Objectives: The objectives for this project include reducing the achievement gap between the performance of students with learning disabilities and their non-disabled peers in math; enhancing the math preparation of individuals with LD to enter postsecondary institutions to pursue programs and degrees in math, science, engineering, and technology; and the national dissemination of instructional resources in the form of lessons and online tutorials aligned with curriculum standards that have been validaAbstract Deaf education, specifically in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), is a pressing national problem. Our project addresses the need to increase deaf children's abilities in math with a unique approach (realistic and grammatically correct 3D animated signing) that significantly improves on the state of the art by creating emotionally appealing fluid 3D signers, a factor that plays a decisive role in learning for deaf students. Mathsigner software is designed to engage deaf learners and their parents in "hands-on, minds-on" experiences, leading to deeper understanding of fundamental ideas in accordance with current No Child Left Behind and general curricular guidelines. The general goal of the project is to develop and evaluate animation-based software to increase: (1) opportunities for deaf children to learn via interactive media; (2) effectiveness of (hearing) parents in assisting with the education of their deaf children; and (3) effectiveness of teachers for deaf children. Intellectual Merit This project addresses a critical need. Research demonstrates that deaf individuals are significantly underrepresented in the fields of science and engineering (Burgstahler 1994). Historically, it has been difficult for them to gain entry into higher education that leads to STEM careers (Caccamise & Lang 1996). Several factors contribute to this disparity: (1) significant delay in deaf children's literacy; (2) difficulty in conveying in sign language basic science/mathematical concepts, a task for which there are currently no tools; and (3) the inaccessibility to incidental learning (exposure to media in which mathematical concepts are practiced and reinforced). Deaf children lack access to many sources of information (e.g. radio, conversations around the dinner table) and their incidental learning suffers. Consequently some mathematical concepts that hearing children learn incidentally in everyday life have to be explicitly taught to deaf pupils. Our software will fill this void. The Mathsigner project is unique because it seeks to: (1) use advanced technology to teach mathematics to signing K-6 deaf students; (2) provide equal access and opportunities by overcoming known deficiencies in math education as reflected in the under-representation of deaf people in fields requiring math skills; and (3) provide a model for teaching technology for deaf people in general that can contribute to improving deaf education around the globe. The project is informed by advanced linguistic research on American Sign Language structure and grammatical use of facial expressions. We have assembled an expert team to accomplish this goal. Professor Adamo-Villani, Purdue Department of Computer Graphics Technology, is an award-winning graphic designer/animator and creator of 2D and 3D animations aired on national television. She initiated the development of teaching technologies for deaf children using advanced computer animation techniques and outlined the math education program itself. Professor Wilbur, Purdue Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, is internationally known for her research on American Sign Language (ASL) and its relevance to improving deaf education and literacy. The Indiana School for the Deaf is a fully accredited school and a national resource center. It is recognized nationally for its leadership in education, its advocacy of American Sign Language and being the first ted to improve the achievement of students with LD . This proposal builds from a major internally funded project identified as the Blending Assessment with Instruction Program (BAIP) that is comprised of two validated interventions in the form of lessons for teachers to employ in their instruction and online tutorials for independent use by students with LD. Both interventions are aligned with curriculum standards in math. The research initiative is designed to investigate the effects of the lessons and the tutorials on the achievement of students with LD in math. Significance and Intellectual Merit of Research: National Center for Educational Outcomes reported in 2004 that not only were students with LD performing below all students across the country, but also that the gap actually grew significantly larger as students got older (Thurlow & Wiley, 2004). Research has found that students with LD typically function two to four grades below expectancy across the mathematics curriculum (Parmar & Cawley, 1997). Many students with LD perform poorly on assessments that are tied to state standards (Thurlow, Albus, Spicuzza, & Thompson, 1998). Thurlow et al determined that only 34% of students with LD passed a state test on basic math skills, versus 83% of their non-disabled peers. This is of serious concern given that students with LD are held to increasingly higher standards and will need higher-level math and reasoning skills to meet the demands of high school and beyond. In less than 20 years, one in every four jobs will require technical skills (Tarlin, 1997, as cited in Jarrett, 1998), and many careers require a strong basis in math. If students do not experience a standards-based curriculum at an early age, they will be disadvantaged when being assessed via a standards-based assessment as required by NCLB. To focus only on postsecondary interventions to increase the presence of persons with LD in math, science and technology careers fails to recognize what research demonstrates as the contributor to the underrepresentation of persons with LD in the math, science and technology fields. Research Strategy: We propose to research the effects of BAIP in aligning local curricula with national curriculum standards and statewide assessments as a model for improving the performance of students with LD. The lessons and tutorials are developed for grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 in compliance with NCLB. Two distinct empirical approaches are planned. First, lesson tests will be directly tied to content. These tests will be piloted to assure their validity and reliability. Once quality tests are available, they will be administered prior to and following lesson use with targeted students. In concurrence with this "experimental group" testing, we will pre and post test other comparable students with the same measures. As we will not be able to control for group equivalence due to the absence of randomization to intervention, and also considering that the pre and post test measures will not be equivalent, analysis of covariance procedures will be used to control "pre-lesson" instructional group differences. This method will be used within schools and as numbers of participants increase will carry out more robust empirical studies relying on hierarchical linear modeling. Thus in six months we will quasiexperimentally research the impact on learning of the lessons. Finally, student item score results will be evaluated descriptively to guide us regarding needed lesson changes. Comparisons will be made across students with LD who experience (a) the lessons taught by teachers, (b) tutorials, (c) lessons and (d) tutorials with disability and non-disabled peers. Broader Implications of Proposed Research: The vast majority of students with LD receive their math instruction in the general education classroom. Thus, the project has the potential to benefit all teachers and, ultimately, all students.
