Integrating explicit and contextual grammar instruction through declarative, procedural, and automatic stages: Empirical evidence from Sri Lankan secondary-level ESL classrooms

Abstract

Serving as the foundation for learners to produce accurate and meaningful language, the grammar of language plays a vital role in English as a Second Language (ESL) education. However, Sri Lankan ESL learners, particularly at the secondary level, often struggle to move beyond rulebased understanding towards fluent and spontaneous use of grammatical forms. Traditional explicit grammar instruction, while effective in building declarative knowledge, often fails to help learners proceduralize their knowledge in both speaking and writing skills. Conversely, contextual grammar instruction immerses learners in authentic tasks but may lack the clarity and structure needed for initial comprehension. Therefore, this study investigates the effectiveness of integrating explicit and contextual grammar instruction to enhance grammatical proficiency, drawing on Skill Acquisition Theory (SAT), which outlines three stages in learning: declarative (explicit rule learning), procedural (practice-based application), and automatic (fluent use), using past simple vs. present perfect tenses as the instructional focus. The specific objectives of the study were to investigate how integrated grammar instruction improves learners’ fluency and accuracy, and to explore learners’ perceptions of this approach in real-life communication. Guided by two research questions, the study adopted a quasi-experimental mixed-methods design with random sampling of sixty Grade 10 students from a Sri Lankan government school, divided into experimental and control groups. Both groups received explicit instruction on the rules of the target tenses, while the control group practised through repeated drills and the experimental group engaged in contextual grammar tasks. Data were collected through a pre-test and post-test, and the test scores were analysed through a paired sample t-test using SPSS, and supplemented by thematic analysis of learners’ reflective journals. Results indicated that the experimental group achieved a statistically significant improvement in grammar fluency and accuracy (M = 13.40, SD = 3.21) compared to the control group (M = 7.95, SD = 3.78), p < .01. Learners’ reflections reported enhanced confidence, engagement, and perceived relevance to real-life communication in using the target language across academic and real-life discourse. Hence, the study concludes that a balanced integration of explicit and contextual grammar instruction effectively supports the proceduralization of grammar use, cognitive development, and communicative competence, aligning with SAT principles.