Which term describes a method of checking learners' comprehension of meaning before focusing on form, using examples from the text to elicit rules about form, use, and pronunciation?

Which term describes a method of checking learners' comprehension of meaning before focusing on form, using examples from the text to elicit rules about form, use, and pronunciation?

• A. Inductive approach
• B. Deductive approach
• C. Induction method
• D. Descriptive approach

Answer: (A)

Starting with meaning in context and then guiding learners to notice form, use, and pronunciation is the inductive approach. In this method, students first work with authentic text or meaningful input and check that they understand what’s being conveyed. Through guided questions and examples from the text, they infer how language works—the rules about grammar, how language is used in context, and how pronunciation or intonation patterns function. This discovery process helps learners internalize rules because they derive them from real usage rather than being given the rule upfront. Deductive teaching would flip this sequence, presenting the rule first and then applying it, which doesn’t match the “meaning before form” approach described. Descriptive approach isn’t about a classroom teaching sequence focused on eliciting rules from text.

Starting with meaning in context and then guiding learners to notice form, use, and pronunciation is the inductive approach. In this method, students first work with authentic text or meaningful input and check that they understand what’s being conveyed. Through guided questions and examples from the text, they infer how language works—the rules about grammar, how language is used in context, and how pronunciation or intonation patterns function. This discovery process helps learners internalize rules because they derive them from real usage rather than being given the rule upfront. Deductive teaching would flip this sequence, presenting the rule first and then applying it, which doesn’t match the “meaning before form” approach described. Descriptive approach isn’t about a classroom teaching sequence focused on eliciting rules from text.