Laureate’s LanguageLinks Software Improves Morphosyntax and Comprehension of Written Grammar

Cannon, J.E., Easterbrooks, S. R., Gagné, P., & Beal-Alvarez, J. (2011). Improving DHH students' grammar through an individualized software program. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. 16 (4), 437-457

Background
Most children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH) live in families where both parents have normal hearing. In about half of these families the parent and child achieve communication using sign language. Typically the parent must first learn sign as a second language, however, and so many of these children are not exposed to quality adult models of language when they are very young. This is thought to account for the severe morphosyntactic deficits commonly seen in these children, which in turn impair reading comprehension as well. This research sought to determine whether regular use of LanguageLinks®:Syntax Assessment & Intervention software for nine weeks would improve the morphosyntax of students who are DHH, and might this also improve comprehension of written grammar.

Methods
Subjects were 26 5-12 year old children who were DHH and used American Sign Language (ASL), and who regularly attended a day school for the deaf in the southeastern USA. Participants were scheduled to use LanguageLinks as a supplemental classroom activity, every school day for 10 minutes per day for nine weeks. Dependent measures included pre- and post-intervention testing with subtests of the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation Norm-Referenced (DELV-NR; Seymour, Roeper, & de Villiers, 2005), performance data collected by the LanguageLinks software, and weekly assessments using subtests of the Comprehension of Written Grammar test (CWG; Easterbrooks, 2010). The latter assessed students’ ability to comprehend 15 grammatical structures as measured using a task that involved matching pictures to written sentences.

Results
On average, students completed approximately one LanguageLinks module per two sessions, although three subjects completed all 36 of the modules before the end of the study. As software use continued over time, comprehension of morphosyntax improved significantly as measured by improved performance on both the LanguageLinks software (t(25) = 4.510, p < .001) and on the CWG test (t(25) = 4.750, p < .001). Scores on the syntax subtest of the DELV-NR were also significantly improved pre- versus post-intervention (t(25) = -2.394, p= .024). Based on hierarchical linear modeling growth curve analyses it was determined that the acquisition of morphosyntax was significantly accelerated as a consequence of regular use of the software.

A questionnaire was used after this research to gauge student opinions about LanguageLinks. Asked the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with various statements, 22 of the 26 students strongly agreed that they enjoyed using LanguageLinks, 18 strongly agreed that they learned a lot using the program, and 18 strongly agreed that LanguageLinks was a lot of fun.

Discussion
Participants in this research significantly increased their knowledge of morphosyntax as measured in three different ways; performance on the program modules, improved reading comprehension as measured by the CWG, and improved scores on the syntax subtest of the DELV-NR. Citing observations that language development in DHH children tends to plateau at an early age, the author regarded the statistically significant gains measured here after just nine weeks of using LanguageLinks as evidence that “this program may be a promising evidence-based, supplemental classroom strategy for participants who are DHH and use ASL.”