The evaluation of the use of American Sign Language by students who hear and speak English as a second language

Abstract

The English Learner (EL) has become one of the biggest educational priorities in the United States, as recognized by the current mandates of the federal government (No Child Left Behind, 2001; U.S. Department of Education, 2010a). In March 2010, the Obama administration released A Blueprint for Reform putting reading first by extensively increasing federal expenditures in scientifically based, early reading instruction that specifically included ELs. Innovative strategies were crucial: Graduation rates for ELs had decreased by 5% while the overall graduation rate was at a 40-year high of 75% (Roma, 2013). The intent of this study was to document the effects of the introduction of American Sign Language (ASL) as a third language on the acquisition of early reading skills and vocabulary by ELs in a metropolitan setting. A total of 22% to 23% of the students who spoke English as a second language received an ASL Intervention (ASLi) in first grade. The data procured from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills Next and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Fourth Edition, were tested by the analyses of covariance and the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis statistical tests. No statistical significance was established for the use of the ASLi for early reading skills and vocabulary with ELs. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by addressing your request to ProQuest, 789 E. Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346. Telephone [phone]; e-mail: [email protected]