Mnemonic-Supported Instruction and the Acquisition of English Temporal Prepositions: A Longitudinal Study within a Skill Acquisition Framework

Abstract

English prepositions present a persistent challenge for second language (L2) learners because their meanings extend across multiple semantic domains and often do not map directly onto forms in a learner’s first language (L1). Guided by Skill Acquisition Theory (SAT), which proposes that declarative knowledge can become proceduralized through practice and repeated retrieval, this longitudinal study investigates whether mnemonic-supported instruction can facilitate the learning and retention of English temporal prepositions such as at, on, in (in two distinct usage types), for, from/to, since, and until among intermediate-level English language learners (ELLs). The study consists of three components: a norming study, a main experimental study, and a pilot investigation. The norming study was conducted with native speakers (NSs) of English to verify that the visual stimuli used in the research reliably elicited the intended temporal prepositions and that the three test versions were comparable in difficulty. The main study then examined the effects of mnemonic-supported instruction on the acquisition and retention of temporal prepositions among intermediate-level ELLs. Participants were assigned to one of three groups: a mnemonic-supported instruction group (EXP), a rule-based instruction group (ACT), and a no-instruction control group (INACT). Learners completed sentence-production tests at three time points: pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test; for the instructional groups, the delayed post-test was administered one week after the post-test. The pilot study explored whether instruction targeting temporal prepositions might influence learners’ interpretation of related spatial meanings. In the main study, the INACT group showed little change across all tests. Both the EXP and ACT groups improved from the pre-test to the post-test, indicating that instruction had a positive effect. However, the EXP group demonstrated greater stability on the delayed post-test than the ACT group. The EXP group maintained its post-test performance and showed a slight descriptive increase on the delayed post-test despite receiving no additional instruction. By contrast, the ACT group did not maintain its post-test performance and instead declined on the delayed post-test. These findings are consistent with SAT and indicate that mnemonic cues may support the retrieval processes involved in the gradual proceduralization of grammatical knowledge. Overall, the findings suggest that mnemonic-supported instruction may serve as an effective strategy for supporting learners’ acquisition, retention, and rule proceduralization of temporal prepositions.