Seven is seven no matter how you sign it (or say it)
Location
Gallaudet University - JSAC 1011
Start Date
3-3-2024 3:30 PM
End Date
3-3-2024 4:00 PM
Description
Children’s level of numeracy at school entry is one of the strongest predictors of future educational attainment, such as acquiring the number words in the counting system of their language(s) (e.g., “one,” “two,” “three,” etc.). Another crucial milestone is acquiring the cardinality principle, when children understand that the last number counted refers to how many are in a set of objects. Much research has reported that deaf/hard-of-hearing students lag behind their typically hearing peers on many academic and career outcomes related to mathematics. What prior studies have not considered is that many deaf and hard-of-hearing children experience delays in exposure to fully accessible and/or adequate linguistic input, which may explain the discrepancy in mathematics and STEM performance, rather than their hearing levels. Here we examine the impact of language modality and the timing of language exposure on the acquisition of the cardinality principle in 55 hearing and 121 deaf and hard-of-hearing children ages 3.1-7.6 years who were learning spoken English and/or American Sign Language (ASL). These 176 children represented the diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds of the US. We used the Give-a-Number task to assess children’s number knowledge and whether they had achieved the cardinality principle. We found that the timing of language exposure (starting from birth vs. later) and age each independently predicted children’s mastery of the cardinality principle, but modality (English vs. ASL) and socioeconomic status did not. Older children, and those in the early-language group, were more likely to have acquired the cardinality principle than children in the later-language group. These results demonstrate that spoken English and/or ASL effectively support number development, as long as exposure begins early. These findings add to the growing evidence that early access to language is essential for age-appropriate linguistic and cognitive development for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
Recommended Citation
Coppola, Marie, "Seven is seven no matter how you sign it (or say it)" (2024). Global Year of STEM Sign Language. 21.
https://ida.gallaudet.edu/global_STEM_signlanguage/STEM_signlanguagesummit/day_2/21
Seven is seven no matter how you sign it (or say it)
Gallaudet University - JSAC 1011
Children’s level of numeracy at school entry is one of the strongest predictors of future educational attainment, such as acquiring the number words in the counting system of their language(s) (e.g., “one,” “two,” “three,” etc.). Another crucial milestone is acquiring the cardinality principle, when children understand that the last number counted refers to how many are in a set of objects. Much research has reported that deaf/hard-of-hearing students lag behind their typically hearing peers on many academic and career outcomes related to mathematics. What prior studies have not considered is that many deaf and hard-of-hearing children experience delays in exposure to fully accessible and/or adequate linguistic input, which may explain the discrepancy in mathematics and STEM performance, rather than their hearing levels. Here we examine the impact of language modality and the timing of language exposure on the acquisition of the cardinality principle in 55 hearing and 121 deaf and hard-of-hearing children ages 3.1-7.6 years who were learning spoken English and/or American Sign Language (ASL). These 176 children represented the diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds of the US. We used the Give-a-Number task to assess children’s number knowledge and whether they had achieved the cardinality principle. We found that the timing of language exposure (starting from birth vs. later) and age each independently predicted children’s mastery of the cardinality principle, but modality (English vs. ASL) and socioeconomic status did not. Older children, and those in the early-language group, were more likely to have acquired the cardinality principle than children in the later-language group. These results demonstrate that spoken English and/or ASL effectively support number development, as long as exposure begins early. These findings add to the growing evidence that early access to language is essential for age-appropriate linguistic and cognitive development for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
Comments
The video is nonexistent due to there being an error on the technical side of recording the events.