American Sign Language Curriculum and Materials

American Sign Language (ASL) began to gain widespread acceptance as a foreign language in the 1990s, but instruction, programming, teaching and learning are still in the process of developing and transitioning into a mature field. This thesis study is designed to assess: perceived gaps in current ASL curriculum utilized for ASL 1-6, how and to what extent curriculum is supplemented by instructors in these courses, and how ASL lab is implemented and to what extent supplemental materials are needed. This information will help guide future development of instructional materials that follow the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) standards, integrating American Sign Language Teachers Association's (ASLTA) language specific "Standards for Learning American Sign Language". In addition, for future instructional materials to be research-based along with integrated standards, content-based instruction (CBI) and task-based language teaching (TBLT) should also be incorporated.