The role of visual-spatial skills in learning sign language

Hearing adults acquire sign language differently from deaf and hearing children as they have not only passed the sensitive period for language learning, but are also challenged by the novel visual and spatial modalities of sign language. This research study was interested in finding out if a hearing...

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Main Author: Tan, Stacy Bei Yi
Other Authors: Ng Bee Chin
Format: Final Year Project
Language:English
Published: 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10356/62738
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
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spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-627382019-12-10T10:48:09Z The role of visual-spatial skills in learning sign language Tan, Stacy Bei Yi Ng Bee Chin School of Humanities and Social Sciences DRNTU::Humanities::Linguistics::Sign language Hearing adults acquire sign language differently from deaf and hearing children as they have not only passed the sensitive period for language learning, but are also challenged by the novel visual and spatial modalities of sign language. This research study was interested in finding out if a hearing adult's level of visual-spatial skill is related to how efficiently and proficiently sign language is acquired. 23 hearing adults were first assessed on their visual-spatial skills through the use of a mental rotation MCQ test (task 1), followed by the undergoing of a sign language learning period (task 2). Finally, to test for final sign language proficiency, the participants were asked to produce the learned signs (task 3). It was found that there was a positive correlation between the scores recorded from task 1 and task 3, which suggests that visual-spatial skill transfer does take place, and that high visual-spatial skill gives the individual an advantage in the learning of sign language as an L2. The current study also supported previous research on gender-based differences in visual-spatial skill. Lastly, the results provided insight on whether general language learning faculty or visual-spatial skill play a greater role in learning sign language. Bachelor of Arts 2015-04-28T06:22:25Z 2015-04-28T06:22:25Z 2015 2015 Final Year Project (FYP) http://hdl.handle.net/10356/62738 en Nanyang Technological University 65 p. application/pdf
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
country Singapore
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic DRNTU::Humanities::Linguistics::Sign language
spellingShingle DRNTU::Humanities::Linguistics::Sign language
Tan, Stacy Bei Yi
The role of visual-spatial skills in learning sign language
description Hearing adults acquire sign language differently from deaf and hearing children as they have not only passed the sensitive period for language learning, but are also challenged by the novel visual and spatial modalities of sign language. This research study was interested in finding out if a hearing adult's level of visual-spatial skill is related to how efficiently and proficiently sign language is acquired. 23 hearing adults were first assessed on their visual-spatial skills through the use of a mental rotation MCQ test (task 1), followed by the undergoing of a sign language learning period (task 2). Finally, to test for final sign language proficiency, the participants were asked to produce the learned signs (task 3). It was found that there was a positive correlation between the scores recorded from task 1 and task 3, which suggests that visual-spatial skill transfer does take place, and that high visual-spatial skill gives the individual an advantage in the learning of sign language as an L2. The current study also supported previous research on gender-based differences in visual-spatial skill. Lastly, the results provided insight on whether general language learning faculty or visual-spatial skill play a greater role in learning sign language.
author2 Ng Bee Chin
author_facet Ng Bee Chin
Tan, Stacy Bei Yi
format Final Year Project
author Tan, Stacy Bei Yi
author_sort Tan, Stacy Bei Yi
title The role of visual-spatial skills in learning sign language
title_short The role of visual-spatial skills in learning sign language
title_full The role of visual-spatial skills in learning sign language
title_fullStr The role of visual-spatial skills in learning sign language
title_full_unstemmed The role of visual-spatial skills in learning sign language
title_sort role of visual-spatial skills in learning sign language
publishDate 2015
url http://hdl.handle.net/10356/62738
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