ................................................................................................................ 1 Author Bias ........................................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 2 ................................................................................................................................... 9 Components for Consideration for Educational Software .................................................... 9 Age .................................................................................................................................. 10 Fun .................................................................................................................................. 12 Challenge ........................................................................................................................ 12 Fantasy ............................................................................................................................ 13 Storytelling ...................................................................................................................... 14 Presentation ..................................................................................................................... 15 Adaptability..................................................................................................................... 15 Personalization ................................................................................................................ 16 User activity and feedback .............................................................................................. 16 Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community ............................................................................... 17 Sensitivity to deaf culture ............................................................................................... 21 Sign Language .................................................................................................................... 22 Importance of Technological Applications in the Deaf Community .................................. 26 Impacts of Technology Utilized as a Teaching Tool for ASL ............................................. 27 Tactics for Teaching ASL to Parents ................................................................................... 30 Creation of SignBright ........................................................................................................ 31 Word-Learning Strategies Useful for Deaf Children .......................................................... 33 Variables Influencing Achievement .................................................................................... 41 Current Instructional Tools for Children ............................................................................. 43 CHAPTER 3 ................................................................................................................................. 50 Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 50 Participants ...................................................................................................................... 50 Measures ......................................................................................................................... 51 iii Procedures ........................................................................................................................... 52 CHAPTER 4 ................................................................................................................................. 58 Results ................................................................................................................................. 58 Analysis of questionnaires .............................................................................................. 58 Qualitative Analysis ............................................................................................................ 59 Book ................................................................................................................................ 59 Website ............................................................................................................................ 64 Software application ....................................................................................................... 69 Comparison of Tools ........................................................................................................... 73 Open Ended Questions about Tools .................................................................................... 77 CHAPTER 5 ................................................................................................................................. 79 Findings and Conclusion..................................................................................................... 79 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 86 APPENDIX 1: Demographic Questionnaire ................................................................................ 92 APPENDIX 2: Evaluation Questionnaire ..................................................................................... 95 iv ABSTRACT Deaf children with hearing parents typically have issues with learning sign language fluently and developing literacy. In addition, these children rarely establish a strong, interpersonal bond with their caregiver. Currently, there are insufficient resources for helping bridge the gap between deaf children and hearing caregivers. This thesis proposes to explore solutions and evaluate their effectiveness with both the hearing parents and deaf children. Multiple mediums are investigated for the purposes of uncovering the most effective combination of sign language learning methodologies. This research will help designers better understand the world of deafness and how to design instructional tools that effectively utilize information about the needs and customs of the Deaf community. 1 CHAPTER 1 Problem Statement Deaf and hard of hearing children face many more unique challenges with language comprehension than hearing peers. The deaf are severely restricted from social interactions. To participate in social venues, deaf individuals must be able to communicate through a method such as lip reading or learning sign language. Without a form of communicating with others, a deaf individual could potentially be cut off from healthy social relationships. Two to three out of 1000 children are born deaf in the United States. At least 90% of these children are born to parents who are both hearing (National Institute on Deafness, 2010). Some hearing parents have the means of adopting non-auditory forms of communication but most parents lack both the skills and resources to communicate effectively with their deaf and hard-of-hearing children (Mayer, C., 2007). This situation is further complicated by some children being raised in communities where deafness is associated with a disability, and a parent may assume that the child may not be able to measure up with other students and will not be able to live independently. The parent will assume the child's deafness is a disability, and may not give the child adequate resources for further development. This lack of communication results with the deaf child not having appropriate development of language and literary abilities that are comparable to hearing peers. These negative impacts extend to the hearing parents, with hearing caregivers expressing feelings