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ESL teachers' multiple intelligences and teaching strategies: Is there a linkage?
Author(s) -
Luo Mingchu Neal,
Huang Mindy
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
tesol journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.468
H-Index - 14
eISSN - 1949-3533
pISSN - 1056-7941
DOI - 10.1002/tesj.379
Subject(s) - intrapersonal communication , theory of multiple intelligences , psychology , mathematics education , interpersonal communication , curriculum , linkage (software) , literacy , teaching method , pedagogy , social psychology , biochemistry , chemistry , gene
The multiple intelligences ( MI ) theory has been widely applied to literacy education and English as a second language ( ESL ) teaching in informing curriculum development and instructional strategies. Using the framework that intelligence shapes human behavior, this study examines the correlations between ESL teachers' MI preferences and their use of MI ‐framed teaching strategies in the ESL classroom. Data collected from 67 ESL teachers in a midwestern U.S. state by completing the Intelligence Index and the MI ‐Framed Teaching Strategies Index were analyzed using Pearson correlations. Results indicate that ESL teachers used linguistic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal teaching strategies more frequently. The strength of the relationships between ESL teachers' self‐perceived MI domains and their uses of the relevant MI ‐framed teaching strategies were weak or not significant. Whether such linkage actually exists may also depend on the experiential, motivational, and contextual factors of the instructional settings. Discussion of results includes the specific levels of the paired relationships examined and their implications for ESL teaching and teacher education.