The Handheld Signing Math & Science Dictionaries for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Museum Visitors Research Project

TERC将与波士顿科学博物馆合作，调查iPod Touch作为聋哑儿童参观博物馆展览的技术平台的影响。该项目采用混合方法设计，研究5-12岁的聋人或重听家庭访客，以及同样是聋人或重听人的K-8年级教室访客，如何使用iTouch上的手势图片来获取展品上的科学内容。这项研究还将研究将人类语音整合到基于文本的组件中，并为手持技术开发带有伴随活动的电影。这位研究人员此前曾为重听儿童创建了一本词典和一本手语数学词典，将对其进行修改，以便在博物馆环境中使用。调查人员计划对这种新的手持设备的有效性进行仔细研究，以改善展品与参观者之间以及参观者家属之间的沟通。这项研究的参与者将参观一个展品，在没有词典的情况下进行一项活动，然后用手持内容进行第二项活动。研究人员将从参观者那里收集关于他们对科学的学习和使用工具的经验的数据，并撰写他们的调查论文。这项研究的结果将通过与聋人和重听人社区有关的出版物传播。

TERC, in partnership with the Boston Museum of Science, will investigate the impact of the iPod Touch as a technology platform for deaf and hard-of-hearing children for attending exhibits in museums. The project employs a mixed-methods design to study how deaf or hard of hearing family visitors, ages 5-12, and classroom visitors in grades K-8 who are also deaf or hard of hearing, use the signing pictionaries on the iTouch to access science content at the exhibits. The study will also investigate the integration of human voice into the text-based component and develop movies with accompanying activities for the handheld technology. The investigator had previously created a Dictionary and a Signing Math Dictionary for use by children who are hard of hearing that will be modified for use in this museum setting. The investigator plans to conduct a careful study of the effectiveness of this new hand held device for improving communication between exhibits and visitors and between the family members of the visitors. The study's participants will visit one exhibit and do an activity without the dictionary and then do a second activity with the handheld content. Researchers will collect data from the visitors about their learning of science and experience with the tools and write papers of their investigations. The results of the study will be disseminated through publications associated with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.