Which approach to grammar encourages the belief that learning a language is a…

Concept: In language pedagogy, approaches to teaching grammar are classified by the direction of reasoning used to connect rules and examples. A Deductive approach moves from the general to the specific: the teacher states the grammar rule explicitly first, and learners then apply that rule to examples and practice. An Inductive approach moves the opposite way, from the specific to the general: learners are given examples first and work out the rule themselves. The Grammar-Translation Method and the Communicative Approach are broader methods defined by their overall classroom activity (translation exercises, or meaning-focused communication tasks) rather than by this rule-first/rule-last distinction.

Application: The question describes an approach built on the belief that language learning is fundamentally about learning rules — that is, the rule itself is presented and treated as the starting point of instruction, with examples and practice following from it. This rule-first orientation is the defining feature of the Deductive approach, so it is the approach being described.

Contrast with the other options:

• Grammar Translation is centered on translating text between the target language and the learner's native language, using bilingual word lists; explicit rules are given as an aid to accurate translation, not as the core belief about how language is learned.

• Inductive teaching holds the opposite belief: learners first encounter examples of the structure and infer the rule themselves, rather than being told the rule at the outset.

• The Communicative approach centers on meaningful, real-life communication tasks and treats explicit rule statements as secondary to functional language use.