The Application Of Multiple Intelligences To Vocabulary Teaching In Primary School

This thesis is focusing on an exploration of applying MI theory to English vocabulary learning in primary school to see whether it can improve students’ learning motivation and also their grades of English.The MI theory was proposed by Howard Gardner in 1983.He thinks human has eight kinds of intelligences,each intelligence is not only isolated but combines with others in a variety of combinations.As the theory became maturer step by step,the concept of the MI theory gradually continues to inform the teaching work.The application of MI theory is significant for guiding English-vocabulary-teaching work.In the past few years,the intelligence was seen to be stationary and inherent.However,Gardner presents that intelligences were multiple and students have different methods to understand new knowledge.And the intelligence can be reinforced and improved by learning in the future.This study is focusing on two questions:1.Can the MI teaching method improve students’ motivation to learn English vocabulary if we adopt this method into the classroom?2.Compared to traditional teaching methods,can the MI teaching method improve students’ test scores ?There are 90 students in the experiment and they were divided into two groups,45 students in the experiment class and 45 students in the control class.They are asked to fill in a questionnaire about their intelligences and a vocabulary test before the experiment.After the experiment,students are given a test and were interviewed about few questions.SPSS20.0 is adopted after the experiment in order to analyze the data before and after the experiment.The study finds that there is a significant meaning of applying MI theory to English vocabulary teaching.Students are more likely to participate in the classroom activities if teacher design the teaching plan according to MI theory,they are more motivated than the traditional teaching method by the interview after the experiment.And also their grade in experiment class is higher than the control class by the data analysis.That means if MI theory is adopted during the class and after a period of learning,students’ motivation and their grades can be higher than before.Teachers can design different teaching plans for their students according to their intelligences so that students can learn English vocabulary happier than before.