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Volume 19 Number 4, Winter 2022, Pages 1141-1336   


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Effects of Multiple Intelligences-based Instruction on English Achievement and Learner Autonomy of Thai Tertiary Students

    Mongkolchai Tiansoodeenon & Pragasit Sitthitikul


It is evident that English classes in Thailand are overcrowded, as students frequently come from diverse backgrounds and have a variety of skills and interests. In response to this out-of-control circumstance, Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence (MI) theory proposes a new style of teaching that accounts for individual differences. This study seeks to investigate 1) the effects of MI-based instruction on English achievement and 2) the extent to which MI-based instruction fosters learner autonomy (LA). A quasi-experimental design was used to assess students' language achievement, while mixed-method research was used to assess students' LA. This study included 123 engineering faculty members from a university in the central region of Thailand. The English achievement test was used to assess their general English proficiency, while the adapted questionnaire from Murase's (2015) Measuring Instruments of Language Learner Autonomy (MILLA), the semi-structured interviews and the teacher's log were used to assess their LA. The results showed that the experimental group improved their listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar skills, while their writing skills did not differ from the control group. There was no significant difference in the students' level of LA after the MI-based instruction.

Keywords: Multiple intelligence theory, Multiple-intelligences based instruction, English achievement, Learner autonomy, Thai tertiary students