Participants
In order to conduct our study, we would gather 100 participants. Of these participants there would be a total number of 50 males (50%) and 50 females (50%). We would recruit infants and their parents/ guardians from a sample population such as, social media outlets, baby forums, daycare facilities, and pediatric offices. The age of the participants would be 6 months old.
Materials and Procedure
Our study would be a longitudinal study being that we would observe the participants from the ages of 6 months until the age of 4 years old. In this particular study, we would manipulate our independent variables by creating a group where we would teach infants American Sign Language versus a group of infants that isn’t taught American …show more content…
We will then randomly assign infants to each independent group. Parents/guardian with children in the neutral group, which is teaching infants, American Sign Language will be given a Deluxe Baby Sign Language Kit that will assist participants to sign. The Deluxe Baby Sign Language Kit would consist of baby flash cards that would show words and images that would better help both infants and parents/guardians to better understand American Sign Language as well as the Baby Sign Language Dictionary that would help expand the infant’s vocabulary and how to illustrate hand motions. We (including parents) would start off with simple words and gestures that would be used on a consist bases such as nap, milk, please, and thank you as well as incorporate the words and gestures into activities. As we would continue to observe the participants in their home setting. In the control group we wouldn’t provide parents/guardian with any kit being that we wouldn’t be teaching the participants how to sign or anything else as they would already be exposed to the English language. Throughout the years, we would continue to observe the participants as they continue to emerge from one milestone to another. During each milestone from the ages of 2 to 4 years old, we would test …show more content…
Participants learning American Sign Language or not and gender differences would be considered our independent variables. Our dependent variable and our treatments would be whether the participant learning American Sign Language along with English would help or hinder the Language Acquisition process. The dependent variable would be measured based on a scale. We would finalize our analysis by running a Post Hoc test, specifically the Tukey test, to analyze the minimum differences between the means of the groups.
The criteria for our test would include measuring the expected milestones of language acquisition development for appropriate age of the child. We would be measuring how well the participants acquire knowledge, verbal reasoning, comprehension, attentiveness to verbal stimuli as well as their expressive receptive language abilities. These areas will be measured through tests such as the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI), Verbal reasoning comprehension test, Cognitive ability test- verbal, spatial and logical mathematical ability, and the Howard gardens multiple intelligence