In which method does the learners’ first language play a central role in…

Language-teaching methods differ in the role assigned to the learners' first language (L1) during instruction — some methods deliberately exclude L1 in favour of full immersion in the target language, while others use L1 explicitly as the medium through which grammar and meaning are explained.

The Grammar-Translation Method is built around translating passages back and forth between the target language and the learners' native tongue, and grammar rules are explicitly presented and explained using that native language rather than being induced from target-language use; vocabulary is typically learned through bilingual word lists. This structurally places the learners' first language at the centre of instruction.

• Communicative Language Teaching centres lessons on developing the practical ability to exchange meaning for everyday purposes, prioritising functional communication in the target language over translation or explicit rule explanation.

• Task-based Learning organises lessons around completing a real-world task (such as planning a trip or solving a problem), using the target language as the tool to reach that outcome rather than as an object of translation.

• The Direct Method teaches new vocabulary and structures through demonstration, real objects, and action in the target language itself, building an immediate association between word and meaning without translating to the native tongue at all.

Because only the Grammar-Translation Method organises its core technique around moving between the native language and the target language, it is the method in which the learners' first language plays a central role in teaching.