Effects of Response Cards Intervention on Academic Engagement and Achievement in Students with Intellectual Disabilities during Inclusive Elementary Mathematics Instruction

This study examines the effectiveness of response cards as an instructional strategy for increasing academic engagement and correct responses among students with intellectual disabilities in inclusive first-grade mathematics classrooms. Using an ABAB reversal design, the research evaluated four students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities across two conditions: traditional hand-raising versus response card use. Results demonstrated significant improvements during response card intervention phases, with engagement rates increasing from 12.80% during hand-raising to 95.24% during response card use. Similarly, correct responses improved from 3.27–69.64%. Statistical analysis revealed strong effect sizes for both engagement (Tau-U = 0.84) and correct responding (Tau-U = 0.92), with zero overlapping data points between phases. Social validity measures indicated high teacher satisfaction with the intervention's practicality and effectiveness. The findings suggest that response cards represent a low-cost, easily implemented instructional accommodation that can significantly enhance the meaningful participation of students with intellectual disabilities in inclusive mathematics instruction, promoting both academic engagement and learning outcomes while maintaining participation in the general education curriculum.