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| ID | Type | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1R21DC021024-01A1 | U.S. NIH Grant/Contract | View source |
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| Name | Class |
|---|---|
| National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) | NIH |
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This study examines whether a professional development program helps teachers implement Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction (SISI) with higher fidelity. The training includes review of an intervention manual, live modeling of SISI components, and discussion of implementation expectations. Teacher fidelity is evaluated with the Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction Fidelity Tool, which rates the extent to which core components are used during a intervention session. The study also documents how often teachers receive additional support (e.g., coaching) to understand which procedures help strengthen implementation.
This project uses a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design across four teachers who serve deaf children in a deaf education program. The goal is to examine changes in teachers' SISI implementation fidelity following training and coaching.
At baseline, the PI observes each teacher's typical language arts instruction using the SISI Fidelity Tool. Three stable data points are collected for each teacher before intervention. Every SISI component is scored as 1 (fully implemented), 0.5 (partially implemented), or 0 (not implemented), and then summarized as a percentage of components implemented.
After baseline, the PI provides a two-day training in SISI procedures. Teachers then begin implementing SISI in a staggered fashion: Teacher 1 starts immediately after training for three weeks; Teacher 2 begins in Week 4; Teachers 3 and 4 begin in Weeks 7 and 10. All instructional sessions are video-recorded and uploaded to a cloud platform, where the PI and a second rater review them for daily fidelity monitoring.
Throughout the study, the PI offers coaching as needed to support implementation. The PI also tracks children's progress on their individually targeted sign language skills to confirm that intervention adjustments are appropriate and timely. If implementation challenges arise or if data collection procedures are insufficiently clear or consistent, refinements may be made. Any refinements are put in place immediately and monitored for their influence on teacher fidelity and the feasibility of study procedures.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Case Research Design: Teacher 1 | Experimental | The PI worked with teachers to increase SISI implementation fidelity using a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design across teacher participants. Four teachers who served deaf children were recruited from a school for the deaf. The SISI Fidelity Tool was used to observe teachers' business-as-usual language arts instruction and to establish three stable baseline data points for each teacher. Each SISI component was scored as 1 (fully implemented), 0.5 (partially implemented), or 0 (not implemented) and reported as the percentage of components implemented. After baseline observations were completed, the PI provided a two-day training on SISI implementation. Teacher 1 began implementing SISI for three weeks following the training, Teacher 2 began in Week 4, and Teachers 3 and 4 began in Weeks 7 and 10, respectively. |
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| Single Case Research Design: Teacher 2 | Experimental | The PI worked with teachers to increase SISI implementation fidelity using a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design across teacher participants. Four teachers who served deaf children were recruited from a school for the deaf. The SISI Fidelity Tool was used to observe teachers' business-as-usual language arts instruction and to establish three stable baseline data points for each teacher. Each SISI component was scored as 1 (fully implemented), 0.5 (partially implemented), or 0 (not implemented) and reported as the percentage of components implemented. After baseline observations were completed, the PI provided a two-day training on SISI implementation. Teacher 1 began implementing SISI for three weeks following the training, Teacher 2 began in Week 4, and Teachers 3 and 4 began in Weeks 7 and 10, respectively. |
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| Single Case Research Design: Teacher 3 | Experimental |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction | Behavioral | Evidence-based instructional methods, grounded in cognitive, sociocultural, and linguistic theories, are applied to interventions that support sign language development in deaf children. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| SISI Fidelity | The Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction (SISI) Fidelity Tool is a 45-item observational checklist assessing adherence to the model-guided-independent cycle, scaffolding quality, and use of targeted ASL skills. Each item is rated from 0 to 1 (0 = not implemented, 0.5 = partially implemented, 1 = fully implemented). Scores are summed and converted to a percentage (0-100%). Higher scores indicate stronger fidelity of implementation. | Baseline began at the start of the school year for all participants. Because intervention start times were staggered in the multiple-baseline design, intervention duration ranged from approximately 12 to 40 weeks across participants. |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Leala Holcomb, PhD | Center of Deafness | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Knoxville | Tennessee | 37996 | United States |
Under a data-sharing agreement that is in compliance with the internal policy at UTK, non-identifying data can be shared with other researchers for a minimum of 10 years on the University of Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange (TRACE). The raw data consists of videos of teachers, which will not be shared to maintain confidentiality. The processed data will be in the form of percentages for individual teachers across an academic year documented in a .csv file (Excel). Center for Open Science Foundation (OSF) is a free and open source project management tool that supports researchers throughout their entire project lifecycle. OSF also allows people to locate this data through project names, author names, and study keywords.
December, 2026 to December, 2036
Researchers may contact the principal investigator for additional supporting information not available on OSF.
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All four teachers provided business-as-usual language instruction to generate baseline data before receiving training in Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction (SISI) to implement during the intervention phase.
Four teachers from a school for the deaf were recruited.
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| ID | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| FG000 | Single Case Research Design | A noncurrent multiple-baseline design across teachers was used to assess the support required for teachers to achieve proficiency in SISI implementation. The independent variable was SISI training, and the dependent variable was teacher fidelity to SISI as measured by the SISI Fidelity Tool. |
| Title | Milestones | Reasons Not Completed | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Study |
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Baseline analysis population consisted of the four teacher participants enrolled in the single-case research design study.
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| ID | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BG000 | Single Case Research Design | A noncurrent multiple baseline design across teacher participants will be utilized to assess the extent of support required by teachers to become proficient in SISI implementation. In this study, the independent variable is the SISI training, and the dependent variable is teacher fidelity to the SISI program as measured by the SISI fidelity checklist. |
| Units | Counts |
|---|---|
| Participants |
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| Title | Description | Population Description | Parameter Type | Dispersion Type | Unit of Measure | Calculate Percentage | Denominator Units Selected | Denominators | Classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region of Enrollment | All four teachers were recruited from a single school for the deaf in the United States. |
| Type | Title | Description | Population Description | Reporting Status | Anticipated Posting Date | Parameter Type | Dispersion Type | Unit of Measure | Calculate Percentage | Time Frame | Units Analyzed | Denominator Units Selected | Arm/Group Information | Denominators | Classes | Analyses | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | SISI Fidelity | The Strategic and Interactive Signing Instruction (SISI) Fidelity Tool is a 45-item observational checklist assessing adherence to the model-guided-independent cycle, scaffolding quality, and use of targeted ASL skills. Each item is rated from 0 to 1 (0 = not implemented, 0.5 = partially implemented, 1 = fully implemented). Scores are summed and converted to a percentage (0-100%). Higher scores indicate stronger fidelity of implementation. | Posted | Mean | Full Range | Percentage of SISI practices implemented | Baseline began at the start of the school year for all participants. Because intervention start times were staggered in the multiple-baseline design, intervention duration ranged from approximately 12 to 40 weeks across participants. |
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Adverse event data were collected through bi-weekly meetings with the participants during intervention phases for up to 40 weeks.
Adverse events were monitored throughout the intervention period. The study involved minimal-risk professional development and intervention coaching. No adverse physical, psychological, or social events were observed.
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| ID | Title | Description | Deaths (Affected) | Deaths (At Risk) | Serious Events (Affected) | Serious Events (At Risk) | Other Events (Affected) | Other Events (At Risk) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EG000 | Single Case Research Design | A noncurrent multiple-baseline design across teachers was used to assess the support required for teachers to achieve proficiency in SISI implementation. The independent variable was SISI training, and the dependent variable was participant fidelity to SISI as measured by the SISI Fidelity Tool. |
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This study used a multiple-baseline single-case design with four teachers. The design permits identification of functional relations between the intervention and changes in teacher behaviors; however, the small number of participants and the single-site setting restrict the extent to which results can be generalized beyond this context.
| Title | Organization | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leala Holcomb | University of Tennessee, Knoxville | 415-307-6410 | lholcom5@utk.edu |
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| Type | Includes Protocol | Includes SAP | Includes ICF | Document Label | Document Date | Document Uploaded Date | Document File Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prot_SAP_ICF | Yes | Yes | Yes | Study Protocol, Statistical Analysis Plan, and Informed Consent Form | Oct 7, 2025 | Nov 25, 2025 | Prot_SAP_ICF_000.pdf |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D012813 | Sign Language |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D007802 | Language |
| D003142 | Communication |
| D001519 | Behavior |
| D008369 | Manual Communication |
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This research uses the noncurrent multiple baseline design across teacher participants.
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The PI worked with teachers to increase SISI implementation fidelity using a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design across teacher participants. Four teachers who served deaf children were recruited from a school for the deaf. The SISI Fidelity Tool was used to observe teachers' business-as-usual language arts instruction and to establish three stable baseline data points for each teacher. Each SISI component was scored as 1 (fully implemented), 0.5 (partially implemented), or 0 (not implemented) and reported as the percentage of components implemented.
After baseline observations were completed, the PI provided a two-day training on SISI implementation. Teacher 1 began implementing SISI for three weeks following the training, Teacher 2 began in Week 4, and Teachers 3 and 4 began in Weeks 7 and 10, respectively.
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| Single Case Research Design: Teacher 4 | Experimental | The PI worked with teachers to increase SISI implementation fidelity using a nonconcurrent multiple-baseline design across teacher participants. Four teachers who served deaf children were recruited from a school for the deaf. The SISI Fidelity Tool was used to observe teachers' business-as-usual language arts instruction and to establish three stable baseline data points for each teacher. Each SISI component was scored as 1 (fully implemented), 0.5 (partially implemented), or 0 (not implemented) and reported as the percentage of components implemented. After baseline observations were completed, the PI provided a two-day training on SISI implementation. Teacher 1 began implementing SISI for three weeks following the training, Teacher 2 began in Week 4, and Teachers 3 and 4 began in Weeks 7 and 10, respectively. |
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| Number |
| Participants |
|
| Deaf Status | The deaf status of all four participants was self-reported at baseline. | All participants reported deaf. | Number | Participants |
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| Age, Continuous | The ages of all four teacher participants was self-reported at baseline. | Mean | Standard Deviation | Years |
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| Sex: Female, Male | The sex of all four participants was self-reported at baseline. | Count of Participants | Participants |
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| Race (NIH/OMB) | The race of all four participants was self-reported at baseline. | Count of Participants | Participants |
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| 0 |
| 4 |
| 0 |
| 4 |
| 0 |
| 4 |
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| D009633 |
| Nonverbal Communication |