Exploring how deaf preschoolers learn through play and parental guidance at museums
Official title: Deaf Preschoolers' Exploratory Behaviors and Parent Guidance during Shared Museum Experiences
Funded at Rochester Institute of Technology · NIH-10730874 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at how deaf preschoolers play and learn in a museum with their parents, comparing their experiences to those of hearing children, to find out the best ways to support learning for deaf kids.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R15 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rochester Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2023 |
| Award (this year) | $428,054 |
| NIH project number | 1R15DC021349-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-10730874 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are preschool-aged children (4-8 years old) who are deaf or hard of hearing, along with their parents.
✕Less likely to help
Children who are not deaf or hard of hearing may not receive direct benefits from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how deaf preschoolers engage in exploratory play and how their parents guide them during shared experiences in a museum setting. By observing children aged 4 to 8, the study aims to understand the differences in learning behaviors between deaf children who use signed language and hearing children who communicate verbally. The researchers will use both experimental and observational methods to analyze how these exploratory behaviors influence vocabulary and knowledge acquisition. The findings could provide insights into effective parenting strategies and educational practices for deaf children.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could enhance educational approaches and parental guidance for deaf preschoolers, improving their language acquisition and learning outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: While the exploration of learning behaviors in deaf children is a growing field, this specific approach of contrasting exploratory behaviors in different communication contexts is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bosworth, Rain G — Rochester Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Bosworth, Rain G
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.