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133
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(ISSN
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VOLUME
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AGES
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133-142
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Servi
ABSTRACT
Colour carries a psychologically relevant meaning, and the colours we see affect our psychological performance.
Colour-
coding impacts learners’ cognitive processing as material
-oriented interventions in multimedia learning. For
educational purposes, colours can be used to stimulate neural activity, allowing pupils to learn, memorize, and retain
new information more efficiently. Especially for those who are visual learners, the brighter the colours are, the more
they are able to capture the attention for particular types of information. (Elliot and Maier: 2012).
Colour-Coding Strategy can help pupils make connections, gain knowledge and have a positive impact on attention
inside the classroom. So it is not a kind of fun. Using such a strategy in teaching and learning grammar can be as simple
as just asking your pupils to take out their booklets and colouring pens and markers.
The current research focuses on determining the effectiveness of using colour-coding as a better tool for learning
sentence structure at the primary level.
In light of the aim, the research’s nul
l hypothesis has been formulated to be tested. The design of one group has been
adopted, pre and post-tests used. The sample includes (32) female pupils who are randomly selected from Qubat Al
Sakhrah primary school in Mosul city.
KEYWORDS
Research Article
THE EFFECT OF COLOUR-CODING ON LEARNING ENGLISH SENTENCE
STRUCTURE
Submission Date:
Sep 28, 2024,
Accepted Date:
Oct 03, 2024,
Published Date:
Oct 08, 2024
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ajsshr/Volume04Issue10-09
Ahmed Jamil Sulaiman Al Dulaimy
Asst. Lect., College of Education for Humanities, Department of English, Iraq
Journal
Website:
https://theusajournals.
com/index.php/ajsshr
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Volume 04 Issue 10-2024
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
(ISSN
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VOLUME
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P
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133-142
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Publisher:
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Colour-Coding, English Sentence, psychologically relevant meaning.
INTRODUCTION
The prominence of colour
can attract learners’
attention and direct it to relevant visual information
that designers want learners to process (Hillstrom and
Chai, 2006; Jamet et al., 2008).Colour is a powerful
element in design, producing deep psychological and
emotional responses. Recent studies have agreed that
there is an interrelationship between the use of
colours in teaching and academic performance
(Boyatzis & Varghese, 1993; Imhof, 2004; Karp & Karp,
2001; O’Connor, Sofo, Kendall, & Olson, 1990; Terwogt
& Hoeksma, 2001; Wilkins, 2003).
On the other hands, studies have proven that the use
of colour-coding inside the classroom has a positive
impact and an important role in creating different
emotional
reactions
and
capturing
learners’
attentions.
Colour is one of the most important human visual
experiences. (FM, Osgood & CE. J. 1973). Colours have
been found to have a significant impact in enhancing
the performance of memory functions as a powerful
information for the human cognitive system, and can
be very effective in learning and teaching environment.
(Wichmann, Sharpe LT, Gegenfurtner KR. 2002).
Colour-coding is one of the widely used techniques in
achieving input enhancement of the performance of
memory functions, one of these inputs is learning
grammar, which means learning sentence structure.
A number of theories and strategies have been used to
help language learners acquire English grammar, this
technique explains how acquiring a new language goes
beyond simple routine formation, it is an active process
that employs a variety of cognitive abilities. And it has
become one of the most researched areas due to its
promising results in relation to EFL.
(Ellis, 2006); Brown & Lee, 2015) said that, it seems to
be complex to comprehend, clarify, and describe what
grammar is as well as how it should be taught in English
language teaching (Ellis, 2006; Brown & Lee, 2015;
Lessons. Richards, 2015).
Statement of the Problem
Teaching grammar was seen as elitist or unnecessary.
On the one hand Chomsky had proposed his theory of
universal grammar, suggesting that the children's
brains are all wired up to understand grammar by
intuition; on the other hand, Chomskyian linguistics
was considered - not without good reason - beyond the
grasp of teenage learners and of many of their
teachers too. So rejecting earlier prescriptive and
traditional approaches to grammar, many linguists
concluded that it was best not to teach grammar at all.
Volume 04 Issue 10-2024
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Quite rightly it was deemed that teaching generative
grammar, let alone transformational grammar, to
learners would be elitist, since only the best school
students or EFL/ESL learners would be able to follow.
(Rossiter, 2021). Furthermore, teaching grammar is one
of the most difficult issues of language teaching.
Colour-coding to learning sentence structure holds an
important place for effective learning. It will be more
motivating for pupils if grammar is taught in colour-
coding as they will have an opportunity to perceive
how the new sentence structure patterns work and
that will make learning patterns easier if they are given
in a multi-colour way which provides accuracy in the
target language.
Aim of the Research
This research aims to experimentally investigate the
effect of colour-
coding on pupils’ learning of English
sentence structure.
Hypotheses of the Research:
The research assumes that there are no statistically
significant differences between the development
mean scores of the research group in a given pre-test
and post-test.
Importance of the Research
The importance of the present research stems from
the importance of grammar as well as the importance
of the primary school pupils. Because knowledge of
grammar is the foundation of English language, it
should be given priority in second language teaching.
In the current era of communicative language
teaching, some language teachers and learners assume
that
grammar
is
not
really
necessary
for
communication, while other assert that grammar still
plays an important role in the development of learners'
language system. (Zhang, 2009)
On the other hands, and according to UNISEF, children
in primary school learn basic skills that prepare them
for life, work and active citizenship. Quality education
empowers children and young people, protects their
health and well-being, and breaks cycles of poverty.
https://www.unicef.org/education/primary-education
Limits of the Research
The current research is limited to:
1- A sample of the Fifth Grade Primary female pupils on
the left bank of Mosul.
2- Teaching the sentence structure pattern in the
English language from the textbook (English for Iraq,
fifth primary Book). (MacBurnie, Sarah & Rabi, Sally,
2017).
3. The second semester of the academic year 2023 -
2024.
Definition of Basic Terms
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Color coding is an educational technique that basically
involves assigning specific colors to different
categories, it adds a touch of organization and visual
flair to study notes. (Abang, 2024)
Grammar is rules of a language. ―Grammar is a system
of meaningful structures and patterns governed by
pragmatic constraints (Larsen-Freeman, 2001).
Color and Memory
Colour is believed to be the most important visual
experience to human beings (FM, Osgood CE., 2002) It
functions as a powerful information channel to the
human cognitive system and has been found to play a
significant role in enhancing memory performance.
(FA, Sharpe LT, Gegenfurtner KR). Colour can be very
effective in learning and educational setting,
The structure of memory includes sensory memory,
short-term memory, and long-term memory (Atkinson
& Shiffrin, 1968). When information first reaches the
sensory memory, it will give a short amount of
attention to the incoming information, analyze its
physical and sensory characteristic, and then move the
information to the short-term memory for recognition
and labelling. The information which is further
analyzed will move to the long-term memory for
permanent storage (Dzulkifli & Mustafar, 2013).
Colours help learners increase their attention levels on
certain information, which help such information to be
transferred to short-term and long-term memories,
thus increasing their chance of memorizing such
information (Dzulkifli & Mustafar, 2013). For example,
warm colours such as red, orange, and yellow have
been recognized as the ideal colours to increase
learne
rs’ attentions and stimulate their active
participations in activities (Wilson, 1966). Dzulkifli and
Mustafar (2013) stated that arousal, “the state of being
alert physically and internally” can enhance short term
and long-term memories. The Influence of Colour on
Memory Performance: A Review
Procedures:
First, the teacher reviews the topic of sentence
structure, which is limited to SVC in the textbook which
is (English for Iraq fifth primary). (MacBurnie, Sarah &
Rabi, Sally, 2017). Then he conducts the pre-test of
sentence structure as shown in the attached Appendix,
before applying (The strategy of The Effects of Colour-
Coding on Learning English Sentence Structure), the
teacher writes some sentences on the board and asks
the pupils about their structure, for example:
S. V. C.
NADA IS NICE.
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(NADA) is the subject, (IS) is the verb and (NICE) is the
complement
In the next lesson, the teacher applies the strategy of
The Effect of Colour-Coding on Learning English
Sentence Structure, after reviewing the topic of the
previous lesson (English sentence structures),
He explains:
In some English sentences which have SVC pattern, we
start with the Subject (S), keep moving with the Verb
(V) and we stop with the Complement (C).
That’s like traffic lights, which can be vertical or
horizontal.
Cars start moving when the traffic light is green, keep
moving when the traffic light is yellow, and stop when
the traffic light is red.
So, Subject (S) represents the green traffic light (we
start moving), Verb (V) represents the yellow traffic
light (we keep moving) and Complement (C)
represents the red traffic light (we stop moving). That
is the structure of one of the English sentence
patterns, which is SVC.
In a sentence like NADA IS NICE. we have Subject, Verb
and Object;
S. V. C.
NADA IS NICE.
S
V
C
NADA
IS
NICE
.
Subject
Verb
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Again, the teacher repeats and points to the sentence:
we must start with green which is the Subject (Nada)
and keep moving when it is orange which is the Verb
(IS) and stop when it is red which is the Complement
(NICE). I.e., in this type of English sentences, we have
to arrange its elements in SVC form.
After that he asks the pupils to repeat the written
sentence two times after him, at the first time he
points to the word and at the second he points to its
part of speech. After that, he asks them to write down
the sentence in their notebooks. And he asks them to
write at least two similar sentences as a homework for
the upcoming lesson.
In the next lesson, the teacher reviews the topic of the
previous lesson, discusses the sentences that the
pupils bring as a homework and corrects the incorrect
ones.
He asks one of the pupils to write one of his own
sentences on the board and the pupil himself select
another one to analyze it according to SVC form. He
repeats this activity more and more. At the end of the
lesson he asks the pupils with wrong sentences to
write the corrected ones five times as a homework.
In the next lesson, the teacher reviews the topic of the
previous lesson, and writes NADA IS NICE on the board
with explanation:
S. V. C.
NADA IS NICE.
To enhance this technique, the teacher asks a group of
three pupils to come in front of their classmates and
randomly put on three caps that he has brought; green,
orange and red labeled S, V and C successively and asks
another pupil to arrange the group members in a
correct line according to the rule Green, Orange and
Red. He repeats this activity three times with different
pupils.
Then he writes the following sentence:
S. V. C.
NADA AND SUHA ARE NICE.
And says, in this sentence, the subject is neither
(NADA) as the previous sentence nor (SUHA) alone.
The subject is both so:
(NADA and SUHA) is the subject, (ARE) is the verb and
(NICE) is the complement.
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According to the traffic lights colours,
S
V
C
NADA AND SUHA
ARE
NICE
.
To enhance this technique, the teacher asks a group of
four pupils to come in front of their colleagues and to
line up as SS for (NADA & SUHA), V for (ARE) and C for
(NICE) and he asks another pupil to give each member
of the group a suitable cap according to the rule SVO
to put on. So, he gives the first two members the green
caps labeled with letter S (NADA & SUHA), gives the
orange one labeled with letter V to the third member
(ARE) and gives the last member the red cap labeled
with letter C (NICE).
The same thing will happen with the complement if it
contains more than one word as:
S. V. C.
NADA AND SUHA ARE NICE GIRLS.
In this sentence, the complement is (NICE GIRLS)
(NADA and SUHA) is the subject, (ARE) is the verb and
(NICE GIRLS) is the complement.
S
V
C
NADA AND SUHA
ARE
NICE GIRLS
.
He asks the pupils to repeat the written sentences two
times for each after him, at the first time he points to
the word and at the second he points to its part of
speech. After that, he asks them to write down the
words on their notebooks.
To enhance this technique, again, the teacher asks a
group of other five pupils to come in front of their
colleagues and to line up as SS for (NADA & SUHA), V
for (ARE) and CC for (NICE GIRLS) and he asks another
pupil to give each member of the group a suitable cap
according to the rule SVO to put on. So, he gives the
first two members the green caps labeled with letter S
(NADA & SUHA), gives the orange one labeled with
letter V to the third member (ARE) and gives the last
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two members the red caps labeled with letter C (NICE
GIRLS). After this activity, the teacher asks all the
pupils to return to their seats and asks other pupils to
come and repeat the same activity with other
sentences given by the pupils themselves.
In the next lesson, and after reviewing the topic of the
previous lesson, the teacher asks the pupils:
What do you conclude from that? pointing to the
colours and to the words. He gives them a period of
time to think, then he listens to their answers and says:
We conclude from that, the Verb is located in the
middle, between the Subject and the Complement, in
other words, what comes before Verb is Subject and
what comes after the Verb is the Complement.
Then he repeats according to the traffic lights, Green
means Go or start moving. Orange means keep moving
and Red means Stop moving.
The Experimental Design of the Research
Research
Group
Pre-test
Independent
Variable
Post-test
Selected
Sentences
Colour-Coding
Strategy
Selected
Sentences
The lesson after, the teacher conducted the post-test.
Implementation of the Post-Test:
After completing the experiment, the post-test of the
same sentences as shown in the attached Appendix is
conducted to the research group on Sunday
(25/5/2024).
The results shown in the table below were reached:
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Mean, Stand
ard Deviation, and T Values in the Pre and Post Tests of the Pupils’.
Research
Group
Tests
No.
of
Pupils
Mean
Standard
Deviation
T Value
Level of
Significance
Calculated Tabulated
Pre-
Test
Post-
Test
32
32
4.06
6.81
3.388
3.658
4.432
2.038
(0.05)
At 31
degrees of
freedom
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
It is obvious that the calculated T value (4.432) is higher
than the tabulated T value which is (2.038) with (α =
0.05) alpha and (31) degree of freedom. consequently,
the null-hypothesis is rejected and the alternative one
is accepted. That is to say, there are statistically
significant differences between the mean scores of the
Pre-Test and the Post-Test in favour of the Post-Test.
I.e. using Colour-Coding Strategy has a positive effect
on learning grammar, as pupils' scores of on Post-Test
are higher than with their scores on the Pre-Test.
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Appendix
The Effects of Colour-Coding on Learning English
Sentence Structure
Pretest
Analyze the following sentences to SVO
1-
He is here.
2-
They are beautiful.
3-
It is a big car.
4-
Both Suha and Huda are Iraqi women.
5-
That lady with the big cute black eyes is our school
principal.
