English-motivated versus concept-motivated ASL signing styles for STEM signs

Design · All designs
Evidence · 2 claims (1 for, 1 mixed) · 1 study (1 causal), q3 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description

The article distinguishes two ASL signing styles for STEM vocabulary. English-motivated (EM) signs connect concepts through English words and "generally fall into three categories" of borrowed signs, initialized signs, and fingerspelling. Concept-motivated (CM) signs use visuospatial depiction; the article states "the iconicity of CM signing is more closely matched to the scientific or technical meaning of STEM signs". In the lessons, CM videos used three-dimensional, visuospatial depictions of content while EM videos used a more linear signing style with more fingerspelled terms. The article situates both on an embodied-learning spectrum, treating sign production by learners as more embodied than observation.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

• Fluent ASL signers with sufficient knowledge of ASL and STEM content to perceive the visuospatial information conveyed in CM signs

Constraints

• The CM style relies on more conceptual knowledge to understand the added visuospatial information in the signs, which the EM style does not

Target Learners

• deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students learning STEM through ASL

Learning Goals

• STEM conceptual understanding
• accessible language of instruction in ASL

Claims

• Cm Sign Production Predicts Post Test Scores [+M]
• No Signing Style Difference Pre Post Gains [~M]

Related Designs

Examples

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Key Sources

• Rachel Sortino, Christina Kim, Thalia Guettler, Katie McClyman, Lorna Quandt, Alicia Wooten & Rachel Pizzie. (2026). Producing concept-motivated signs supports learning of STEM content in American Sign Language. npj Science of Learning 11:37. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-026-00418-6

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	design
id	em-cm-signing-styles-taxonomy
title	English-motivated versus concept-motivated ASL signing styles for STEM signs
description	The article distinguishes two ASL signing styles for STEM vocabulary.
status	review
generated	by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-27
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	1 — rachel-sortino-2026

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