|
Multiple Intelligences Action Research
Method
American
schools have traditionally favored those students who excel in the
linguistic and analytical arenas because these skills are highly valued
in our culture. Unfortunately, this traditional approach leaves certain
students behind to stumble blindly through an educational system that
ignores their unique abilities. This action research study seeks to
show that instructional activities that incorporate the multiple
intelligences can improve students' attitudes toward learning and
students' academic achievement in English class.
by Michele R. Acosta
Apparatus
Data for the study was
collected in three ways. Pre and post attitude
surveys were created for the study and were administered to students.
The introductory survey consisted of ten statements and a Leikert scale
for each statement. The statements were designed to determine students'
attitudes toward learning in English class. Several statements were
also designed to determine students' initial reactions to the concepts
involved in the multiple intelligences. The closing survey consisted of
the same ten statements as the introductory survey with 11 additional
statements. The additional statements were designed to determine
students' attitudes toward and understanding of the multiple
intelligences in the classroom. A pre and post analytical writing
sample, adapted from Kahn, Walter and Johannessen (1984), was also
administered to students and was used to determine if students improved
in their ability to analyze a work of literature as a result of MI
based instruction. Finally, the researcher compared second and third
quarter grades as another method of measuring improvement in academic
achievement. |
|
|