The Relationship between Multiple Intelligences and Reading Proficiency of Iranian EFL Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between multiple intelligences (MI) and reading proficiency of Iranian EFL pre-university students and to look into the role that gender plays. To find out the relationships among the naturally occurring variables, the researcher employed a descriptive and ex post facto design. The participants were 128 randomly selected pre-university students. The researcher utilized three instruments, namely: 1) a demographic questionnaire; 2) the Persian version of Mckenzie’s MI Inventory; and 3) a standardized reading proficiency test retrieved from paper-based TOEFL® tests. Analyzing the data using t-test, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference in the mean of musical-rhythmic intelligence scores of the low achievers and the high achievers which was positive and stronger among the low achievers. Accordingly, it seems that the high achievers may have lower musical intelligence, which also indicates that better readers may be less intelligent ‘musically’. A statistically significant difference was also found between the mean bodily-kinesthetic intelligence scores of the two genders which was positive and stronger among the females. No significant difference was found between the male and female students in their reading proficiency scores.