Effects of multiple intelligence theory based instruction on students' science achievement

Abstract

Teachers' perception of "intelligence" guides their practices. Different from the traditional conception of intelligence which invited fatalism and racism in educational settings, Multiple Intelligences theory attempted to confront the labeling discourses of the former paradigm with the notion that everyone could achieve. The purpose of this study is to identify if those who are subjected to Multiple Intelligence Theory based instruction on seventh grade 'Force, Movement and Energy' unit achieve significantly better than those who are subjected to traditional conception of instruction on the same unit. Carried out with a mixed research design on 60 participants, the data were gathered by an achievement scale and interviews. Findings suggest that those subjected to Multiple Intelligence Theory based instruction achieved better and had more positive images about the instructional process than those instructed by traditional approach. Allowing students to use their dominant domain of intelligence, the instruction based on Multiple Intelligence Theory might be an effective instrument of democratic teaching.