THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET SYMBOLS ON GRADE 12 STUDENTS' PRONUNCIATION SKILLS

The study entitled “The Effectiveness of Using International Phonetic Alphabet Symbols on Grade 12 Students’ Pronunciation Skills” aimed to determine the effectiveness of using International Phonetic Alphabet Symbols on the pronunciation skills of Grade 12 students. The study used a pre-experimental research design specifically employing one-group pretest-posttest research design. The essential data were gathered from a sample size of 24 respondents with the aid of a validated research-made questionnaire. Data were analyzed and interpreted using weighted mean and paired t-test as statistical tools. It was found that the Grade 12 students initially struggled with their English pronunciation skills; however, after the intervention, there was an increase in students' scores from the pre-test to the post-test. It was also found that there is a significant difference in the students' pronunciation skills before and after using the IPA symbols. The researchers acknowledged the major limitation, which is the absence of a control group during the study. Nevertheless, the implications of this study would be of interest to the curricularists and the education policymakers in integrating IPA symbols in English language classes. Future researchers were recommended to utilize true experimental research design, which includes control groups and random assignment that can help establish stronger cause-and-effect relationships.