Krashens Five Hypotheses: Teaching of English in the Context of

Second Language Acuisition

Assistant Prof. Dr Malik Ajmal Gulzar
Supervisor of Curriculum Development and Research Unit
!n"lish #an"ua"e Center $aif Universit% $aif &SA
!'mail( a"msfa)"mail.com *$el( +,--'./0,012//3
4ahmeeda Gulnaz PhD Scholar
5ead Department of !n"lish( Mem6er of 7ualit% Assurance Unit
Mem6er of Research Cell Communit% Colle"e for Girls
A6u Arish !n"lish #an"ua"e Center 8azan Universit% 8azan &SA
!'mail( fahmeeda"ulnaz)"mail.com *$el( +,--'..29:..923
Muhammad Sajid'us'Salam PhD Scholar
Department of !n"lish
$he ;slamia Universit% of <aha=alpur Pakistan
!'mail( cupidlucid)"mail.com *$el( +,0'>>>':9021123
Abstract
In the last twenty years, the paradigm that has dominated the discipline of
language teaching is the SLA theories and Krashens five hypotheses which are proving
flexible to accommodate earlier reforms. his paper reviews second language ac!uisition
"SLA# theory to establish an understanding of its role in the $%L&$SL classroom. 'ther
areas of SLA theory particularly Krashens five (ypotheses are reviewed to provide a
brief overview of SLA research in relation with Krashens views. his paper, considering
the importance of SLA theory and language teaching methods in the target language
classrooms, ma)es an attempt to define how the shift in the language teaching techni!ues
can be made possible by introducing conceptual frame wor) of the SLA theories.
!ntroduction
Since the time of Socrates educators and philosophers have advanced their
ar"uments for a kind of teachin" that does more than impartin" kno=led"e and teachin"
skills. $hou"h it has 6een accepted that the role of kno=led"e and skills is ver% crucial
6ut the true education and real teachin" involves far more than this. 4undamentall% it
aims at assistin" learners utilize their kno=led"e and skills to understand ackno=led"e
and stru""le =ith si"nificant ideas =hen the% pro6e into them and develop an in depth
9
understandin" for a =ide ran"in" and far'reachin" issues and ?uestions. @et teachin"
focused at these si"nificant tar"ets is lar"el% missin" from Pakistani classrooms. $he
6asic reason for this dra=6ack is non'implementation of S#A theories in the !4#A!S#
classroom. Since last thirt% %ears previous studies and conteBts remained focus on
solidif%in" kno=led"e a6out lan"ua"e and lan"ua"e teachin" and learnin". $he inte"rated
disciplines of lin"uistics ps%cholo"% peda"o"% and human learnin" provide teachers
and learners a stron" foundation on =hich to construct an effective theor% and
methodolo"% of second lan"ua"e ac?uisition and learnin". 4or this purpose S#A theor%
is discussed and it is 6elieved that it is the 6est model for teachin" and learnin" a second
lan"ua"e.
"#$ectives of the study
$he prime o6jective of the present stud% is Cto hi"hli"ht the si"nificance of the
S#A theories and &rashenDs five h%potheses =hich are provin" fleBi6le to accommodate
earlier reforms in the teachin" techni?uesD. $he sole o6jective of the stud% is further
divided into the follo=in" su6'o6jectives(
i. $o understand the effectiveness of the &rashenDs five h%potheses in the ConteBt of
S#A theor%.
ii. $o discuss the 6asic reasons E=hich slo=s do=n the process of ac?uisition andAor
learnin"F for the non'implementation of S#A theories in the !4#A!S# classrooms
Significance%scope of the study
$he stud% ma% "enerate positive improvements in teachin" and learnin"
environment of Pakistani classrooms 6% havin" a proper implementation of the S#A
theoriesA&rashenDs five h%potheses. A6ove all it ma% 6e a "reat help for teachers to kno=
the effectiveness of these theories in reference =ith the !4# classrooms. $he stud% ma%
also assist the teachers to kno= ho= the% should appl% these theories to enhance the
learnin" of the students.
Literature revie&
Second #an"ua"e Ac?uisition ES#AF research ori"inall% =as the in?uir% of ho=
learners ac?uire a second lan"ua"e in an !n"lish speakin" environment. More recentl% it
0
has 6een eBtended to include 4orei"n #an"ua"e Ac?uisition E4#AF in environment =here
that lan"ua"e is not spoken as a native lan"ua"e Gan Patten E9,/1(,2F. Accordin" to !llis
E9,,:(9>F Hthe main "oal of S#A research is to characterize the learnerDs underl%in"
kno=led"e of the #0 i.e. to descri6e and eBplain their competenceI. McCarth% E0229 />
in Richard 022/(9F defines that Hthrou"hout the 9,,2s S#A theor% still tended to reflect a
"rammar 6ased vie= of lan"ua"e =ith an interest in eBplainin" ho= learners 6uilt up
kno=led"e of rules of the tar"et lan"ua"e.I Presentl% limited focus of S#A theor% on
ver6al lan"ua"e and the ac?uisition of "rammatical competence lar"el% reveal
Chomsk%an influence over it. 4or this reason the learnin" of other aspects of lan"ua"e
such as readin" =ritin" or listenin" is heavil% considered to 6e irrelevant Esee Gra6e
9,,.F. &achru E9,/0(02,F ver% clearl% defines that one fundamental misunderstandin"
pervaded in S#A literature is that ac?uirin" a second lan"ua"e means 6ein" a6le to use it
in the same manner as its monolin"ual native speakers. Jne of the most comprehensive
revie=s of S#A research is !llis E9,,:F accordin" to =hich there are t=o main areas in
S#A. $he main research focus of S#A research has 6een to look for commonalities across
learners Eof different a"e in different situations and =ith different #9sFK 6ut there =as
also earlier tradition of stud%in" ho= individual learners differ =hich has continued.
$here is no comprehensive theor% of S#A nor even an% sin"le theor% that is =idel%
accepted. $his reflects 6oth the relative ne=ness of the field and the hi"hl% complicated
nature of #0 ac?uisition. 5o=ever &lein E9,,9F lists some elementar% facts of 6oth #9
and #0 lan"ua"e ac?uisition that an% theor% of the field must take into account. $hese
include(
#an"ua"e ac?uisition E6oth #9 and #0F is a difficult process =hich eBtends over
man% %ears until full master% is achieved.
#an"ua"e ac?uisition is essentiall% accumulative and eBistence of accumulated
kno=led"e is a condition to add further kno=led"e.
#earners can =ork on t=o t%pes of resources at an% point in their ac?uisition
process. $he first is 6iolo"icall% "iven faculties to process lan"ua"e and second is
kno=led"e of the =orld and due to these sources lan"ua"e learnin" capacit% is not
considered sta6le.
>
$he tar"et of ac?uisition process is to inter relate eBpressions and meanin"s. ;t is
=ith this aim that learners operate on the sound stream and parallel information.
#earnersD ideas are driven 6% the idea that lin"uistic eBpressions and the rules on
=hich the% are 6ased should make some specific sense. So the lan"ua"e
ac?uisition is a directed process =ith a clear tar"et and understandin" the process
means keepin" in mind this tar"et.
#an"ua"e ac?uisition is the result of man% essentiall% interactin" processes.
So &leinDs summation of facts a6out lan"ua"e ac?uisition is useful due to the
reason of non availa6ilit% of the comprehensive theor% of S#A. Schutz eBplains
E022.(9F &rashenDs vie=s a6out S#A and defines that HAc?uisition re?uires meanin"ful
interactions in the tar"et lan"ua"e ' natural communication ' in =hich speakers are
concerned not =ith the form of their utterances 6ut =ith the messa"es the% are
conve%in" and understandin".I &rashen eBplained and ?uoted 6% Schutz E022.(9F that
Lthe 6est methods are those that provide learners a Mprecise and intelli"i6le inputM in a
student friendl% environment consistin" messa"es that students reall% =ant to hear. $he
aim of these methods is not to press students for earl% output in the second lan"ua"e
rather motivate them to "ive feed6ack =hen the% are M=ell preparedM and Mcomforta6leM
reinforcin" that chan"e comes from providin" communicative and easil%
understanda6le input and not from pushin" and correctin" output.
&rashen D.S. N $errel D.$. E9,//F defines that &rashenMs theor% of S#A
includes five main h%potheses and it is essential here to discuss 6riefl% these h%potheses
to understand their importance and role in !4# and !S# classrooms.
$he Ac?uisition'#earnin" 5%pothesis
$he Monitor 5%pothesis
$he Oatural Jrder 5%pothesis
$he ;nput 5%pothesis
$he Affective 4ilter 5%pothesis.
i. &rashen E&rashen D.S. N $errel D.$. E9,//F in Schutz 022.F defines in the
Ac?uisition'#earnin" h%pothesis that second lan"ua"e performance carries t=o
:
independent s%stems( Mthe ac?uired s%stemM and Mthe learned s%stemM. $he former is
the outcome of a su6conscious process ver% similar to the ac?uisition of first
lan"ua"e =hereas latter is the result of formal instructions and it involves a
conscious process for eBample kno=led"e and efforts to=ards learnin" the
lan"ua"e.
ii. Schutz defines that the Monitor 5%pothesis eBplains and esta6lishes the relation
6et=een ac?uirin" and learnin" a lan"ua"e. Accordin" to &rashen the "oal of
MmonitorM is to plan edit and correct function in the presence of three specific
conditions in second lan"ua"e learner i.e. heAshe has enou"h and appropriate
time heAshe focuses on form and heAshe has sufficient understandin" of the
norms and principles. ;t reveals that in second lan"ua"e performance the function
of conscious learnin" is someho= narro= and restricted. $herefore &rashen
o6serves that the function of the monitor is not ver% eBtendedK it is used onl% to
correct Mdifferences or dissimilaritiesM from MnormalM speech and to "ive speech a
more McomprehensiveM and MpreciseM form. &rashen D.S. N $errel D.$. E9,//F
iii. &rashen E&rashen D.S. N $errel D.$. E9,//F in Schutz 022.F eBplains that the
MOatural Jrder 5%pothesisM is follo=ed 6% the Mac?uisition of "rammatical
structuresM =hich is foreseea6le. $he ac?uisition of "rammatical structures varies
from each other some are ac?uired earl% =hile others late. &rashen ho=ever
does not su""est that a lan"ua"e pro"ramme s%lla6us should 6e developed on the
similar order found in the studies. ;n fact he =as of the vie= that "rammatical
se?uencin" should not 6e applied =hen the aim is lan"ua"e ac?uisition.
iv. &rashen Ein Schutz 022.F points out that prime concern of input 5%pothesis is
onl% =ith the ac?uisition of lan"ua"e not learnin". ;t predicts that ac?uisition
takes place in a Mnatural orderM =hen the learner receives second lan"ua"e MinputM
that is one step 6e%ond hisAher present a6ilit% of lin"uistic competence &rashen
D.S. N $errel D.$. E9,//F. &rashen E9,/.F noticed that older lan"ua"e learners
learn more 6% havin" more comprehensi6le input that is 6ein" a6le to use their
native lan"ua"e as a data resource.
v. &rashen D.S. N $errel D.$. E9,//F defines that the Affective 4ilter 5%pothesis
manifests &rashenMs point of vie= that in second lan"ua"e ac?uisition a "ood
.
stren"th of Maffective varia6lesM perform a conducive 6ut non'causal role. $hese
variants involve( stimulus self'reliance and anBiet%. Pon"'4illmore E9,,0 in
<rice and Rose6err%'Mcki66in 0229F stated that learnin" a second lan"ua"e
re?uires several conditions =hich are as follo=(
i. A need for communication.
ii. Accessin" lan"ua"e throu"h native speakers of that lan"ua"e Eparents famil%
mem6ers or communit% mem6ersF.
iii. Communication assistance and feed6ack from others.
iv. Close intimac% and interaction =ith others endurin" for > or : %ears.
;n the a6ove mentioned five h%potheses &rashen tried to hi"hli"ht the
si"nificance of meanin"ful and reflective communication in the tar"et lan"ua"e Q natural
communication Q in =hich speakers are concerned =ith conve%in" and understandin" of
the messa"es re"ardless of pa%in" heed to the form of their utterances. ;n fact he noticed
that in lan"ua"e ac?uisition "rammatical se?uencin" should not 6e o6served. &rashen
enumerated three crucial aspects i.e. motivation self confidence and lo= level of
anBiet% for successful learnin" of second lan"ua"e and further claims that the learners
e?uipped =ith these features can learn the lan"ua"e more effectivel%. Situation opposite
to it constitutes a co"nitive ina6ilit% that intercepts a sufficient amount of input from
6ein" used for ac?uisition and learnin" ESchutz 022.(.F. &rashen ar"ues that the
mechanism of the ac?uisition of #0 is similar to the ac?uisition of #9 and that efforts
should 6e made to create environment in #0 classrooms =hich more closel% approBimate
the conditions of #9 ac?uisition. 5is 4undamental Peda"o"ical Principal is that Can%
instructional techni?ue that helps second lan"ua"e ac?uisition does so 6% providin"
comprehensi6le in putD E&rashen 9,/9(.,F. 5e h%pothesizes that if #0 learners are
eBposed to Ccomprehensi6le inputD and are provided =ith opportunities to focus on
meanin" and messa"es rather than "rammatical forms and accurac% the% =ill 6e a6le to
ac?uire morpholo"% and s%ntaB as the% comprehend meanin" in =hich the same =a% as
#9 learners. ;n other =ords ac?uisition can occur naturall%K as it does the learner
develops an implicit feelin" for =hat is correct i.e. lin"uistic accurac% is also ac?uired
naturall%. &rashen and $errel E9,/>F ar"ue stron"l% for a natural approach =ith a special
focus on comprehensi6le input. Jn the other side man% researcher e.". #on" E9,//F
-
ar"ue that &rashenDs and $errellDs criteria of success in S#A are onl% minimall%
accepta6le and that their model is not an ade?uate one on =hich to 6ase a lan"ua"e
curriculum.
Spada E9,,.F defines that &rashenDs h%potheses does not lead to hi"h level of
lin"uistic accurac% or more refined kno=led"e. Research has sho=n that instruction
=hich focuses eBclusivel% on meanin" usuall% results in persistent difficulties in inter Q
lan"ua"e development of #0 learners.
!llis E9,,:F eBplains that "enerall% the theories =hich tell a6out the process of
lan"ua"e ac?uisition are 6ased on ps%cholo"ical theories of learnin". Since a lon" time
the% have created a stron" impact over each other and identified that difference 6et=een
learnin" and second lan"ua"e ac?uisition ES#AF is contentious and de6ata6le 6ut
selected an eclectic approach to 6e a6le to cover the most influential theories related =ith
second lan"ua"e ac?uisition. ;t is pertinent to remem6er that the core premise of Second
#an"ua"e Ac?uisition ES#AF methods and approaches =ere 6ased on the understandin"
and 6eliefs of the developers of methods and approaches a6out lan"ua"e and learnin" at
the time. Jrr'!asthouse E022>F <ro=n E9,,:(9.F further clarifies that H@ou cannot teach
effectivel% =ithout understandin" varied theoretical positions. $his understandin" forms
a principled 6asis upon =hich %ou can choose the particular method for teachin" ...it is
imperative first to sift throu"h the man% varia6les that come to 6ear on learnin" and
teachin" a second lan"ua"eI. Second lan"ua"e ac?uisition theor% has "reatl% affected the
teachin" and learnin" theories and has 6rou"ht man% chan"es in the classroom discourse.
<ut in Pakistani lan"ua"e classrooms teachin" methods are not 6ased on a s%stematic
vie= of S#A e.". in the curricula desi"ned for pu6lic institutions teachers eBploit the
activities accordin" to "rammar translation method and most of the time use #9 in the
classroom. ;n the private institutions curricula has 6een desi"ned to use communicative
method and direct method and the% hardl% use #9 in the classroom. Resultantl% t=o
classes are emer"in" in the societ% =ith overt difference of eBposure and critical thinkin".
$he reason for this situation is the fault% desi"n of the curricula and no proper
implementation of S#A theories in Pakistani classroom.
Conclusion
1
;n Pakistan !n"lish lan"ua"e has 6een tau"ht and learned since the independence
of this countr%. ;t ma% 6e ar"ued that it has 6een tau"ht =ith the less eBpertise than some
other lan"ua"es such as Urdu. ;t has suffered from lack of teachin" resources and lack of
stron" peda"o"ical tradition. $o improve the situation it is important to encoura"e a
move to=ards an eclectic miBin" of teachin" methods and this is called Cthe post'method
conditionD E&umaravadivelu 9,,:F. ;t introduces a ne= and innovative paradi"m of
teacherMs role as an informed decision'maker in the classroom and specifies ne=
directions for classroom peda"oies. Due to this reason &rashenDs h%potheses and S#A
theor% are even no= nota6le pointers thou"h there is currentl% a search for 6roader
"uidin" principles to the compleB choices teachers make in their classroom interaction.
As far as indi"enous situation is concerned the nature of such "uidin" principles is still
far from clear due to focus of the curricula on the old traditional methodolo"ies and
am6i"uit% in the lan"ua"e polic%. $his situation further tri""ered the reliance of the
pu6lic sector teachers on the traditional methodolo"ies due to different constraints like
controlled environment =here the% cannot make the decisions in the classroom. Due to
this reason researchers influenced 6% post'modernist critical theories such as Seedhouse
E9,,-F assert that the constraints of institutional discourse are unavoida6le in an%
account of teachin" practice. As Pra6hu E9,,2F has ri"htl% ar"ued that a teacherMs o=n
evolvin" Msense of plausi6ilit%M is the truest "uide to decision makin". $he situation
eBplained in this article illustrates that the teachers are not a=are of the implications of
S#A theor% and &rashenDs five h%potheses. Due to these reasons there is hardl% an%
concept of teachin" in the lan"ua"e classroom 6% usin" the techni?ues presented 6% S#A
theor% and &rashenDs five h%potheses. ;f =e look at the situation =ith reference to the
teachin" of !n"lish as a secondAforei"n lan"ua"e in Pakistan and the o6jectives
determined for the article it can 6e confidentl% claimed that true understandin" of the
S#A theories and &rashenDs five h%potheses can 6rin" si"nificant chan"es in the countr%.
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