The effects of rule-based and acoustic-perceptual instruction on Chinese ESL learners’ English primary word stress placement accuracy

Acquisition of English word stress by second language (L2) learners is challenging because of the unpredictability of stress patterns and affixes, and teaching English word stress is complex. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of rule-based and acoustic-perceptual instruction approaches on Chinese English as a second language (ESL) learners’ production and perception of English primary word stress placement. Ninety participants were involved in a pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test, including a reading-aloud task, a primary word stress identification task, and a vowel reduction identification task. After the pre-test, 30 of the participants received eight sessions of rule-based instruction; another 30 received eight sessions of acoustic-perceptual instruction; and the rest formed the control group and attended regular English classes. Results show that the overall accuracy rates of English word stress production and perception were significantly improved for both experiment groups. Both the rule-based and acoustic-perceptual instruction approaches were effective in teaching primary stress placement to Chinese ESL learners, with the former providing a slight advantage in improving word stress placement in production in the short term, and the latter offering greater long-term benefits and being more effective in enhancing word stress perception. Copyright © 2025 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.