Advisers

Ryan Christopher M. Villalon, PhD

Discipline

Education

Abstract

This study investigated the use of the Pitch Roll Activity as an interactive, student-centered approach to enhance English intonation among Grade 6 learners at Tandang Sora Elementary School. Intonation, a crucial aspect of spoken language, affected communicative clarity and oral proficiency, yet many learners struggled with its correct use, often speaking in monotone or unclear speech. The Pitch Roll Activity, a game-based learning method, integrated key elements of prosody such as pitch, stress, rhythm, and intonation, providing engaging classroom interaction and offering learners structured, active opportunities to practice proper speech intonation and foster willingness to communicate orally. The study used a true experimental design with 128 Grade 6 students selected through stratified random sampling. Participants were divided into experimental and control groups. Data were gathered using a researcher-made pretest and posttest, plus a survey on prosodic awareness. Statistical analyses included the Shapiro–Wilk Test of Normality, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Mann–Whitney U Test to assess effectiveness. Most Grade 6 learners were aged 11–12 years (91%), and all spoke Tagalog (100%). Mean ratings for prosodic awareness were 3.00 for intonation, 3.13 for pitch, 3.10 for stress, and 3.04 for rhythm. At pretest, both the experimental (M = 10.31) and traditional-instruction groups (M = 10.36) showed low proficiency. Posttest means increased to 14.14 for the experimental group and 12.84 for the traditional group. The Mann–Whitney U test indicated a significant between-group difference (U = 950.0, p < 0.01). Confusion with complex sentences was reported by 13.98% of learners. The comparative results support the Pitch Roll Activity as an engaging strategy for developing intonation and prosodic awareness. Continued guided practice is needed for complex sentences and sustained mastery. English teachers may use the activity to strengthen oral communication and learner confidence, while further studies may assess longer-term retention.

Keywords

grade 6, pitch roll, prosody, intonation theory, intonation, pedagogy, english