Intelligence. This word has been widely used for generations. But what exactly does it mean? In 1904, Albert Binet, a psychologist, was commissioned by the Parisian Minister of Public Instruction to produce a tool used to identify young children at risk of failure in the schooling system. (Gardner,1993) This test, better known as the I.Q. test, was used to determine so-called 'intelligence'. The higher the score, the greater the intelligence. 80 years later, this definition was challenged.

A man by the name of Howard Gardner developed the Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) in his controversial book, Frames of Mind (1983). He proposed a list of seven separate intelligences and redefined intelligence to be "the ability to solve problems or to make things that are of value in at least one culture" (Gardner, Internet Source). Gardner goes on to say that the test invented and implemented by Binet targets only two of his proposed intelligences, those being the linguistic and logical-mathematical components. Originally he proposed a total of seven multiple intelligences, but has recently added two more. The nine intelligences are detailed below.

Linguistic Intelligence: be sensitive to spoken and written language, show ability to learn languages with
relative ease, and use language to accomplish goals

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence: able to detect patterns, solve problems logically and systematically,
carry out mathematical operations, and analyze data scientifically

Spacial-Visual Intelligence: able to recognize patterns and use charts, diagrams and pictures well to solve
problems.

Musical intelligence: able to appreciate, perform and compose musical works by recognizing tone,
pitch and rhythms within pieces of music

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence: the skill to use one's body parts in a coordinated fashion to solve problems

Interpersonal Intelligence: ability to work with and understand people using language

Intrapersonal Intelligence: have good self-knowledge, self-confidence, and be able to analyze
oneself

Naturalistic Intelligence: able to recognize patterns and have interest in the living world

Existential Intelligence: having the inclination to ponder questions about life, death and ultimate
realities.

Now the question exists: if Binet's system of testing is so inadequate, why has it been around for so long? The answer lies in our educational system. The traditional methods of teaching have been based on the same two intelligences that the I.Q. test evaluates. Children have been forced to learn within this mold or fail. However, Gardner insists that all students are teachable and a student's success relies heavily on the teacher's methods (1993)

One would guess that this line of thinking could be generalized to all areas of teaching. However, Gardner was unsure if MI could be used in a classroom for English as a Second Language (ESL) students (Gardner, 2003). Others have shown support of MI in ESL settings (Christison, 1999; Ghosn, 1997).

Being interested in the connection between MI and ESL, we conducted an informal study on 194 university students attending a level 1 English conversation course at Dankook University, Cheonan Campus, South Korea. Subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire about their learning style preferences in ESL. The questionnaire measured the original seven intelligences and was modified by Brown (2001) for use in the ESL community. Campbell used this questionnaire to assess 1000 middle, high school, and university students, as well as practicing Korean English Teachers, in an informal study. He concluded that 72 percent of the population tested preferred learning through visual, interpersonal and kinetic styles (Campbell, 2006).

In our study, the highest preferences were found in musical (21.61%), interpersonal (16.43%), and kinesthetic (15.27%) learning styles, while logical-mathematical (10.09%) showed the lowest (See Appendix F). These percentages varied from those reported by Campbell (2006). Although our results showed tendencies toward musical, interpersonal and kinesthetic learning styles, all seven intelligences were in the range of 10 to 22 percent.

We concluded that in the ESL classroom, students learn using each of the original seven intelligences, like any regular class. The intelligence used to complete tasks is individualized, not generalized. Therefore, the ESL teacher needs to plan lessons that utilize a variety of intelligences in order to provide a student-friendly environment.

References

Brown, D. H. (2001). Strategies for Success. : New York: Longman.
Campbell, R. (2006). Experiential Learning Principles and Methodology. Kate Forum, 30(3), 13-15.
Christison, Mary Ann, & Kennedy, Deborah (1999). Multiple Intelligences: Theory and Practice in
Adult ESL. National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education, Washington DC.
Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice. New York, NY: HarperCollins
Publishers.
Gardner, H. (2003). Multiple Intelligences After Twenty Years. Paper presented at American
Educational Research Association, Chicago, Illinois, April 21, 2003.
Gardner, H. Gardner Defines Intelligence. Voice recording at WEAC Convention.
Retrieved on April, 2, 2007 from http://www.weac.org/aboutwea/conven97/audio1.htm
Ghosn, Irma K. (1997). Teaching EFL to Multiple Intelligences.: Paper presented at the 31st Annual Meeting
of the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Orlando, FL, March 11-15

Appendix A : Raw Data
Appendix A (cont.)
Appendix A (cont.)
Appendix A (cont.)
Appendix B : Mean and Standard Deviation
Appendix C : Frequency of Scores
Appendix D : Frequency of Combined Scores
Appendix E : Percentage of Frequency of Combined Scores by Intelligences
Appendix F : Percentage of Intelligences by Frequency of Combined Scores
Appendix G : Questionnaire
Circle the number that best describes you. Circle only one number for each item. Use the following scale.
4 definitely, very much so
3 yes
2 not really
1 definitely not

Example
I like to learn by watching videos. 4 3 2 1
Number 3 has been circled. This means that this person agrees and thinks that this statement describes him or her well.
1. I like memorizing words.
(나는 단어 암기하는 것을 좋아한다.) 4 3 2 1

2. I like my teacher to explain grammar to me.
(나는 선생님이 문법 설명 해 주는 것을 좋아한다.) 4 3 2 1

3. I like making charts and diagrams.
(나는 도표나 도식 만드는 것을 좋아한다.) 4 3 2 1

4. I like drama and role plays.
(나는 드라마나 역할극을 좋아한다.) 4 3 2 1

5. I like singing songs in English.
(나는 영어로 노래 부르는 것을 좋아한다.) 4 3 2 1

6. I like group and pair interaction.
(나는 그룹이나 짝을 지어 활동하는 것을 좋아한다.) 4 3 2 1

7. I like self-reflection through journal writing.
(나는 일기쓰기를 통해 스스로를 돌아보는 것을 좋아한다.) 4 3 2 1

8. I like word games and puzzles.
(나는 단어게임이나 퍼즐을 좋아한다.) 4 3 2 1

9. I like problem-solving exercises.
(나는 문제해결에 관련된 활동을 좋아한다.) 4 3 2 1

10. I like to learn through movies and videos.
(나는 영화나 비디오를 통해 학습하는 것을 좋아한다.) 4 3 2 1

11. I like to move around a lot in the classroom.
(나는 교실에서 활동적으로 움직이는 것을 좋아한다.) 4 3 2 1

12. I like jazz chants and rhythmic activities.
(나는 째즈나 리듬을 활용한 활동을 좋아한다.) 4 3 2 1

13. I like one-on-one conversation practice.
(나는 1대1 대화 연습을 좋아한다.) 4 3 2 1

14. I like to analyze my own performance.
(나는 내 자신의 학습활동을 분석하는 것을 좋아한다.) 4 3 2 1

Jamie and Amy Warr