Exploring the impact of American Sign Language on preschool children???s letter name and sound learning

Thesis (M.A., Child Development (Applied Settings)) -- California State University, Sacramento, 2011.Letter name and letter sound knowledge are two foundational skills essential to learning to read. Yet, research has shown variation in the development of these skills based on socioeconomic status. Additionally, research has suggested educational benefits resulting from the use of gesture with early language development and with classroom instruction. The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether systematic incorporation of gestures in a literacy intervention increases preschoolers??? knowledge of letter names and sounds. In this study, the letter name and letter sound learning of 41 low-income preschool children was evaluated using a pretest, implementation, and posttest procedure. The participant pool included a multilingual and culturally diverse sample located at two preschools in Northern California that serve low-income families. The implementation was an 8-week Alphabet Circle Time Program that varied for two groups of children: Instruction Group and Instruction + ASL group. For the Instruction Group, the circle time program consisted of sixteen 15-minute circle time sessions where the participants sang the alphabet, looked at large cardboard letters with pictures on them, and practiced saying the letter???s names and sounds. For the Instruction + ASL Group, the circle time program was identical but also included the use of American Sign Language Alphabet gestures. \ud Contrary to prediction, no significant differences in letter name and letter sound learning were found between the Instruction Group and the Instruction + ASL Group. However, both groups showed significant increases in their letter name and letter sound learning from the pretest to the posttest. Furthermore, children who attended more circle time sessions across the eight weeks showed higher increases in letter sound knowledge than did children who attended fewer times. Thus, the current data suggest the importance of early structured programs in increasing letter knowledge. However, the study does not provide evidence for the beneficial role of gestures in early literacy instruction; because of several methodological limitations on the study, further research on gesture use in early literacy instruction is warranted.Child Development (Applied Settings