Critical Evaluation Of Krashen's Theory Of Second Language Teaching And Learning And Its Representation In The Iranian Context

Abstract

Different theories of second language acquisition elaborate on how people who already know one language would acquire the second one. One of these theories is Krashen's theory of second language learning. Krashen is an American linguist widely known for his second language acquisition theory. His theory has significantly impacted all areas of second language research and teaching since the emphasis is on input and the students' emotional readiness (Richards & Rodgers, 2001). This theory has still been discussed in the field of language teaching since it has well-known effects on language learning and teaching worldwide. Krashen's theory is based on five main hypotheses. They are: The acquisition/learning hypothesis, the monitor hypothesis, the natural order hypothesis, the input hypothesis and the affective filter hypothesis (Krashen, 1988). Each hypothesis has been discussed and disputed widely. However, this study focuses on three main hypotheses of this theory which are the input hypothesis, the acquisition vs. learning hypothesis and the affective filter hypothesis. Each hypothesis will be presented, discussed and criticized. Then, some empirical studies will be presented for each hypothesis. Finally, the application of these theories in the Iranian context besides my own experiences as learners and teachers will be mentioned.