Implementing the Color Wheel System to Improve Individual Student Behavior and Reduce Repeated Teacher Directions

Researchers have demonstrated the Color Wheel System (CWS) to be a resource-efficient and effective classroom management system within various contexts; however, there is limited research examining the impact of the CWS on teacher behavior (i.e., reducing repeated teacher directions) and individual student in-seat behavior. Using a withdrawal (ABAB) design, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the CWS in decreasing repeated teacher directions and increasing student in-seat behavior. Momentary time sampling was used to record individual student in-seat behavior. Frequency recording over a 20-min time interval was used to record repeated teacher directions and frequencies were converted into rate data. Analyses were conducted on the rate of repeated teacher directions and in-seat behavior of three target students within a general education first-grade classroom. We also evaluated the acceptability of the CWS from the participating teacher and the whole class.

Results of this study provided evidence to support the CWS as an effective classroom management system. Visual analysis of a time series graph found that the CWS effectively decreased the rate of teacher repeated directions. Individual student in-seat behavior data presented less clear outcomes with students having high and variable rates of behavior from the onset of the study. Survey data show the teacher found the intervention to be useful in the classroom. Survey data show that the majority of students found the intervention to be acceptable and impactful in their classroom. Discussion focuses on theoretical and applied implications of this study. Study limitations and considerations for future researchers are also discussed.