The relationship between Kenyan Sign Language and English literacy

This paper presents results of an investigation into the relationship between Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) and English literacy skills. It is derived from research undertaken towards an MEd degree awarded by The University of Western Australia in 2011. The study employed a correlational survey strategy. Sixty upper primary deaf students from four residential schools for the hearing impaired participated in the tests that evaluated their KSL proficiency and English literacy skills. KSL skills were tested using an adapted American Sign Language Proficiency Assessment tool while the English literacy skills were evaluated using a combination of five selected sub-tests of the Test of Reading Comprehension-Fourth Edition-TORC 4 and the Test of Written Language-Fourth Edition-TOWL 4. Additional data were collected from participants' audiograms and a questionnaire completed by parents. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software package. A significant positive correlation was found between participants' proficiency in KSL and their English literacy scores. The results suggested KSL has a role to play in English literacy acquisition.