This survey was developed to investigate the public opinion of American Sign Language (ASL) as a true language. Because ASL is not a spoken language, the public may be inclined to believe that it is not a true language.
Understanding public opinions of ASL as a true language is important when considering community access for individuals who use ASL. Additionally, for individuals who use ASL to feel more comfortable communicating, it is essential to understand how the public views ASL and whether education of the public should be a primary focus. If the public generally views ASL as a true language, then public education should elaborate on the fact that being Deaf and using ASL does not reduce a person’s value. However, if the public does not consider ASL as a true language, then education should focus on the characteristics and validity of ASL as a true language. Additionally, people in educational settings …show more content…
The participants for the pilot sample were mostly acquaintances of the students who developed the survey. No names were collected and the surveys were not reviewed until all data was collected. All surveys were numbered in order to facilitate data entry into the program that conducted statistical analyses. This survey was administered in person with no assistance from the administrators in order to reduce bias and increase reliability of the survey.
Pilot Results
The mean score for the 59 participants taking the survey was 3.52 and the standard deviation was .35. The maximum score was 4.00 and the minimum score was 2.68. This mean indicates that, based on the survey, many of the participants believe the characteristics of ASL are similar to that of another true language, such as English. This is probably an overestimation of public views of ASL as a true language because the sample size was large but the demographic differences within the sample were
Understanding public opinions of ASL as a true language is important when considering community access for individuals who use ASL. Additionally, for individuals who use ASL to feel more comfortable communicating, it is essential to understand how the public views ASL and whether education of the public should be a primary focus. If the public generally views ASL as a true language, then public education should elaborate on the fact that being Deaf and using ASL does not reduce a person’s value. However, if the public does not consider ASL as a true language, then education should focus on the characteristics and validity of ASL as a true language. Additionally, people in educational settings …show more content…
The participants for the pilot sample were mostly acquaintances of the students who developed the survey. No names were collected and the surveys were not reviewed until all data was collected. All surveys were numbered in order to facilitate data entry into the program that conducted statistical analyses. This survey was administered in person with no assistance from the administrators in order to reduce bias and increase reliability of the survey.
Pilot Results
The mean score for the 59 participants taking the survey was 3.52 and the standard deviation was .35. The maximum score was 4.00 and the minimum score was 2.68. This mean indicates that, based on the survey, many of the participants believe the characteristics of ASL are similar to that of another true language, such as English. This is probably an overestimation of public views of ASL as a true language because the sample size was large but the demographic differences within the sample were