Give Me a Sign: Confidence and Accuracy in ASL
Document Type
Poster Presentation
Publication Date
4-17-2026
Keywords
fsc2026
Abstract
In the summer of 2025, I was able to take part in an NSF REU centered around psychology and linguistics. The project I was a part of focused on how second language (L2) learners of American Sign Language (ASL) best learn ASL. Our research question: How does teaching ASL using different methods affect outcomes of learning ASL? To find an answer to our question, we taught participants three signs in ASL and graded them based on their accuracy in reproducing the signs, as well as collecting self-report data asking them how confident they felt in learning a new signed language and a new spoken language. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: iconic/arbitrary, double iconic, arbitrary/iconic, and double arbitrary. We hypothesized that the participants in the study would find the Arbitrary/Iconic condition to have the best outcomes in both confidence and accuracy. Our research did not support our hypothesis, but did show statistically significant data on best practices for L2 learning of ASL.
Publication Information
Boling, Gabrielle, "Give Me a Sign: Confidence and Accuracy in ASL" (2026). Fisher Showcase 2026. Paper 73.
https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/fsc2026/73
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Comments
Poster presented at the 2026 Fisher Showcase, St. John Fisher University, April 17, 2026.