Evidence from the wider use of the BSL Receptive Skills Test

Abstract

AbstractFollowing the development and standardization of the British Sign Language (BSL) Receptive Skills Test (Herman et al., 1999), the test was made widely available to professionals working with deaf children. Test users were asked to return completed score-sheets on individual children they had tested in order to compare a selection of children from the wider population of deaf children with those from the sample upon whom the test was standardized. The analysis of almost 200 score sheets is presented. Overall, children from the wider population achieved lower standard scores than those from the standardization sample, with the exception of native signers, whose scores were equivalent to the native signers' scores in the original sample. The findings raise important questions about the adequacy of BSL provision for deaf children in hearing families. Data on tester ratings and children's reading scores provide an opportunity for a preliminary investigation of the psychometric properties of the test. F...