ERIC Number: EJ1086463
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Jan
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1081-4159
EISSN: N/A
American Sign Language Comprehension Test: A Tool for Sign Language Researchers
Hauser, Peter C.; Paludneviciene, Raylene; Riddle, Wanda; Kurz, Kim B.; Emmorey, Karen; Contreras, Jessica
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, v21 n1 p64-69 Jan 2016
The American Sign Language Comprehension Test (ASL-CT) is a 30-item multiple-choice test that measures ASL receptive skills and is administered through a website. This article describes the development and psychometric properties of the test based on a sample of 80 college students including deaf native signers, hearing native signers, deaf non-native signers, and hearing ASL students. The results revealed that the ASL-CT has good internal reliability (a = 0.834). Discriminant validity was established by demonstrating that deaf native signers performed significantly better than deaf non-native signers and hearing native signers. Concurrent validity was established by demonstrating that test results positively correlated with another measure of ASL ability (r = 0.715) and that hearing ASL students' performance positively correlated with the level of ASL courses they were taking (r = 0.726). Researchers can use the ASL-CT to characterize an individual's ASL comprehension skills, to establish a minimal skill level as an inclusion criterion for a study, to group study participants by ASL skill (e.g., proficient vs. nonproficient), or to provide a measure of ASL skill as a dependent variable.
Descriptors: American Sign Language, Comprehension, Multiple Choice Tests, Receptive Language, Computer Assisted Testing, Psychometrics, Test Construction, College Students, Deafness, Correlation, Comparative Analysis, Test Validity, Test Reliability, Language Skills, Program Validation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A