The Effect of Multiple Intelligences on  DDL Vocabulary Learning

Zaini Amir,Asma’a Abdulrazzaq Al-Mahbashi,Noorizah Mohd Noor

doi:10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.6n.2p.182

Abstract

Over the past decades, the potential for the direct use of corpora known as data driven learning (DDL) has gained great prominence in English language classrooms. A substantial number of empirical studies demonstrated that DDL instruction positively affects students’ learning. As learning outcomes can be affected by individual differences, some researchers have investigated the efficiency of DDL in the light of learners’ different characteristics to determine the type of learners who were more responsive to DDL. The DDL literature has indicated the need for more research addressing for whom DDL best suits. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to examine whether or not learners’ predominant intelligences were significant predictors of DDL learning outcomes. The sample for this study included 30 female EFL Yemeni students at Sana’a University. The study used three primary instruments: a multiple intelligence questionnaire, a posttest and a delayed test on the vocabulary that was taught using DDL. The result of the correlation analyses between the participants’ three identified predominant intelligences and their performances in the posttest and delayed test showed an insignificant relationship between the variables. The regression analyses results also revealed that the predominant intelligences insignificantly predicted the participants’ posttest and delayed test performances. Based on these findings, learners’ needs and preferences should be activated and addressed by classroom instructions for creating a diverse and motivating learning environment.Keywords: corpora, DDL, individual differences, IQ, multiple intelligences

Highlights

Vocabulary learning is a vital process for the successful acquisition of language, which involves students’ knowledge of word definitions, and their attention to different aspects of a word as collocation, synonym and pronunciation, just to name a few (Nation 2005)
This study was conducted to investigate the impact of multiple intelligences on the data driven learning (DDL) learning outcomes
The results obtained from the correlation analyses revealed that the identified predominant intelligences: mathematicallogical, visual-spatial and interpersonal intelligences were not significantly correlated with DDL vocabulary learning

Summary

Introduction

Vocabulary learning is a vital process for the successful acquisition of language, which involves students’ knowledge of word definitions, and their attention to different aspects of a word as collocation, synonym and pronunciation, just to name a few (Nation 2005). Since the 13th century, corpus, as a collection of real written and spoken texts, has been a valuable tool for linguistics analysis and language description (McCarthy & O’Keeffe 2010). Collecting authentic language texts was done manually leading to what is called the era of pre-electronic corpora. As a consequence of computer technology in the late 1960s, a new era of electronic corpus appeared which allowed for “the storage and the analysis of a larger database of natural language than could be dealt with by hand” (Biber et al 1998:4). In 1980, the second generation of corpora was initiated Examples of these corpora are the British National Corpus (BNC) and the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) both of which are general corpora compiled from different kinds of written texts as well as spoken transcripts

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