Increasing Undergraduate Student Interpreters' Fluency and Accuracy in Interpreting Biology Vocabulary in American Sign Language

该项目旨在通过扩大听障学生在STEM学习，专业和职业，特别是生物科学方面的参与来服务于国家利益。 许多失聪或听力困难的本科生在学习生物学内容时遇到与语言有关的障碍。 克服这些障碍可以支持他们在生物科学课程和专业的成功。增加美国手语（ASL）口译员的生物词汇量是实现这一目标的关键一步。 在这个项目中，TERC和拉马尔大学将开发和评估一套独特的培训ASL口译员的材料。这些材料的基石是一个签名生物科学词典，其中包括一组签名的条款，通常在本科教学材料中找到。 伴随着字典，该项目将开发核心生物学概念的摘要，以提供准确和流畅解释生物学讲座材料的术语和视频示例的上下文。 最后，将制定策略，以帮助教师将这些材料纳入拉马尔大学的四年制本科ASL口译培训计划。该项目建立在先前工作的成果基础上，这些工作产生了一个原型签名生物科学词典，并发现了最有用的教学和学习材料类型，以支持培训ASL口译员流利准确地传达生物学内容。该项目有可能为全国聋人和重听学习者打开STEM知识的大门，特别是在生物学方面。该项目有六个目标：1）准备一个测试版的签名生物科学词典; 2）创建流畅和准确解释本科生物学讲座材料所需的核心生物学内容的摘要; 3）制作生物学讲座材料的流畅解释的视频示例; 4）评估手语生物科学词典、摘要和视频在增加学生口译员的ASL词汇量、相关内容知识方面的使用和有效性，并能够准确和流利地解释本科生物学讲座材料; 5）设计一套教学实践，用于口译培训计划中的签名生物科学词典，摘要和视频; 6）传播项目交付成果。将采用定性和定量相结合的混合测量设计来评估拉马尔大学本科生在口译培训计划中如何使用签名生物科学词典，生物内容摘要和视频。 此外，本研究还将探讨签名生物科学词典、内容摘要和视频在提高本科生口译员ASL生物学词汇和生物学内容知识，以及他们准确清晰地解释典型本科生生物学讲座的能力方面的有效性。 这些研究的结果将告知项目团队有关可能使材料更有效的添加和/或更改。 该项目有可能使生物学内容更容易被失聪或听力困难的本科生所接受，因此可能有助于支持他们追求生物学（或其他STEM）专业和职业。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by broadening participation of hearing-impaired students in STEM learning, majors, and careers, specifically in biological sciences. Many undergraduate students who are deaf or hard of hearing encounter language-related obstacles to learning biological content. Overcoming these obstacles could support their success in biological sciences courses and majors. Increasing the biological vocabulary of American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters is a key step toward achieving this goal. In this project, TERC and Lamar University will develop and evaluate a unique set of materials for training ASL interpreters. The cornerstone of these materials is a Signing BioScience Dictionary that includes a set of signed terms commonly found in undergraduate lecture material. To accompany the dictionary, the project will develop summaries of core biology concepts to provide context for the terms and video examples of accurate and fluent interpretations of biology lecture material. Finally, strategies will be developed to help instructors incorporate these materials into Lamar University’s four-year undergraduate ASL interpreter training program. This project builds on the outcomes of prior work that produced a prototype Signing BioScience Dictionary and findings about the types of teaching and learning materials that are most useful to support training ASL interpreters to communicate biology content fluently and accurately. This project has the potential to open doors to STEM knowledge, particularly in biology, for deaf and hard of hearing learners across the nation.The project has six goals: 1) Prepare a beta version of the Signing BioScience Dictionary; 2) Create summaries of core biology content needed for fluent and accurate interpretation of undergraduate biology lecture material; 3) Produce video examples of fluent interpretations of biology lecture material; 4) Evaluate the use and effectiveness of the Signing BioScience Dictionary, summaries, and videos in increasing student interpreters’ ASL vocabulary, knowledge of related content, and ability to accurately and fluently interpret undergraduate biology lecture material; 5) Design a set of instructional practices for use of the Signing BioScience Dictionary, summaries, and videos in interpreter training programs; and 6) Disseminate project deliverables. A mixed-measurement design that combines qualitative and quantitative data will be employed to evaluate how Lamar University undergraduate students in the interpreter training program use the Signing BioScience Dictionary, biology content summaries, and videos. In addition, the research will explore the effectiveness of the Signing BioScience Dictionary, content summaries, and videos in increasing the undergraduate student interpreters’ ASL biology vocabulary and biology content knowledge, as well as their ability to interpret a typical undergraduate biology lecture accurately and clearly. Results of these studies will inform the project team about additions and/or changes that could make the materials more effective. The project has the potential to make biology content more accessible to undergraduates who are deaf or hard of hearing, and thus may be instrumental in supporting their pursuit of biology (or other STEM) majors and careers. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.