Teaching reading using multiple intelligences : an action research investigating the profiles of one preschool classroom

Abstract

Reading is universally considered as a fundamental cognitive process of acquiring information from written text. Since individuals acquire reading skills differently, there is no single way for teaching reading. For many years, the educational system has valued primarily linguistic and mathematical ways of learning and has placed a stronger emphasis on test scores than on the learners themselves. In 1983, Howard Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligences (MI), focusing on different intelligences in learning. This study is a qualitative action research that aimed at investigating how children learned to read by highlighting each child’s dominant intelligence and by exploring how MI affected reading performance. As a teacher-researcher, I integrated MI theory in the learning process of seven children and focused on the unique ways they learned to see if their reading performance improved. The results and their implications showed that the use of MI in learning led to better reading performance. It is recommended that teachers should place more emphasis on learners’ needs and their dominant ways in processing information. Reading instruction should be redirected in such a way that teaching, learning and literacy are equitable for all students. A match between learner needs and the educational environment enables learners to engage in active, rich and effective learning experiences.