Poor academic performance among deaf and hard-of-hearing students, particularly in science, is partially attributable to inappropriate science materials that assume students can both hear and read. Furthermore, instructional delivery is usually poor because teachers are untrained in the communication needs of this population. This project will incorporate recent advances in CD-ROM technology with research-based teaching practices and programs to teach core earth science content to deaf and hard-of-hearing students. This project addresses critical issues of hearing impaired instruction by: effectively presenting material to students with diverse ASL, English reading, and hearing abilities; organizing science content to facilitate mastery and higher order thinking; and efficiently overcoming significant technological problems common in current hearing-impaired products. In Phase I, four prototype earth science lessons will be produced and evaluated. The prototype will be a stand-alone, turn-key system including videodisc, CD-ROM, computer, monitor, keyboard, and headphones. The utility of this prototype will be evaluated with 10 middle and high school students having a wide range of ASL, English reading, and hearing abilities. In Phase II, a complete 35- lesson earth science program will be developed and its efficacy tested in a randomized control trial.
This project will lead to the production of a middle school and high school earth science program that incorporates videodisc material with ASL, different reading levels and sizes of captioning and audio enhancement. It will be attractive to schools for use with deaf and hard-of-hearing students as well as visually impaired students and students with limited English proficiency.
