Sequence makes a difference: Effects of differential blended instructions on English word stress identification by Chinese teenager learners

Previous studies highlighted the challenges faced by non-native learners in acquiring native-like word stress of English. This study delved into the impact of two blended instructions with differential sequences [explicit and then implicit instruction (EI); implicit and then explicit instruction (IE)] on English word stress identification by Chinese teenager learners of English, aiming to identify the possibly better blended instruction sequence. It also explored whether there is potential correlation between the instructional effects and memory systems. Eighty Chinese high school students participated in this five-week training study, with 40 receiving EI and an equal number receiving IE. Their perceptual accuracy and reaction time collected from the pre-test and the immediate and delayed post-tests were compared and analysed using the mixed-effects models. There were significant improvements in word stress identification through blended instruction, with the group of IE displaying better persistence effects. Besides, word stress identification improvements by EI were positively correlated with declarative memory, while perceptual improvements by IE exhibited a positive correlation with procedural memory. This study exhibited that the sequence of blended instruction led to differential learning and generalization effects, and suggested that IE could be more suitable for the improvements of word stress identification by Chinese teenager learners. Our findings lent support to the effectiveness of blended instruction, and provided the empirical evidence for the prediction of Declarative/Procedural Model on non-native language learning. Pedagogical implications for both typical and atypical populations were discussed.