A clear DELTA-revision summary of Krashen’s Monitor Model (Input, Acquisition–Learning, Monitor, Natural Order, Affective Filter) and its standard critiques.
The five hypotheses
- Acquisition–learning: subconscious acquisition vs conscious learning.
- Monitor: learned knowledge only edits output, given time, focus on form and knowledge of the rule.
- Natural order: grammatical morphemes are acquired in a predictable order.
- Input (i+1): acquisition comes from comprehensible input slightly beyond current level.
- Affective filter: anxiety and low motivation block input.
Standard critiques
Untestable constructs (McLaughlin 1987, Claude); the acquisition/learning split is fuzzy; output matters (Swain); natural-order evidence rests on morpheme studies; explicit instruction speeds learning (Norris & Ortega 2000, Claude).
What survives (Claude)
Input is necessary; order effects are real (see Pienemann); affect modulates engagement. What doesn’t: “no interface” and input-only sufficiency.
Watch out
The page’s FAQ lists “Output Hypothesis” as one of Krashen’s five, which is wrong (it’s Swain’s response).
Also on the site
TBLT summary (Prabhu, Ellis’s criteria) and Lexical Approach summary (Lewis’s OHE cycle): good revision notes, secondary sources only.
Connections
Comprehensible input is necessary but not sufficient · Topic - SLA Theories Map · Teach grammar in processability order (Pienemann)