title: American Sign Language Comprehension Test: A Tool for Sign Language Researchers.
abstract: 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 (α = 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 = .715) and that hearing ASL students' performance positively correlated with the level of ASL courses they were taking (r = .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.
authors.affiliation: National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology; NSF Science of Learning Center on Visual Language and Visual Learning; peter.hauser@rit.edu.
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.affiliation: NSF Science of Learning Center on Visual Language and Visual Learning; Gallaudet University; and.
authors.forename: Raylene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Paludneviciene
authors.affiliation: Gallaudet University; and.
authors.forename: Wanda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Riddle
authors.affiliation: National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology;
authors.forename: Kim B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Kurz
authors.affiliation: NSF Science of Learning Center on Visual Language and Visual Learning; San Diego State University.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Emmorey
authors.affiliation: National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology; NSF Science of Learning Center on Visual Language and Visual Learning;
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Contreras
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D032882:Comprehension; D036262:Empirical Research; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D007807:Language Tests / Q000592:standards*; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012813:Sign Language; D013334:Students; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult