Abstract

This study investigated educational provision and learner self-report factors associated with exam success for adult learners of British Sign Language (BSL) studying either Level 1 or Level 2 courses. These levels are equivalent to the first and second year of a United Kingdom General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) qualification. Two hundred and thirty five students from three further education colleges answered a self-report questionnaire covering a range of variables. Analysis of the data suggests that: 1) success rates differed markedly for Level 1 and 2; 2) enhancements of educational provision, such as the use of extra conversational classes, appeared to play a role in increasing exam success rates; 3) individual factors associated with exam success varied between course level and between types of provision; 4) variables related to exam success at Level 2 were more numerous and more specifically related to the learning of sign language than those seen at Level 1; 5) Effect sizes seen for enhancements of educational provision were larger in size than for individual characteristics. These results offer insights into the factors that affect the success rates of people learning sign language.