Multiple Intelligences Theory: The Best Approach to Understanding Intelligence
Uploaded by IAMLEGEND666 on May 01, 2014
Multiple Intelligences Theory: The Best Approach
to Understanding Intelligence
Intelligence is a key aspect in education as emphasized by how academic aptitude is usually determined by students’ Intelligence Quotient (IQ), which are measured using psychometric tests. According to Gardner and Hatch (1989), these measures stress only on linguistic and logical-mathematical abilities, while ignoring others. It is therefore, important to understand how intelligence is defined, as unitary or multiple intelligences, so that schools can develop effective teaching approaches for each ability displayed by students. Although many research (Duncan et al., 2000; Penke et al., 2012) has supported Spearman’s two-factor theory of intelligence, it has some flaws. General intelligence is usually measured by psychometric tests to generate an IQ score. However, these tests access academic abilities (Gardner & Hatch, 1989) which cannot be equated with practical intelligence used to solve daily problems or emotional intelligence. General intelligence is also unable to explain intelligence in different cultural settings as what is considered intelligent in Western cultures may not be viewed the same way in other cultures (Nisbett & Masuda, 2003). The existence of savants (Snyder et al, 2003) with low intelligence but an extreme giftedness is unexplainable by a unitary intelligence. On the contrary, Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences is able to explain this phenomenon. The presence of an exceptional talent suggests a specific form of intelligence. Lastly, advances in technology such as the emergence of positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has enabled neuroscientists to discover specific parts of the brain that control functions related to different intelligences (Rodd, Davis, & Johnsrude, 2005; Samson & Zatorre, 1994). Therefore, this essay will argue that intelligence is multifaceted, using Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences.
The two-factor theory of intelligence was proposed by Spearman (1904), which consists the g-factor and s-factors. The g-factor is frequently measured through psychometric tests, generating an IQ score that represents an individual’s overall cognitive ability. However, this theory has several flaws. Psychometric tests only measure academic abilities like arithmetic and linguistic skills (Gardner & Hatch, 1989) which are not applicable to practical and emotional intelligence. Abilities such as solving daily problems and controlling one’s own emotions are not measured. Therefore, the g-factor, which is distinguished through comparison of various intelligence tests, is not a true representation of intelligence.
It is also based on factor analysis, which depends on the interpretations of the analysts. Due to analysts’ different...