Multiple Intelligence and the Performance of Indonesian EFL Learners

Abstract

Many ways of EFL teaching have been practiced by EFL teachers to optimally improve the learners’ performance in English. However, the results of the teaching many times did not meet our expectations. Therefore, this research aims to find a possible better way of teaching EFL by considering the students’ multiple intelligence (MI). A quantitative method of ex post facto design was conducted. The data were collected from the students of EFL learners studying English in the Department of English Education, Cenderawasih University, consisting of 236 students as the subject of the research. The data analysis used a non-parametric test, Kruskal Wallis, to compare the groups’ scores. The result shows that there is no significant difference in performance among the groups of MI. This result suggests that MI does not influence EFL learners’ English performance. This might be caused by the teaching strategies practiced by the lecturers who did not consider MI in their teaching processes. Therefore it is suggested to conduct further comprehensive research on the influence of multiple intelligence-based teaching on the performance of students with higher levels of English ability and or on the adult EFL learners.