comprehension hypothesis
Stephen Krashen put forward the comprehension hypothesis to suggest that learners of a language do not need direct teaching. His hypothesis is that they can learn all they need to from receiving input that is at just the right level for them and includes a small number of new items understandable from the surrounding context of language and non-language features. Subsequent research has shown that input alone is not enough for learners to reach the highest levels of academic language proficiency needed for success in education. (See also interaction hypothesis and the inquiries Learning from talking and writing and Learning from listening and reading .)
