The ALPHA Interactive Microcomputer System for Teaching Reading, Writing, and Communication Skills to Hearing-Impaired Children

Abstract

In this study, hearing-impaired children received supplementary instruction designed to simultaneously enhance text skills and general communication skills. Microcomputer-assisted instruction was used, emphasizing exploratory learning—not typical programmed instruction. Microcomputer presentations of pictures, text, and sign language were directly initiated by the children from a special keyboard during exploratory learning phases. A teacher also was an essential part of the instructional process, sustaining dialogue to stimulate the children's communication and their attention to the text, sign, and pictures. Tests required the children to "write" their text answers on the TV screen by pressing the words on their keyboards to match an action sequence on the TV. A total of 79 hearing-impaired children with ages between 3.2 and 14.3 years participated in the project. The children mastered a series of lessons and learned to write text sentences that were highly accurate interpretations of either animated pictured action sequences (an average of 94% correct) or sign language sentence animations (96%-98% correct). Moreover, the children made significant advances on two measures of general communication—sentence imitation and referential communication.

Teaching Reading to Children Who Are Deaf: Do the Conclusions of the National Reading Panel Apply?

“…Educators of deaf students have been interested in the uses of technology in instruction for decades; yet there is little research on instructional interventions. As we discussed earlier, Prinz and colleagues (Prinz, 1991;Prinz at al., 1982;Prinz, Pemberton, et al, 1985) developed a computer software system for improving the sentence writing, vocabulary, and word recognition of deaf children; but we found no continuation of this line of research inquiry beyond 1991. Computer technology provides the capability for simultaneous or successive presentation of written text and ASL graphic representations, and yet we found just one study on this kind of computer use.…”

“…Although the literature is replete with discussions and ideas about the instructional applications of computer technology, we identified just one series of studies in the 1980s and no more recent documented results of effectiveness for vocabulary instruction. Prinz and colleagues (Prinz, 1991;Prinz, Nelson, & Stedt, 1982;Prinz, Pemberton, & Nelson, 1985) developed a computer software system for improving the sentence writing, vocabulary, and word recognition of deaf children. The results showed significant improvement of deaf students between the ages of 2 and 14 years on measures of syntax and vocabulary.…”

Literacy and Language Development Within Microcomputer-Videodisc-Assisted Interactive Contexts

“…The children utilize text communication from the outset of instruction, relying on a special keyboard that displays pictures and/or words and a system involving exploratory language learning. Strong evidence of language and literacy gains by several groups of deaf children has been reported by Prinz, Nelson, and Stedt (1982), Nelson (1985a and1985b), Prinz, Pemberton, and Nelson (1985) and Nelson, Prinz, Prinz, and Dalke (1989).…”