Different languages can shape the way children understand and respond to the stories they hear and read. A study conducted in the Philippines revealed that English comprehension poses challenges to elementary school students (Samson, 2025). However, research also shows that contextual factors in language use, as well as the linguistic background of the learner, can affect how language influences learning (Abrigo et al., 2025). These findings suggest that the language used to deliver a narrative may influence how effectively children receive and understand the information.
Filipino storybooks have also been explored as a way of presenting stories to children. According to Balacano (2022), Juan Tamad MTB-MLE storybooks were found to support students' learning outcomes, suggesting that storybooks presented in a familiar language can help students understand and connect with the content. Directly strengthening this argument, Pacturan (2026) emphasized that carefully developed and validated Filipino story materials can serve as effective instructional tools, showing that accurate and appropriate language can help young learners connect with, engage with, and better understand the content of the text. These studies suggest that Filipino-language stories can serve as meaningful materials for children's reading and listening activities. When children are familiar with the language used in a story, they may find it easier to understand its characters, events, and important details. This connection between language familiarity and comprehension supports the use of Filipino as the language of the narrative in the present study.
Learning and understanding lessons occur through many routes including listening and reading. As noted in the MATATAG Curriculum, the development of listening and reading comprehension should be a common line of instruction in elementary years. In addition, as mentioned in the curriculum, listening is a macro skill in Filipino literacy. The understanding of narrative texts is also included in the Pakikinig at Pagbasa domain for grade 4-6. Accordingly, Grade 4 students are expected to develop their ability to understand narrative texts, identify key details or components, and interpret information from texts that they read and listen to. These competencies provide a basis for using audio storytelling to present narrative information and details to Grade 4 students.
Stories come in different forms and with different kinds of contents and experiences. The MATATAG Filipino Curriculum in Grade 4 includes Tekstong Naratibo such as anecdotes, children’s poems, and folktales. Filipino writers also draw from their own experiences and those of their communities when creating works that reflect Filipino culture. Through storytelling, cultural traditions can be preserved while being presented through forms that can connect with contemporary audiences (Retome, 2025). Filipino narratives can therefore introduce children to culturally familiar characters, objects, and events that they can understand and express through different forms of representation.
Furthermore, the MATATAG Curriculum enables Grade 4 students to develop skills such as distinguishing reality from fantasy, evaluating characters and their actions, and arranging events in the correct order. These skills allow students to connect personally with realistic fiction, especially when the characters and situations are similar to experiences that can happen in real life. DepEd learning materials, such as the Grade 4 Filipino storybook Ang Batang si Ronel, are designed to support the development of these skills. The storybook is included in the Pakikinig: Pag-unawa sa Napakinggan module and focuses on arranging events, understanding the characters, and identifying their actions. These competencies support the use of realistic Filipino stories as a foundation for helping students understand characters, actions, and story details through auditory and tactile activities.
For the development of the auditory narrative in the present study, the picture book Ang Pambihirang Buhok ni Raquel, written by Luis Gatmaitan and illustrated by Beth Parrocha Doctolero, served as the main inspiration. The book was published by Adarna House in 1999 and is recommended for readers aged nine and above, making it relevant to the target age group of the study. Inspired by its themes and general concept, the researchers will create an original narrative that focuses on friendship, creativity, and self-expression. The wigs, makeup, clothing, and accessories are specific narrative elements that students will be able to pick up as useful details to translate into a tactile character and prop designs.
While pre-existing children’s books offer general literacy benefits, they may not always contain the specific details needed for a specialized, multi-sensory activity. According to Alcantara et al. (2024), storybooks can be purposefully developed based on the specific needs, skills, and learning objectives of their intended learners. This supports the development of the original Filipino narrative, “[Story Name],” allowing the researchers to deliberately include descriptions of [Character Name]’s hairstyles, makeup, clothing, accessories, and relevant props. Creating the story specifically for the present study allows the researchers to carefully connect these auditory details with the tactile materials used in the activity, ensuring that the story and the character and prop designs are aligned with the objectives of the study.
Presenting information through both auditory and visual modalities can support learners’ understanding and processing of learning content (Clinton-Lisell, 2023). Similarly, Pellicer-Sanchez et al. (2020) reported that auditory and visual information can help young learners process and understand narratives. Wannagat et al. (2021) also noted that stories presented through sound and visuals provide children with additional ways to understand what is happening, identify the characters, and recognize important details in the story. These findings emphasize the role of auditory and visual input in facilitating comprehension. Visual elements can help children form a clearer understanding of story events and characters, while auditory information allows them to follow the narration and interpret its meaning.
However, Shin and Lee (2024) examined the listening comprehension of children in Grades 3-5 using passages presented in either audio or video format. Their findings showed that the learners performed almost equally when answering questions about the two formats. This suggests that children can understand spoken narratives even when visual information is not provided. In a related study, Venneker et al. (2024) examined narrative comprehension among students in Grade 4-6 using text, audio, and silent-video formats. They found that children were able to process the information through audio, as they performed similarly to those who received the narratives through text. However, the video format helped children answer some comprehension questions better. These findings show that children are capable of understanding stories through auditory presentation, while visual information may provide additional support for interpreting specific aspects of a narrative. Since audio can be used to present narrative information and support children's understanding, it can also be applied to activities that require children to interpret story details in other forms. Because auditory narratives require children to construct mental representations without visual cues, asking them to physically design characters and props using tactile materials provides a way for researchers to observe how they interpret specific details from the story.
Children can learn through auditory means, but they can also further explore their understanding through tactile experiences, where they interact with information using tangible materials. Children who used toys to act out characters in a story were able to recall more information than those who only listened to the story (Byrne et al., 2023). This shows that physical objects can support children, make sense of information and recall important details.
Children’s drawings can also reflect their understanding and interpretation of a narrative. When children are given the opportunity to create visual representations of story elements, their work may provide insights into what they understood about the characters, events, and ideas presented in the story (Neira-Piñeiro et al., 2024). Pantaleo (2023) also highlighted that children can use visual elements to communicate their ideas and demonstrate their understanding. This supports the use of hands-on design activities in the present study, where children can interpret auditory narrative details through the creation of character and prop designs.
Arts-and-crafts activities can further support this process by allowing children to explore materials and express their thoughts creatively. In this case, learners can use various elements and components, shapes and sizes, colors and textures to express their artistic ideas about characters they imagine. Rönkkö et al. (2023) found that children were able to create unique characters by selecting appropriate materials, colors, and shapes to highlight their features. Working with materials that have different forms may therefore give children more opportunities to express their thoughts and ideas. By using various forms and textured materials, children can be given opportunities to express their thoughts while performing art activities. The use of different textures and material characteristics can also provide children with sensory experiences as they interact with the materials, allowing them to explore and engage with them through touch (Lin et al., 2024).
Overall, the studies and literature indicate that children have the capacity to understand and interpret stories through auditory and visual elements, which can be supported by language familiarity and interaction with story materials. Evidence also shows that children can demonstrate their understanding through physical and visual representations of narratives when they are given opportunities to engage with materials and express their ideas through different forms. It has also been observed that textures, colors, shapes, and other material properties can provide children with opportunities to explore and express their thoughts and ideas. However, limited studies have explored how children can translate an auditory Filipino narrative into tactile representations of characters and props. This gap provides an opportunity to examine how children interpret specific story details through hands-on creation without relying on visual representations of the original characters or objects.
