Swain's Comprehensible Output Hypothesis with a circular input-output-intake model¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 4 claims (4 for) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q1 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The Comprehensible Output Hypothesis, advanced by Swain in deliberate contrast to Krashen's Comprehensible Input Hypothesis, holds that learners must be "pushed toward the delivery of a message that is not only conveyed, but that is conveyed precisely, coherently, and appropriately". The article applies it to self-directed learning and hypothesizes that intake involves a circular movement from input through internal mechanisms to output and back to input, so production of output directly affects assimilation of input. Output is treated as a process of eliminating incomprehensible output across developing competence levels.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Learners must make conscious efforts and monitor their own output, since the transition from semantic to syntactic processing "would have been infeasible without the conscious efforts on my part".

Constraints¶

• The account is grounded in one advanced adult learner's diary study and addresses adult second language learners rather than child acquisition.

Target Learners¶

• adult advanced second language learners
• self-directed language learners

Target Learning Objectives¶

• second language communicative competence
• grammatical accuracy and sociolinguistic appropriateness

Claims¶

• Pushing Output Elicits Negative Input [+W]
• Syntactic Processing Corrects Incomprehensible Output [+W]
• Pushing Output Drives Input Assimilation [+W]
• Mere exposure to the target language does not automatically lead to native-like communicative competence in adult learners [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Swain's output hypothesis with three functions of output in second-language acquisition
• Krashen's five hypotheses of second language acquisition as principles for bilingual program design
• Krashen's Monitor Model: five hypotheses distinguishing subconscious acquisition from conscious language learning
• Ellis's revised interaction hypothesis: noticing, comparison, and integration as the basic acquisitional procedures
• Output-driven, input-enabled hypothesis: output as both driving force and objective of EFL teaching
• Swain's output hypothesis — the canonical page for this theory
• The Comprehension Hypothesis: comprehensible input as the crucial ingredient of second language acquisition

Examples¶

• Diary recording with recall, reflection and delayed verification as a self-directed learning strategy

Key Sources¶

• Yu Liming. (1990). The Comprehensible Output Hypothesis and Self-directed Learning: A Learner's Perspective. TESL Canada Journal/Revue TESL du Canada, Vol. 8, No. 1. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ420159