Abstract/Summary

Pupils’ disruptive behaviour and a lack of academic engagement are two important challenges of classroom management. They affect the teacher’s ability to deliver instruction and engage pupils in learning. In this study, an intervention was designed to address these issues, using colour response cards, these being reusable signs or cards, used by pupils to indicate their responses to the teacher’s questions. Colour response cards are cost-effective, simple to use, and effective for managing pupils. Pupils’ perceptions of using them and the impact of these cards on teachers’ decisionmaking were therefore investigated in this study, specifically in two girls’ primary schools in Saudi Arabia. A quasi-experimental, sequential explanatory mixed methods design was adopted with a sample of 169 pupils aged 6-7 years (School A: n=99; School B: n=70), as the research focus was on Year One primary school pupils. The disruptive behaviour and academic engagement of nine randomly selected pupils from School A and School B were recorded during mathematics lessons, using an observation checklist at three stages: pre-intervention (before using the colour response cards), introduction (while using the colour response cards), and established (after using the colour response cards). Following the intervention, a quantitative questionnaire survey was conducted to collect pupils’ perceptions of using the colour response cards, while qualitative semi-structured interviews and a journal record were implemented with the participating teachers to examine their perceptions of using the cards, and gauge the impact of this approach on their decision-making. The quantitative analysis of pupils’ behavioural data, using ANOVA, revealed a substantial decrease in pupils’ disruptive behaviour and an increase in their academic engagement in the intervention group, gradually becoming major by the end of the intervention. The pupils’ survey results indicated that they enjoyed the colour response card approach, recognised that it helped them to actively engage in learning, and to improve their interaction with teachers. Meanwhile, the findings from the qualitative analysis of the teachers’ interviews revealed that most of the teachers identified the intervention as very useful and that it helped them manage the classroom more effectively. Overall, the results demonstrated that colour response cards are effective in reducing disruptive behaviour and increasing academic engagement among primary school pupils.