Using American Sign Language to Help Kindergarten Learners Identify Sight Words

by

Teresa J. Bowers

A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Master of Science Degree With a Major in

Education

Approved: (2) Semester Credits

The Graduate School University of Wisconsin-Stout

December, 2011

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Author: Bowers, Teresa .

Title: Using American Sign Language to Help Kindergarten Learners Identify

Sight Words

Graduate Degree/ Major: MS Education

Research Adviser: Judith Jax, Ph.D.

Month/Year: December, 2011

Number of Pages: 47

Style Manual Used: American Psychological Association, 61h edition

ABSTRACT

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The mral School District of Abbotsford has a large population of ELL (English Language

Learners) and students with special needs. This diverse population of students stmggles with

communication skills. The ELL students stmggle with learning English and some of the students

with special needs rely on ASL (American Sign Language) as their main form of

communication. Difficulties in the learning environment exist because of poor communication

skills between these students, their peers, and their teachers.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether using ASL helped kindergarten

students who are classified as special needs learners, English language learners, and non-English

language learners with identifying sight words. This study investigated whether or not using

ASL for all students in the regular education classroom enhanced students' sight word

identification skills. Specific objectives of this study included comparing the ability of

kindergarten level non-ELL special needs learners, ELL students without special needs, and non­

ELL students who are taught to identify sight words through the use of ASL with those who are

asked to identify sight words without the use of ASL.

All students, regardless of leaming abilities, showed improved test scores. However, the

students who received the ASL instruction showed significantly higher improvement scores.

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Acknowledgments

I owe my appreciation first and foremost to my kindergarten students and their parents

for allowing their children to participate in this project and make it a success. Thank you so

much to my research advisor, Dr. Judith J ax, for her patience and endless hours of reading,

editing, and advice. Thank you so very much to my children, Dakota, Cheyanne, and Savanna

for their understanding when we had to put off the fun stuff so mommy could work on her paper.

Thanks to my husband, Steve, for his patience and help when I needed him to show me how to

work the computer when it was not cooperating. I could never have completed this without all

their loving support. Most importantly, thanks to my dad and mom for instilling the importance

of education in me. And thanks mom for always being there for me with encouragement,

strength and advice and for reminding me to "never give up"! Thanks for being proud of me .. .I

am proud to say that you are my mom!

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Table of Contents

................................................................................................................ Page

Abstract. ...................................................................................................... 2

List of Tables ................................................................................................. 7

Chapter I: Introduction ..................................................................................... 8

Background ......................................................................................... 8 Statement of the Problem .......................................................................... 9 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................... 9 Assumptions of the Study ......................................................................... 1 0 Definition of Terms ................................................................................ 1 0 Methodology ........................................................................................ 11

Chapter II: Review of Literature .......................................................................... 13

Introduction .......................................................................................... 13 A Description of American Sign Language (ASL) ............................................. 13 History of ASL .......................................................................... : . .......... 14 Uses of American Sign Language ................................................................ 15 Utilizing ASL ....................................................................................... 16 A Description of Sight Words .................................................................... 17 Importance of Sight Word Recognition ......................................................... 18 Uses of Sight Words ............................................................................... 18 Other Advantages of Using ASL. ................................................................ 19

Chapter III: Methodology ................................................................................. 23

Introduction .......................................................................................... 23 Subject Selection and Description ............................................................... 23 Instrumentation ..................................................................................... 25 Data Collection Procedures ........................................................................ 26 Data Analysis ........................................................................................ 26 Limitation ............................................................................................ 27

Chapter IV: Results ......................................................................................... 28

Introduction .......................................................................................... 28 Student Demographics ............................................................................. 28 Objectives for Comparing Different Types of Learners ........................................ 30

Chapter V: Discussion ...................................................................................... 37

Summary ............................................................................................. 37 Limitations ........................................................................................... 3 7 Discussion ........................................................................................... 38 Conclusions .......................................................................................... 40 Recommendations ................................................................................... 40

References ..................................................................................................... 42

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Appendix A: Sight Word Recognition Assessment with the use of ASL. .......................... .44

Appendix B: Sight Word Recognition Assessment without the use of ASL. ...................... .45

Appendix C: Sight Word Flashcards ..................................................................... .46

Appendix D: Sight Word Flashcards ..................................................................... 47

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List of Tables

Table 1: Student Demographics .................................................................. 27

Table 2: Non-ELL Students with Special Needs ............................................... 28

Table 3: Non-ELL Students without Special Needs ........................................... 29

Table 4: ELL Students ............................................................................. 30

Table 5: Sight Word Identification by Groups-Pre and Post-Sight Word Instructions ... 32

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

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In order for all students in the small School District of Abbotsford to achieve their

educational goals they all need to be provided with a means of communication that can help

them to be successful. American Sign Language (ASL) has been used by students with a hearing

impairment for over 100 years. However, not much is known regarding its beneficial use for all

learners, including those without a hearing loss.

The use of ASLin the regular education classroom could possibly provide all students with

a better education by enhancing the learning environment with strengthened vocabulary

development. According to Penn State researcher, Dr. Marilyn Daniels (2001), "Teaching sign

language to hearing young children can improve their early communications with their parents

and later boost the children's learning of language," (p. 19). It is possible that using American

Sign Language with all learners may also help them to more successfully identify basic sight

words and improve their reading skills.

Background

With a growing population of diversity moving into the School District of Abbotsford

and the inclusion of students with special needs into the regular education classroom, some

teachers are becoming concerned about learning in their classroom. Many of the students with

specials needs, who are dependent upon ASL as their main form of communication, are unable to

communicate with other students because their peers are not familiar with using ASL. Teachers

have noticed that the students with special needs in our elementary school are having increased

difficulties in the learning environment because of poor communication skills between these

students, their peers, and their teachers.

The teachers have also observed that many of these students are falling further behind

because of the lack of being able to successfully communicate with others. If this trend

continues, these students may continue to struggle and the lack of communication may continue

to slow their vocabulary development and success in school.

A few teachers at Abbotsford Elementary have used ASL within the regular classroom

setting to enhance the learning environment for students who are dependent on it as a means of

communication. However, some parents have expressed concern that academic areas may

possibly be shortened or lost because ASL is being taught in its place. Studying how ASL can

be used effectively in the regular education classroom may help to ease their concerns.

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"Previous studies have found that teaching young children sign language has many

potential benefits" (Jitendra, Costa, Policare, & Wetherhold, 1997). Daniels (2001) states that

"there is a growing body of literature suggesting signed languages present distinctive advantages

for young language learners" (p. 53). This study evaluates kindergarten students'

communication skills with regard to sight word identification skills.

Statement of the Problem

There is little known specifically as to whether or not using ASL in the regular education

classroom is beneficial for all learners by improving student's memory skills for identifying sight

words. This study investigated whether or not using ASL for all students in the regular

education classroom would enhance students' sight word identification skills.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to determine whether using American Sign Language (ASL)

will help kindergarteners who are classified as special needs learners, English language learners,

and non-English language learners with identifying sight words. Specific objectives are:

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1. Compare the ability of kindergarten level non-ELL special needs learners who are

taught to identify sight words through the use of ASL with those non-ELL special needs learners

who are asked to identify sight words without the use of ASL.

2. Compare the ability of kindergarten level English language learners who are taught to

identify sight words through the use of ASL with those ELL students who are asked to identify

sight words without the use of ASL.

3. Compare the ability of kindergarten level non-English language learners who are

taught to identify sight words through the use of ASL with those non-ELL students who are

asked to identify sight words without the use of ASL.

4. Compare the ability of kindergarten level learners in group A who are taught to

identify sight words through the use of ASL with those learners in group B, who are asked to

identify sight words without the use of ASL.

Assumptions of the Study

This study assumed that kindergarten teachers have the ability to teach ASL and can use

it to improve learning for all students, no matter what type of learning abilities they have. It is

also assumed that kindergarten students of all learning types have the ability to learn ASL and

that ASL can improve student performance in the classroom for all learners.

Definition of Terms

American Sign Language. Otherwise known as ASL, this is a means of communication,

which is done by using hand shapes and movements.

Assessment. The term assessment refers to a test which is given to students to determine

the percentage of correct responses given on an initial testing date and compare those scores

when retested at a later testing date after instruction is completed.

Diversity. The term diversity refers to the inclusion of all students into a classroom, no

matter what race, ethnicity, or learning ability they have.

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Fry Word List. Beginning readers often learn to read some words by sight and these

words that they are able to read have been put into an organized list. The Fry Word List contains

the most used words. The words are divided into six different levels of difficulty, with each

level roughly corresponding to each grade level. For the purpose of this study the twenty words

in this study were chosen from the Fry Word List at the kindergarten level.

Hearing impairment. For the purpose of this study, a hearing impairment is the full or

partial decrease in one's ability to differentiate between sounds.

Regular education classroom. For the purpose of this study, a regular education

classroom is a classroom that includes all students, no matter what race, ethnicity, disability, or

learning style.

Sight words. Sight words are words that are frequently used in text that a child memorizes

rather than having to learn it through the use of decoding skills. They see the word as a whole

word rather than seeing the word as letters and sounds put together.

Supplement. This terms means adding to or including additional materials for

instructional purposes to help enhance the learning environment.

Methodology

This study used ASL instruction to teach sight words by using an assessment instrument

to collect data prior to and after ASL instruction. The 18 kindergarten students were divided into

two groups with an equal number of special needs learners, ELL learners, and non-ELL learners

in each group. Prior to sight word instruction beginning, all the students were given an

assessment regarding how many sight words could be identified out of 20 possible correct

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responses. Normal education teaching practices with both groups then began and continued for

four weeks. The students in group A also received ASL to supplement the instruction of sight

words. After instruction was completed the students were again given the same assessment for

sight word identification. The before and after assessment scores were then compared to find the

differences in student performance.

The students scores of the pre-assessments and post-assessments were calculated

individually, to compare the percentage of change within the four different groups, including

non-ELL learners with special needs, ELL learners, non-ELL learners and also comparing

changes between the learners in group A and group B. These four different areas were compared

to show whether a specific type of learner benefited most with the use of ASL. The scores were

also recorded as a total group score in the study to show if there was more improvement in scores

with group A, which received ASL instruction.

Introduction

CHAPTER2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

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There has been very little research focusing on the use of sign language in assisting learners

with sight word recognition. American Sign Language has been used for a long period of time

and much of the research that has been done regarding ASL shows evidence of having

advantages for all language learners. Most of the research focuses on the history of ASL, what it

is, and how it has evolved and developed over the years.

A Description of American Sign Language (ASL)

American Sign Language (ASL) is using the combination of both manual alphabet, which

is the twenty-six hand shapes for the letters of the alphabet, and hand shapes for different words

to communicate with your hands. Letters, ideas, and words have signs. Lowenstein (2004)

states that there are four parts to each sign and they are, "hand shape, hand movement, location,

and position of the palm" (p. 9). Facial expressions are also very important when signing. "The

degree of a feeling or word can often be shown through the intensity of your signing and

expression" (Kramer & Ovadia, 1999, p. 11).

Hand shape refers to the position of the hand with regard to whether or not the hand is bent

and where the fingers are. Hand movement is how you move your hand away from your body

and how many times you do this. Location refers to what part of your body you are signing by

because the location of your hand can change the meaning of the sign. This is dependent upon

whether you are signing by your neck, head, and stomach or chest level. Your signing space

"reaches from the top of your head to your waist and from one shoulder to the other" (Kramer &

Ovadia, 1999, p. 4). The position of your palm can also change the meaning of your sign. Your

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palm can be left or right, up or down. "Each direction changes the meaning" (Lowenstein, 2004,

p. 13).

History of ASL

Lowenstein (2004) states, "no one really knows when or where sign language started" (p.

18). It may have been started as early as the year 530 by a group of monks. They used signs as a

means of communication because they had promised not to talk. These signs have been passed

down for centuries.

According to Heller (2004), in 1815, a pastor by the name of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet

met a nine-year-old girl named Alice Cogswell who was deaf. He noticed her when she was

outside with other children and they would not play with her. It was reported by Lowenstein

(2004) that the other children said, "She was deaf and dumb" (p. 17). The girl's father asked the

pastor if he would be Alice's teacher. Gallaudet needed to learn how to teach a deaf student

before he could accept. He went to Paris where he studied with Sicard, who was the director of a

school for deaf children. When he completed his schooling, he returned to the United States with

Laurent Clerc, one of Sicard's teachers (Heller, 2004). They opened the American School for

the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut in 1817. "Even though deaf Americans were already using

some signs, Clerc taught his students combinations of French signs to really develop the

language called American Sign Language (ASL)" (Lowenstein, 2004, p. 5).

Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. became the first college for deaf students in 1864

and the college was run by Gallaudet's son. "President Abraham Lincoln and Congress created a

law for the college and deaf students could now earn college degrees" (Lowenstein, p. 23).

"Some of the students came from a place where there were a lot of deaf people. The place was

Martha's Vineyard. In this place, babies grew up learning sign language. It did not matter if

people could hear or not. So many people were deaf in Martha's Vineyard that people had to

know how to sign" (Lowenstein, pgs. 20-21). People who lived there in the eighteenth century

had some children who were deaf. Nobody ever usually left the island and everyone married

each other. "In one part of the island, one in every four babies born was deaf' (Lowenstein, p.

22).

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The people who were living on the island during this time had made up their own sign

language. When the students went to the mainland to attend school, they shared their signs with

others. The school they attended used French sign language. Eventually, the signs and language

they used and shared with others would later become American Sign Language (ASL), as

previously mentioned.

Uses of American Sign Language

Dr. Marilyn Daniels states, "Sign does not hinder language development in any way, in

fact, it fosters it" (p. 43). "Knowing a second language, such as ASL, also boosts self-esteem of

the children and their confidence in learning, as well as their awareness of the Deaf culture" (p.

71), she further states. Daniels' research began in 1991 and continued for over ten years

studying hearing children in the UK and the USA. She discovered that hearing children showed

improvement with spelling proficiency, reading skills, English vocabulary, hand/eye

coordination, and motor function when taught sign language. Her studies also showed that these

students had a boost in self-confidence and self-esteem and were more comfortable with

expressing emotions. Using sign language also increased the students' expressive and receptive

language skills and IQ scores (Daniels, 2001).

Besides sign language improving many skills for hearing children, it also helps with

communication skills for children with hearing impairments, Down syndrome, and autism.

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There is some evidence that using ASL programs for children with Down syndrome and autism

is beneficial for them, but these programs often focus on using the sign language as a basic

communication tool and not on the connection to literacy or receptive vocabulary (Goldstein,

2002). ASL is often used for younger students in four-year-old and five-year-old kindergarten

programs because their vocabulary and literacy skills are just emerging, but some programs

advocate using ASL with infants because they too can benefit (Garcia, 1999). There is also

evidence that older students who are at risk of academic failure or who may have learning

disabilities may also benefit from programs that include sign language in the cuniculum (Bruce

et al., 1999).

Utilizing ASL

There is evidence that both teachers and parents can benefit from using sign language to

communicate with young children. "There is a growing body of literature suggesting signed

languages present distinctive advantages for young language learners" (Daniels, 2003, p. 8).

During Daniels' research, classroom teachers commented that "the signing experience was great"

(p. 62). The children also expressed that they too enjoyed learning to sign and liked teaching

family members to sign. The parents asked if the signing program could continue (Daniels,

2003).

ASL is also one of the most commonly used languages in the United States. It is

considered to have great career value. "ASL/English users are considered bilingual in the job

market, and ASL meets the requirements for bilingual pay" (Daniels, 2003, p. 15). Due to the

increased need for sign language interpreters, many more people are learning ASL. According to

Daniels (2004), "other college students, not necessarily interested in using ASLin their career

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endeavors, are taking ASL courses to fulfill liberal studies foreign language requirements, as are

an increasing number of younger students who take sign language in high school" (p. 15).

In 1987, all high schools in California accepted ASL as a foreign language. Many other

states have done the same since then. "It is estimated that at any given time over one hundred

thousand people are engaged in learning ASL" (Daniels, 2003, p. 168). Sign language is the

native language for over one half million people in the United States. With ASL now considered

a foreign language, its usage has greatly increased in educational institutions. According to

Mulrooney, "American Sign Language (ASL) uses all the abilities required by any other

language. People who use it are able to express any idea, feeling, thought, or experience they

may have" (p. 1).

A Description of Sight Words

The concept of sight words is the reading instruction 'look and say' approach. The

purpose of sight words is to teach children to simply memorize the small words that are most

commonly used in written English rather than having to 'sound it out' or use decoding skills to

read the word. It is felt that this approach to memorizing sight words would enhance a student's

ability to read other connected text. This skill can help students become more fluent readers.

"Fluent readers are able to read words quickly, automatically, and accurately so that they can

focus on the meaning of text" (Vaughan & Linan-Thompson, 2004, p. 49). Sight word

recognition is a key skill for developing reading fluency.

Beginning readers sound out words and learn to recognize whole words (sight words).

When they have the ability to identify sight words, this enables their reading to become more

fluent and gives the learners a better understanding of the content they are reading because they

no longer have to spend time sounding out every word on the page. There are 100 words that

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account for most of the words we write and read. "Ten words-the, of, and, a, to, in, is, you, that,

and it-account for almost one-quarter of all the words we read and write," (Cunningham, 2010,

p. 54).

Importance of Sight Word Recognition

Sight word recognition skills help learners read the irregular words that cannot be

sounded out or decoded. Learning skills to recognize sight words can also help the learner figure

out more difficult spelling rules that have not yet been taught. Lastly, recognizing sight words

can also help learners be interested in learning more complex words, such as McDonalds,

Spiderman, and Hannah Montana. "Sight words often form the core words from basal reading

series that are used in elementary classrooms" (Fleming, 2006). Fleming says that "many of the

older students who struggle with reading have difficulty with basic sight words". It was reported

by the National Reading Panel (NRP) that "fluent readers can read text with speed, accuracy, and

proper expression. Fluency depends upon well developed word recognition skills" (p. 3-1 ). The

National Assessment of Educational Progress conducted a large study of status of fluency

achievement in American education (Fountas & Pinnnell, 1996). Reading fluency was studied to

examine a nationally representative sample of fourth grade students and it was discovered that

44% of the students were not fluent readers, even with grade-level stories and even though the

students were given supportive testing conditions. "Students who are low in fluency may have

difficulty getting the meaning of what they read" (NRP, p. 3-5).

Uses of Sight Words

Light & McNaughton explain that "not all written words are regular ones that can be

decoded easily" (p. 67). There are many irregular words, such as 'the' and 'said', that do not

sound like the letter sounds learners are taught, thus making them difficult to decode. These

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types of words must be memorized and students have to recognize them by sight. In learning to

read, sight word instruction is utilized to improve reading fluency. Fluency is an essential

element of comprehension reading. Students need to understand the information they are reading

in text. "If children do not acquire good word reading skills early in elementary school, they will

be cut off from the rich knowledge sources available in print, and this may be particularly

unfortunate for children who are already weak in general verbal knowledge and ability"

(Torgesen, 2000, p. 58). Daniels (2001) states, "sign language supplies enticingly attractive

comprehension support" (p. 23). Students need to comprehend what they read in order to

understand what they have read. Based on Daniels previously mentioned statement, could the

incorporation of sign language with sight word instruction enhance and benefit all learners in a

classroom with reading fluency and comprehension?

Other Advantages of Using ASL

Sign language can "teach children several key concepts reading instructors are striving to

convey" (Daniels, 2001, p. 23). Signs can functions as pictures for students. When choosing

which books to read to young children the illustrations need to be taken into consideration. The

pictures need to be quality images because these visual images help to support the text within

each book. When using sign language, this too provides young learners with visual images to

support the text. "Adding sign language to reading instruction provides significant opportunity

for enhancing children's visual acuity" (Daniels, 2001, p. 25). Daniels states that, "children

exposed to sign language are more readily able to translate letters and words to written language

and reading" (p. 25). It is also suggested that the use of ASL will also strengthen students'

interest in learning. According to Daniels, "heightening a child's interest in learning to read may

be the strongest contribution sign language will make to the reading process" (p. 18).

In kindergarten classes, "using sign for reading instruction is an easy transition for both

the teacher and the students" (Daniels, 2001, p. 152). One of the challenges that teachers face

everyday in the classroom is keeping the students engaged in the learning activities. Sign

language can be an advantage for the teacher with regard to student engagement and interest.

"Children demonstrate a natural curiosity and interest in learning sign without any pushing or

prodding. As they sign, they become active participants in learning" (p. 133). Daniels also

states that "young people express a great deal of pleasure as they create visual symbols that

represent words" (p. 133). The students look forward to using and learning ASL and enjoy it.

Teachers do not have to struggle with getting students to pay attention and focus because the

language itself forces the students to keep their eyes on the teacher during the lesson.

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Daniels (200 1) also states that "using sign language may increase some students' self­

esteem" (p. 134). She discovered that ASL benefits all students, but states that "it tends to

provide a larger boost to the more needy students" (p 134). Another advantage of signing is that

students tend to be more engaged and interested in the learning activities. The students feel that

they know something that many "big people" do not know and they find this exciting. Using

ASL can also change the classroom climate because it is quieter in the room. The teacher can

sign directions, such as, 'sit down' and 'line up' without having to do so verbally. Daniels states

that teachers "have found there to be less conflict in the classroom as children use their signs to

express their feelings and rarely resort to pushing or hitting classmates" (p. 135). A final

advantage of using ASL in the classroom is for parent communication. As stated by Hafer &

Wilson, "Teachers are often looking for a program that communicates to parents what is going

on in school. A demonstration of signing learned in school suits that purpose very well" (p.

118). Students are able to sign the alphabet, songs, days of the week, sight words currently being

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learned, and many other activities they have been working on in school.

"Sign language teaches us to use our eyes, bodies, faces, hands, and emotions to express

ourselves. A natural human language, it is the key that unlocks the power and beauty of visual

communication" (Chambers, p. 150). Sign language is a visual way of communicating and many

young learners need that visual picture to enhance their learning. When learning sight words,

using ASL can provide that visual image so that many of the young learners get that additional

support to make progress in recognizing the sight words. For example, when learning the sight

word 'sit', "because it is a verb and there is nothing concrete to display on a word chart to spur a

child's memory" (Daniels, 2001, p. 21) the students see three letters, 's', 'i', and 't'. They can

practice reciting the letters, talk about the first two letters being short letters (they only touch the

middle/dashed line when handwriting the letters) and the last letter is a tall letter (it touches the

top line when handwriting the letter), and practice reading the sight word in text.

With ASL, they learn the before mentioned examples, but they can also visually see the

teacher, their peers, and themselves extending the pointer and middle fingers together, on both

hands, with the other fingers touching the palms of their hands and visualize the right hand

fingers tapping on top of the left hand fingers. This is their visual symbol for the word 'sit'.

They are no longer seeing three letters, but visualizing hand shapes. They can see the position of

the hands and fingers. They are able to visualize the hand movement and the position of the

palms. These finger and hand placements, along with the position of the palm, "symbolize a

person sitting" (Daniels, 2001, p. 21). They now have a visual picture of the word 'sit'. ASL

can provide this type of picture for all the sight words learned in the kindergarten classroom and

so much more. As Daniels (2001) states, "Signs function as pictures" (p. 23) and these pictures

provide the students with supplemental materials for recognizing and learning the sight words.

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Daniels wrote that students in rural areas who were exposed to a gradual increase in the amount

of ASLin the classroom showed a significant increase in receptive vocabulary (p. 24).

Introduction

CHAPTER3

METHODOLOGY

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American Sign Language is a method for visually communicating with people. "ASL is a

language that paints pictures. Just as spoken and written English depends on an alphabet of

letters and sounds, ASL' s alphabet depends on movement and expression" (Chambers, 1998, p.

20). This study addressed kindergarten students' experience and knowledge of American Sign

Language and investigated whether or not implementing ASL improves their ability to learn

sight words.

Subject Selection and Description

The population for this study included 18 kindergarten students at Abbotsford Elementary

School between the ages of five and six. Ten of these students were non-ELL students and the

other eight were ELL students with half of the students being males and the other half females.

Out of these 18 students two of them were non-ELL learners with special needs.

Each of the students were given an assessment of twenty sight words (Appendix A & B)

and the assessments were scored to find the total percentage of correct responses for each student

both before and after a four week period of sight word instruction. The normal educational

teaching practices for learning sight words began after the pre-teaching assessment was given

and began at the same time for all students. The students were given a total of four weeks of

sight word instructional time. Each group received 20 minutes of sight word instruction every

day, Monday through Friday. One new sight word was introduced each day and reviewed each

day thereafter for a total of twenty days. The students were retested after the four week

instructional period using the same sight word assessment that was administered prior to

instruction.

The students were divided into group A and group B, with nine students in each group.

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Each group contained one non-ELL learner with special needs, four ELL learners, and four non­

ELL learners. The students in group A received a regular 20 minute sight word instructional

time, which included being introduced to the sight word, talking about the letters used to spell

the sight word (the letter shapes, such as tall letters and short letters), writing the sight word, and

reading the sight words in text. Along with the sight word instruction, the students in group A

also received ASL instruction. The teacher demonstrated the sign for the sight words and had

the students sign it back to the teacher and peers. The students in group B received the same 20

minutes sight word instruction, but no ASL instruction was included during this time, unlike the

students in group A. At the end of the four week instructional time and post-assessment

administration, the students' scores were totaled and compared.

Group A and group B both contained one non-ELL student with special needs, four ELL

students, and four non-ELL students. The pre-assessment and post-assessment test scores for all

three different types of learners in both groups were recorded and compared. The scores were

also recorded as a group score in the study to show if there was an overall improvement in scores

with group A (using ASL) or group B (not using ASL). The researcher compared group A's

non-ELL student progress with group B's non-ELL student progress. These score differences

were compared with the other learner types of ELL students and non-ELL students. The

researcher wanted to discover from these comparisons whether or not using ASL with the non­

ELL students with special needs, ELL students, non-ELL students and the students in group A or

group B helped to improve their test scores or made no difference.

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Instrumentation

The instrument in this study was an assessment (Appendix A & B) that the researcher used

to record student performance of test scores. The same assessment was used for both pre­

instructional and post-instructional testing. This was administered to every student in order to

collect data regarding their individual achievement skills on sight word recognition. The

students in group A were shown twenty sight word flash cards (Fry word list), one at a time, and

given up to five seconds to respond. The sight words shown on flash cards (Appendix C & D)

were consistent with 'The Kindergarten Assessment' given every quarter, so kindergarten

students were familiar with the testing procedure. The sight words were shown in random order

and the students in group A were also shown the 'sign' for each of the twenty sight words. The

students in group B were tested the same way, but were not shown the 'sign' for each of the

twenty sight words, as they did not receive ASL instruction. The students received one point for

each correct response and zero points for each incorrect response. The student had five seconds

to respond or it was considered incorrect. Scores were totaled at the bottom of the assessment to

show each student's individual percentage of correct responses.

The internet website: www.aslpro.net was used for learning, supporting and implementing

the twenty sight words into the study. This website is a free educational resource, which

provides a short video clip of licensed ASL interpreters demonstrating over 11,000 ASL signs.

Online users just click on the specific word they want to see demonstrated and the viewer can

watch the video clip as many times as needed. Prior to teaching, the researcher utilized this

online website to practice and better prepare for students' instructional time.

26

Data Collection Procedures

The students were given an assessment prior to and after four weeks of sight word

instruction. During the four weeks, one group of students (group A) studied the sight words and

the 'sign' for each of the twenty words while the other group (group B) learned the sight words

with no ASL support. During the pre-instructional assessment administration every student was

tested randomly one at a time. They were each shown twenty flash cards, one at a time, and

given up to five seconds to respond. The sight words were shown in random order. During the

post-instructional assessment administration the student were tested the same with exception to

the students in group A, who were also shown the 'sign' for each of the twenty sight words,

along with the flash cards.

After the post-instructional assessment was administered the students' test scores were

compared to study whether or not the non-ELL student (in group A) with special needs

progressed more or less when compared to the non-ELL student with special needs in group B

who did not received ASL instruction. The researcher also compared test scores for the ELL

students in both groups and the non-ELL students in both groups.

Data Analysis

The data was analyzed based on test scores. The tests were scored based on the correct

number of responses (percentage correct) out of twenty. During the administration of the test,

the students were given five seconds to respond to each flash card. If they did not respond

during the five second time allowance, their answer was considered incorrect. The test scores

were compared between the different types of learners, including non-ELL learners with special

needs, ELL learners, and non-ELL learners. The results of test scores from Group A were

compared to the scores from Group B to determine if using ASL teaching methods may or may

not have influenced or improved sight word recognition skills between the different types of

learners.

Limitations

27

The class size was very small, having only 18 students to study. The timeframe for doing

this research was very limited, allowing for only four weeks of instructional time. This in tum

only allows for twenty sight words to be included in this study. This study took place at the end

of the school year and the researcher was unable to measure whether or not students' prior

knowledge of sight words affected their test scores pre and post-instructional time.

Introduction

CHAPTER4

RESULTS

28

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not using American Sign Language

(ASL) will help kindergarten students who are classified as special needs learners, English

language learners (ELL), and non-English language learners with identifying sight words.

Specific objectives were to:

1. Compare the ability of kindergarten level non-ELL special needs learners who are

taught to identify sight words through the use of ASL with those non-ELL special needs learners

who were asked to identify sight words without the use of ASL.

2. Compare the ability of kindergarten level English language learners who are taught to

identify sight words through the use of ASL with those ELL students who were asked to identify

sight words without the use of ASL.

3. Compare the ability of kindergarten level non-English language learners who are taught

to identify sight words through the use of ASL with those non-ELL students who were asked to

identify sight words without the use of ASL.

4. Compare the ability of kindergarten level learners in group A who are taught to identify

sight words through the use of ASL with those learners in group B, who were asked to identify

sight words without the use of ASL.

Student Demographics

The participants in this study were kindergarten students enrolled in a regular education

classroom at Abbotsford Elementary School in Abbotsford, Wisconsin. A total of 18 students

were assessed on sight word identification during the months of April and May, 2011. The

assessment was administered one student at a time and they were chosen in random order for

29

who was assessed first, second, third, etc. The administration of the test was done similar to the

'kindergarten assessment', an assessment the students were already familiar with. All students in

group A and group B were administered the same test.

The researcher assessed al118 students on the twenty sight words listed in 'Table 5'.

Before the assessment began each student was given an identical testing prompt. The researcher

stated to each participant (just prior to beginning the testing), "I am going to show you twenty

flash cards. Each flash card has a word on it. These are words that we see in the stories and

books that we read and practice everyday. I want you to tell me what the word on each flash

card is. If you don't know the word, just ask me to 'skip it' or tell me 'I don't know'. Do you

have any questions?" Each student was given 5 seconds to respond to each flash card. If there

was no response or the student asked to 'skip it' or responded with, "I don't know", it was

considered an incorrect answer.

30

Table 1

Student Demographics

Number Type of of Leamer Students

Non-ELL Students 9

ELL Students 9

Total Students 18

Non-ELL with Special Needs 2

Non-ELL without Special Needs 8 ELL with Special Needs 0

ELL without Special Needs 8

Total Students 18

Only two students have special needs and neither of them are ELL students. There are no

ELL students with specials needs in this study. Eight out the 18 students studied are ELL

students with the other ten students being non-ELL students.

Objectives for Comparing Different Types of Learners

The first objective this study addressed was to compare the ability of the non-ELL

students with special needs who are taught to identify sight words through the use of ASL

support with those non-ELL special needs learners who are asked to identify sight words without

the use of ASL. There were only two of these types of learners in the researchers classroom, so

one student randomly was placed in each group.

31

Table 2

Non-ELL Students with Special Needs Scores

Student Pre-Test % Post-Test % Number 03/28/11 Correct 05/03/11 Correct %gained

Total Total Correct Correct

Group A-using ASL 1a 0 0 17 85 85%

Group B-not using ASL 2a 0 0 2 10 10%

75% difference between group A & group B

Both students showed gains in sight word identification skills, but the student in group A

that receive additional support using ASL instruction showed more significant improvements,

making 75% more gains. The student that did not receive ASL instruction only made a 10% gain

in the post-test assessment while the student that did receive ASL instruction made an 85% gain

in the post-test assessment.

The second objective of this study was to compare the ability of kindergarten level

English Language Learners (ELL) without special needs who are taught to identify sight words

through the use of ASL with those who are asked to identify sight words without the use of ASL

instruction. There were eight of these learners, so four were placed into each group.

32

Table 3

Non-ELL Students without Special Needs Scores

Student Pre-Test % % % Number 03/28/11 Correct Post-Test 05/03111 Correct gained

Group A-using ASL 1b 4 20 18 90 70%

1c 0 0 13 65 65%

1d 11 55 20 100 45%

1e 1 5 18 90 85% 66.25% average total

improvement

Group B-not using ASL 2b 2 10 10 50 40%

2c 1 5 2 10 5%

2d 1 5 10 50 45%

2e 0 0 13 65 65% 38.75% average total

improvement Average difference between group A and group B is 27.5%

All students in both groups of non-ELL students without special needs improved their

number of correct responses for sight word recognition. However, the students in group A

(receiving ASL instruction) made much higher gains. Overall, they improved their sight word

recognition scores by 66.25% and the students in group B (not receiving ASL instruction)

improved by approximately half that, only showing a 38.75% improvement.

The third objective of this study was to compare the ability of kindergarten level non-

English language learners with and without the use of ASL instruction. There were also eight of

these types of learners, so four of these learners were also placed into each group.

33

Table 4

ELL Students

Post-Student Pre-Test Test % % Number 03/28111 % Correct 05/03111 Correct gained

Group A-using ASL 1f 0 0 15 75 75%

8 40 20 100 60%

1h 6 30 20 100 70%

1i 8 40 19 95 55% 65% average total

improvement Group B-not using ASL 2f 1 5 9 45 40%

2g 1 5 6 30 25%

2h 0 0 3 15 15%

2i 1 5 9 45 40% 30% average total

improvement average difference between grouE A and group B is 35%

Once again, all the students in both groups made progress with sight word recognition

skills, but the students in group A showed much more progress than the students in group B. The

students in group A scored an overall 27.5% accuracy during the pre-test, but improved in the

post-test scores with a 92.5% accuracy rate. While the students in group B did show

improvements, scoring an overall 3.75% accuracy during the pre-test, their gains were not as

significant with only a 33.75% accuracy rate for the post-test scores. Group A improved their

test scores by 65% while group B only improved test scores by 30%.

The last objective was comparing the ability of kindergarten level learners in group A

who were taught to identify sight words through the use of ASL with those learners in group B

who were asked to identify sight words without the use of ASL instruction. After all 18

34

students' assessments were complete they were randomly placed into one of two groups.

Students' ability levels were not used to determine which group they were placed into. There

were nine students placed in group A and nine students placed in group B. Both groups had one

non-ELL student with special needs, four non-ELL students without special needs and four ELL

students without special needs.

35

Table 5

Comparing Different Types of Learners

Number of correct responses from 18 students (9 students per group)

DATES 3/28/2011 3/28/2011 5/3/2011 5/3/2011

Sight Group A Group B Group A Group B Word Flashcards Flashcards Flashcards Flashcards List &ASL ONLY &ASL ONLY my 4 0 9 5 sit 1 0 9 3

and 6 4 9 9

to 5 0 9 4

m 4 0 9 6

on 3 0 9 6

you 3 0 9 3

no 0 0 9 7

see 2 0 9 5

go 4 1 9 8

can 2 1 9 3

said 0 0 4 0

get 0 0 7 0

with 0 0 7 0

up 3 0 9 2

out 0 0 9 1

more 0 0 6 2

day 1 0 6 0

make 0 0 5 0

like 0 0 8 0

TOTALS 38 out of 180 6 out of 180 160 out of 180 64 out of 180 % correct-21 % correct-3.3 % correct-89 % correct-36

Improvement for Group A-68%

Improvement for GroupB-33%

36

The students in group A showed higher test scores in the pre-instructional assessment

scoring 21.1% correct responses, unlike the students in group B, who only scored 3.3%

responses. In the post-instructional testing, the students in group A scored 88.8% accuracy in

sight word recognition while the students in group B scored only 35.5% accuracy. There was an

improvement in group scores for both groups, but the students in group A, who received ASL

instruction, made an overall group improvement score of 67.7% while the students in group B,

who did not receive ASL instruction, made an overall group improvement score of 32.2%.

The students in each group received similar teaching methods for leaming or memorizing

the sight words. Group A students were shown the flash cards, discussed the letters and sounds

in each word, and practiced saying and writing each word. The researcher also implemented ASL

and the students practiced signing each word. The researcher demonstrated the sign several

times and the students were expected to sign the word back to the researcher and peers. The

students in group B were given the same teaching method, but ASL was not included during

their instructional time.

The words are listed on the tables (Appendix A & B) in the order that they were taught.

For example, the word my was taught on day one of week one, the word on was taught on day

one of week two, and the word like was taught on day 20 of week four, so it was the last word

that was taught. The researcher did notice that the words that were taught during the third and

fourth week were in fact words that the students were not as successful with identifying. This

factor could have made a difference in student improvement scores and also indicates that the

more students practice and review the sight words the more they remember them.

Summary

CHAPTERS

DISCUSSION

37

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether or not it was beneficial to use sign

language as an additional teaching method in order to supplement students' learning of sight

word recognition. This study considered student performance on a sight word assessment prior

to sight word and ASL instmction and student performance after instmctional time ..

The research design for this study was quantitative using an experimental teaching method

in which all learners were tested before and after instmctional time. The students were tested on

whether or not they could identify a given set of twenty sight words they received instmction on.

The researchers' methodology for this study included randomly dividing two non-ELL students

with special needs, eight ELL students without special needs, and eight non-ELL students

without special needs into two different groups of nine and using a similar teaching method for

both groups. Students in group A were given sight word instmction along with ASL instmction

for a teaching method and students in group B were only give sight word instmction and not

ASL instmction for a teaching method.

Limitations

The class size was very small, having only 18 students to study. The timeframe for doing

this research was very limited, allowing for only four weeks of instmctional time. The limited

timeframe for instmction in tum only allowed for twenty sight words to be included and taught

during this study. This study was done at the end of the school year and the researcher does not

know if students' prior knowledge of sight words could have affected the data. With one sight

word being introduced and taught each day for a four week time period, it is also unknown how

the data would have been changed with student performance on the last words taught. The

researcher noticed that students were not as successful with identifying the words that were

taught during the last week of the study. This factor could have changed the data outcome on

student scores.

Discussion

38

The purpose of this study was to determine whether using ASL (American Sign

Language) would help kindergarten students of varying leaming types who are classified as non­

ELL special needs leamers, non- English language leamers (ELL), and English language leamers

with identifying sight words.

The first objective the researcher considered was comparing the ability of a kindergarten

level non-ELL special needs leamer who was taught to identify sight words with regular teaching

methods and also with the use of ASL instruction with another kindergarten level non-ELL

special needs leamer who did not receive any ASL instruction to supplement the sight word

instruction. The non-ELL student with special needs, who received ASL instruction showed a

75% higher improvement score during the post-instructional assessment when comparing the

testing results with the non-ELL special needs leamer who was not given any ASL instruction.

The second objective of this study was for the researcher to compare the ability of

kindergarten level non-English language leamers (ELL) without special needs who are taught to

identify sight words through the use of ASL instruction with those non-ELL students who do not

receive the supplemental ASL instruction. When comparing these two groups of leamers the

researcher found that all students in both groups did have improved scores on the post­

instructional assessment, but the students that received the additional ASL instruction made more

significant gains with an overall group improvement score of 66.25% as compared to the

39

students that did not received the ASL instruction. Their scores improved by only 38.75%, less

than half of the improvement shown by the students in group A, who did receive ASL

instruction.

The third objective of this study was to compare the ability of kindergarten level ELL

students who are given ASL instruction along with regular sight word instruction with those ELL

students who are not given the ASL instruction along with the regular sight word instruction. In

comparing the post-instructional test score of these two groups of students, the students who

received the ASL instruction once again showed much higher improvement scores than the

students who did not receive the ASL instruction. The students in group A, who received the

ASL instruction, improved their scores by 65% while the student in group B, who did not receive

the ASL instruction improved their scores by only 30%, less than half of how much students in

group A performed.

The last objective of this study was for the researcher to compare the ability of kindergarten

level learners in group A who are taught to identify sight words with additional support of ASL

instruction with those learners in group B who are not given the ASL instruction. Both groups of

students showed improvements on the post-instructional sight word assessment, but the students

who were using ASL as an additional teaching method scored higher and had a significantly

higher percentage of improvement when compared to the test score results of the group of

students who were not exposed to the ASL instruction. The students in group A that received the

ASL instruction made twice the gains, improving by 68%, while the students in group B that

received no ASL instruction improved by only 33%.

40

Conclusions

The conclusion, there was evidence in this study to show that using American Sign

Language (ASL) in the regular education classroom for all students with different learning

abilities could have a positive effect on the students' success with recognizing sight words.

There was a connection between these results and the results of a study done by Daniels (2001).

It was found that Abbotsford kindergarten teachers can use ASL to improve learning for all

students, no matter what type of learning abilities they have. In identifying sight words

American Sign Language was found to improve student performance in the classroom for all

learners, as was shown in the data for this study. The following conclusions have become

evident to the researcher as a result of this study:

1. The non-ELL student with special needs, who received ASL instruction, made

significantly higher improvements with sight word recognition skills.

2. The four non-ELL students without special needs, who received ASL instruction, made

significantly higher improvements with sight word recognition skills.

3. The four ELL students, who received ASL instruction, also made significantly higher

improvements with sight word recognition skills.

4. According to the data, all 18 kindergarten students made gains with sight word

recognition skills, but the nine kindergarten students that did not receive the additional

ASL instruction showed much lower improvement scores.

Recommendations

The quantitative data was collected and conclusions were drawn from the findings. The

following recommendations suggest a plan of action or further research to be done:

1. Repeat this study with a larger sample of students, extending the timeframe of the

study to allow for more sight words to be included in the study.

41

2. Repeat this study at the beginning of the school year, so the sight words are new to all

the learners. The student test scores would not be affected by students' prior knowledge of sight

words.

3. Share this data with classroom teachers to encourage them to consider incorporating

ASL into the classroom instruction to enhance the learning environment.

REFERENCES

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Project Read and Guided Reading to improve at-risk students' literacy skills. Paper

presented at the annual meeting of the Mid-Western Educational Research Association,

Chicago, IL.

Chambers, Diane P. (1998). Communication in sign: creative ways to learn american sign

language. New York, New York: Fireside.

42

Cunningham, Patricia M. (2010). Phonics they use: words for reading and writing. New York,

NY: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, Inc.

Daniels, Dr. Marilyn. (2001). Dancing with words: signing for hearing children's literacy.

Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey

Daniels, Marilyn. (2003). Using a signed language as a second language for kindergarten

students: Child Study Journal, (33)1, 53-67.

Fountas, Irene C., & Pinnell, Gay Su. (1996). Guided reading: good first teaching for all

children. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

Garcia, J. (1999). Sign with your baby. Bellingham, WA: Stratton Kehl Publications, Inc.

Goldstein, H. (2002). Communication intervention for hearing children with autism: A review of

treatment efficacy. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, (32), 375-397.

Hafer, Jan C. & Wilson, Robert M. (1990). Come sign with us. Washington, DC: Gallaudet

University Press.

Heller, Lora. (2004). Sign language for kids. New York, New York: Sterling Publishing Co.,

Inc.

Jitendra, A., Costa, J.D., Policare, E., & Wetherhold, B. (1997). Teaching sign language to

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Kramer, Jackie & Ovadia, Tali. (1999). You can learn sign language!. Kirkland, Washington:

Troll Communications L.L.C.

Lowenstein, Felicia. (2004). All about sign language: talking with your hands. Berkeley

Heights, NJ: Enslow Publisher, Inc.

Mulrooney, Ph.D., Kristin. (2010). American sign language demystified. New York, NY:

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Torgesen, J. (2000). Individual differences in response to early interventions in reading: The

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Curriculum Development (ASCD).

43

APPENDIX A

Sight Word Recognition Assessment

with the use of sign language

Type of Learner: 1. non-ELL w/s.n. Group A

(circle one) 2. non-ELL 0 = unable to identify sight word

3.ELL 1 = correctlv identified sight word

Date Date Date

*Pre- *Post- Sight *Pre-

instructional instructional Words instructional

my

get

and

to

m on

you

no

with

go

*To ensure student confidentiality the researcher documented

individual student scores on separate sheets (18 total sheets-

one score sheet per student). The researcher indicated which

type learner the score sheet was for by circling which learning

type (out of the three listed in the top-left column) the student was.

Date

*Post- Sight

instructional Words

can

said

sit

day

up

out

more

see

make

like

Pre-Test Score

Post-Test Score

l'o of Difference

l'o Correct

44

APPENDIXB

Sight Word Recognition Assessment

without the use of sign language

Type of Learner: 1. non-ELL w/s.n. Group B

(circle one) 2. non-ELL 0 = unable to identify sight word

3.ELL 1 = correctly identified sight word

Date Date Date Date

*Pre- *Post- Sight *Pre- *Post- Sight

instructional instructional Words instructional instructional Words

my can

get said

and sit

to day

rn up

on out

you more

no see

with make

go like

*To ensure student confidentiality the researcher documented

Pre-Test Score

individual student scores on separate sheets (18 total sheets-

Post-Test Score

one score sheet per student). The researcher indicated which

io of Difference type learner the score sheet was for by circling which learning

io Correct type (out of the three listed in the top-left column) the student was.

45

46

APPENDIXC

flashcards

my can get said and sit to day • 1n up

47

APPENDIXD

flashcards

on out you more no see

with make go like