Mitigating Cognitive Overload in Deaf Education: The Pedagogical Impact of a Multimodal Instructional Design on Digital Media Literacy Retention

Information from the abstract

In evolving digital landscapes, the acquisition of digital media literacy (DML) remains a systemic challenge for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students. This disparity is largely driven by the extraneous cognitive overload and the split-attention effect caused by conventional, auditory-centric multimedia designs relegating sign language and captions to peripheral windows. This study investigates the educational efficacy of a newly developed multimodal instructional framework engineered to address these barriers by integrating a prominent visual-spatial sign language interface (Big Sign) with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. Employing a one-group quasi-experimental approach, the research evaluated the proposed framework by comparing baseline pre-test scores against immediate knowledge acquisition and short-term retention among 30 DHH learners in higher education over a two-week period. Statistical analyses revealed that the intervention significantly improved initial DML competency (pre-test to post-test) and sustained high retention rates over two weeks. Furthermore, qualitative assessments conducted via semi-structured interviews highlighted a transition from fragmented, visually taxing attention patterns to a more integrated and naturalistic visual learning experience, thereby maximizing pedagogical engagement. While limited by the absence of a control group, these findings offer a scalable, evidence-based model for educators and instructional designers to transcend mere technical accessibility compliance and move toward the creation of cognitively equitable digital learning environments that optimize knowledge encoding for DHH populations.

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Related topics: Hearing Impairment and Communication · Subtitles and Audiovisual Media · Hand Gesture Recognition Systems