Doctoral Dissertation Research: Effects of non-verbal working memory and spoken first language proficiency on sign language acquisition by deaf second language learners

博士论文研究：非语言工作记忆和第一语言口语能力对聋哑第二语言学习者手语习得的影响

• 批准号: 2336589
• 负责人: Deanna Gagne
• 金额: $ 1.46万
• 依托单位: Gallaudet University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-03-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2336589&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Effects; non

Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) individuals experience substantial variability in exposure to a sign language. For example, more than 90% of DHH children in the US have hearing parents who do not know a sign language at the time of their DHH child’s birth. By the time these children are school-age, only 26% are using sign language regularly with their families at home and 53% are using some sign language at school. Consequently, a substantial number of DHH people are learning a sign language for the first time as young adults. Despite being one of the most common ways for DHH people to learn a sign language, researchers know very little about the factors that support second language learning success in this learning context. For example, proficiency in the first language and working memory are predictors of second language proficiency in other language learning contexts--are these predictors also important for DHH learners? Additionally, the quality and quantity of early language input that DHH people receive is highly variable--does this variation affect second language learning of a sign language?This doctoral dissertation study aims to (1) extend existing research on predictors of second language proficiency to a new learning context, DHH second language signers, and (2) investigate relationships between spoken first language proficiency, non-verbal working memory, and signed second language proficiency. This research conducts a mediation modeling study assessing spoken language reading comprehension and non-verbal working memory in DHH people who grew up using a spoken language as a primary language and started learning a sign language as young adults and investigate how these variables relate to sign language receptive comprehension. The results of this study will lead to more generalizable theories of second language learning that account for variability in the quality and quantity of early first language acquisition. The results also inform family and school language policy for DHH children as well as second language teaching curriculum and interpreting strategies for adult DHH second language signers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

耳聋和听力障碍 (DHH) 个体在接触手语方面存在很大差异。例如，美国 90% 以上的 DHH 儿童的听力正常的父母在 DHH 孩子出生时不懂手语。当这些孩子到了学龄时，只有 26% 的孩子经常在家中与家人一起使用手语，而 53% 的孩子在学校使用一些手语。经调查，相当多的 DHH 人是第一次学习手语。年轻时的时光尽管这是 DHH 人学习手语的最常见方式之一，但研究人员对在这种学习环境中支持第二语言学习成功的因素知之甚少，例如，第一语言的熟练程度和工作记忆是预测因素。在其他语言学习环境中第二语言熟练程度的影响——这些预测因素对于 DHH 学习者也很重要吗？此外，DHH 人接受的早期语言输入的质量和数量变化很大——这种变化是否会影响手语的第二语言学习？ ?本博士论文研究旨在 (1) 将现有的第二语言能力预测因素研究扩展到新的学习环境、DHH 第二语言手语者，以及 (2) 调查第一语言口语能力、非语言工作记忆和第二语言手语能力之间的关系。本研究进行了一项中介模型研究，评估 DHH 人的口语阅读理解和非语言工作记忆，这些人以口语作为主要语言长大，并在年轻时开始学习手语，并调查这些变量与手语的关系这项研究的结果将导致更普遍的第二语言学习理论，该理论解释了早期第一语言习得的质量和数量的变化。研究结果还为 DHH 儿童以及第二语言的家庭和学校语言政策提供了信息。成人 DHH 第二语言手语者的教学课程和口译策略。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。