Factors and Criteria that Contribute to Achieving Proficiency in Greek Sign Language by Hearing Adult Learners

Abstract

In recent decades, there has been among hearing people a growing interest in sign language. This increasing interest in sign language is attributed to a number of things, ranging from academics to professional job skills to personal interest. In Greece, Greek Sign Language (GSL) learners, after taking courses totaling 480 hours, can acquire a certificate of proficiency in GSL by successfully participating in the final examinations, which take place under the aegis of the Hellenic Federation of the Deaf. The research herein discusses the factors and criteria that contribute to acquiring the GSL proficiency certificate. More specifically, the research records views by GSL instructors as well as those of GSL learners on this topic, sets up a comparison, and extrapolates a conclusion whether they coincide or not. A multifaceted, twenty-five item questionnaire was filled out electronically by 35 Greek Sign Language instructors and 143 Greek Sign Language learners via the Google Docs application. The results have shown that both instructors and learners are on the same wavelength for most individual factors and criteria. Despite the homogeneity of the responses, a statistically significant difference (p < .05) is evident due to the divergence of the replies of GSL instructors and learners concerning the type of syntax that they teach or they have been taught respectively.