Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Inside-Outside Circle Method in Enhancing Students’ Active Participation in Kelantan

Abstract

Active student engagement is increasingly recognised as a vital component of effective 21st-century teaching and learning, where students are expected to construct knowledge through interaction, communication and collaboration rather than passively receiving information. However, in the Malaysian context, particularly in Kelantan, student involvement remains low due to persistent teacher-centred practices, limited confidence among learners, and time constraints that hinder the implementation of interactive strategies. These issues highlight a critical research gap, as evidence on the effectiveness of specific cooperative learning strategies especially the Inside-Outside Circle (IOC) method is still limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of IOC, assess the level of active student engagement when IOC is applied, and identify challenges influencing its implementation in Kelantan. A quantitative survey design was employed, using a Google Form questionnaire distributed through convenience sampling to 110 teachers across several districts. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics including mean, percentage and standard deviation. The results show strong teacher agreement regarding the effectiveness of IOC, with mean scores ranging from 4.23 to 4.37. Across the items, between 46% and 61% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that IOC enhances interaction, idea-sharing, communication skills and motivation, while only 7%–13% were neutral and fewer than 5% disagreed. Student engagement was also high, with an overall mean of 4.27; items related to communication, cooperation, attentiveness and motivation recorded mean values between 4.21 and 4.32, with 48%–60% agreeing and fewer than 10% disagreeing. Regarding challenges, time constraints (mean 4.03), passive student attitudes (4.02), large class sizes (3.95) and limited teacher expertise (3.83) were identified as the main barriers, with 38%–52% agreeing these issues affect implementation while fewer than 12% disagreed. Overall, the study concludes that the Inside-Outside Circle method is an effective cooperative learning strategy that enhances communication, collaboration, confidence and active engagement among students in Kelantan. Despite several structural and pedagogical challenges, IOC demonstrates strong potential to support more interactive, student-centred and meaningful learning environments, and its wider implementation should be strengthened through targeted training and improved classroom support systems.