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Active, Not Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT06729164

Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction Experiment

This RCT study involves teachers divided into an experimental group and a control group. Teachers in the experimental group will receive SISI training to support the sign language development of deaf children, while those in the control group will continue with "business-as-usual" teaching methods. Pre- and post-assessments will be conducted for all deaf children at the beginning and end of the school year.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

Key information

Conditions

Sign Language Skills Behavior Communication Language Manual Communication Nonverbal Communication Sign Language Teacher Practice

Age range

4 year–12 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Knoxville, Tennessee, 37996, United States

About this study

This randomized controlled trial (RCT) examines the effects of the Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction (SISI) intervention on deaf children's expressive language development in signing (primary) and writing (secondary). The study compares two groups - an intervention group implementing SISI and a control group continuing their usual instructional routines without the intervention.

The intervention group will include approximately 10 teachers, each working with 5-7 deaf children. These classrooms will implement the SISI intervention, which provides structured, language-centered supports designed to strengthen children's signing through explicit modeling, guided practice, and discourse-focused intervention routines. Schools that participated in the 2024-2025 nationwide pre/post study will be included in the intervention group for 2025-2026 if they choose to continue.

The control group will likewise include approximately 10 teachers with 5-7 Deaf children each. These classrooms will continue with their standard practices without the SISI intervention. Schools newly joining the project in 2025-2026 will be assigned to this group.

Child language data will be collected twice - fall 2025 (pre-test) and spring 2026 (post-test). Deaf children will complete three expressive language prompts representing major discourse types: personal narrative, informational report, and persuasive discourse. Their signed and written compositions will be analyzed using rubrics adapted from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), focusing on growth in discourse-level skills.

The study hypothesizes that deaf children in the intervention group will show greater gains in expressive signing and writing than their peers in the control group. This hypothesis reflects the expectation that a systematic, discourse-oriented language intervention offers stronger support for language development than typical intervention routines.

This research aims to contribute to the evidence base on interventions that support deaf children's expressive language development. By examining child-level language outcomes from a discourse-focused intervention, the study will advance understanding of how structured language support can strengthen signing and writing development for deaf children.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Deaf children in educational programs (aged 4-12)
  • Teachers of the deaf working with deaf children

Exclusion criteria

  • Non-deaf children
  • Non teachers of the deaf

Treatment and study plan

Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction

Behavioral

Evidence-based instructional methods guided by cognitive, sociocultural, and linguistic theories that are applied to interventions supporting sign language development among deaf children.

Business-as-usual instruction

Behavioral

Teachers will teach business-as-usual without the inclusion of SISI.

Primary outcomes

  1. Sign Language Skills

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment 9 academic months later.

    Student data will be analyzed using rubrics adapted from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) standardized writing assessments.

  2. Teacher Practice

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment 9 academic months later.

    The SISI Fidelity Tool, grounded in existing literature on evidence-based instructional methods, will be used to evaluate teachers' instructional practices.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Written Language Skills

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment 9 academic months later.

    Student data will be analyzed using rubrics adapted from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) standardized writing assessments.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Registry information

Official study title

Randomized Controlled Trial: Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Dec 11, 2024
Registry last updated
Nov 24, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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