Theory of Multiple Intelligence

By: Timmy Phomsouvanh

For: Dr. C.
HLTH 3200: Methods in Health
Promotion
Fall 2013

Multiple Intelligence Research Paper

Each person develops a unique way of their own learning skills as they get older. We are taught
in the same ways during childhood education and for some it may be easier to retain the
information than others. There are many different types of learning styles and if one is able to
learn and remember information early in life I believe it will help them out towards the future.
The Theory of Multiple Intelligence was developed by Howard Gardner in the 1980s. It is
meant as a base system of inducing ones learning. There is not just one specific way of learning
and some build on others. Gardner came up with eight different intelligences, hence the name
Multiple Intelligence which includes linguistic, logical-mathematical, Musical, Bodilykinesthetic, Spatial, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and naturalistic.
Introduced first is linguistic intelligence. This involves language and communication. It gives a
person to express themselves and may retain learning by seeing or saying the words. An
example of this type is a poet. Poets come up with some amazing work and by visualizing or
speaking during writing, the brain can trigger different thoughts one may not think about.
Logical-mathematical learners like to analyze problems. They enjoy things such as numbers,
patterns/puzzles, and relationships. I think of it as understanding the why with logical
problems. A good example would be a statistician. They always enjoy finding out the odds or
probability of things.
Musical intelligence consists of having a passion and appreciation for music; pays close attention
to sounds surrounding the environment, music may help them retain information or making time
go by. Some examples would be someone that plays an instrument or just enjoys listening to the
beauty of the music or a composer who is physically engaged and pays close attention when on
stage.

Bodily-kinesthetic involves communication with body language. One learns better by hands on
learning and being able to touch the object. They enjoy doing skits, role playing, and physical
activity. A good example here would be a personal trainer. They have the ability to learn and
teach by pointing out things involving the body or by touching parts of the body such like a
cadaver.
Interpersonal intelligence is how one perceives other people and observes behavior. By
interacting with other people makes their learning experience that much better. People have
effective communication skills and are able to persuade others. They also understand and caring
of others. When I think of interpersonal I think of a coach, whether it be a sports coach or a
mentor. They help you grow and provide their opinion/advice when needed.
Intrapersonal intelligence uses knowledge for the future. They are in a spiritual way with
themselves, know how they are feeling, able to set goals and objectives to reach the end, selfmotivated and determined to finish things. An example would be a philosopher because they
have fantastic self-awareness, they know their weaknesses and strengths, they usually have a
story of how they ended up in the position they are in, whether it be successful or not.
Naturalistic involves the environment. Being able to observe the surroundings and having a
connection with different elements in nature. They person can easily distinguish nature and its
characteristics such as plants, animals, minerals. First thing that comes to mind is a biologist or
zoologist because they have the passion to learn and teach about the subjects.
Based on researching the different intelligences I believe I learn best by the bodily-kinesthetic. I
like to be able to see the actual object instead of having it drawn on a board or visualizing it
while someone is talking about it. I need to see what it looks like, where it goes, and what it
does. An engine for example would be very difficult for me if someone was explaining a part

such as the starter. Although most starters on a car are in the same place, I need to physically
touch and see for it to process to my brain. From taking a biomed class here on campus I love
how the lab has cadavers and full skeleton models. This helped me out a plethora instead of
reading text books and watching PowerPoint slides.
Another style of intelligence I would include is the interpersonal intelligence. By taking the MI
test this is what I scored the highest on. I find myself observing people more than
communicating with them yet I like to engage in group conversations and learn more effectively
by interaction. I seem to be to person people come to for advice and I am always willing to help
another person out. In a way, I like to know why people do what they do.
In conclusion, I believe its important early in life for one to figure out what the best way is for
them to learn. It will be helpful and may make it easier for educational learning. There are many
tests out there that can determine multiple intelligences. I would also encourage, aside from this
to research about strengths and weakness. There are a lot of studies and resources on campus on
campus like the Career Center and Student Involvement Center that students may go to.

References

McKethan, R., Raninowit, E., & Kernodle, M. W. (2010) Multiple Intelligences in Virtual and
Traditional Skill Instructional Learning Environments, 67, 158-168
Yesi, R., Korkmaz, O. (2010) Reliability and Validity Analysis of the Multiple Intelligence
Perception Scale, 131, 8-32
Douglas, O., Burton, K. S., & Reese-Durham, N (2008) the Effects of the Multiple Intelligence
Teaching Strategy on the Academic Achievement of Eight Grade Math Students 35,
182-187
Ghraibeh, A., Mohamed, A. (2012) Brain Based Learning and its relation with multiple
intelligences, 1, 103-113