Differentiation and catering for differing intelligences of students in the classroom an experimental research at a primary school in ha noi

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES LƯU THỊ MAI THANH DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION FOR STUDENTS OF DIFF

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

LƯU THỊ MAI THANH

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION FOR STUDENTS

OF DIFFERENT INTELLIGENCES – AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN HANOI

(Phương pháp dạy học phân loại học sinh theo những kiểu

trí thông minh khác nhau – một nghiên cứu thực nghiệm tại một

trường tiểu học ở Hà Nội.)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01

HANOI, 2018

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

LƯU THỊ MAI THANH

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION FOR STUDENTS

OF DIFFERENT INTELLIGENCES – AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

AT A PRIMARY SCHOOL IN HANOI

(Phương pháp dạy học phân loại học sinh theo những kiểu

trí thông minh khác nhau – một nghiên cứu thực nghiệm tại một

trường tiểu học ở Hà Nội.)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Language Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01

Supervisor: Dr Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Quỳnh

HANOI, 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

ABSTRACT ii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iii

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES iv

PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale 1

2 Objectives 4

3 Subjects 4

4 Research questions 5

5 Methodology 5

6 Organization of the thesis 6

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT 7

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 7

1.1 Intelligence 7

1.1.1 Different views of intelligence 7

1.1.2 The theory of Multiple Intelligences 9

1.1.3 Critiques of Multiple Intelligence Theory 14

1.2 Differentiated instruction 15

1.2.1 Mixed ability classrooms 15

1.2.2 Differentiated instruction 16

1.3 Experimental research 17

CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 19

2.1 The setting of the study 19

2.1.1.A description of the students and their learning program: 19

2.1.2 A description of the teachers 19

2.2 Research methodology 20

2.2.1 Participants 20

2.2.2 The instruments 21

2.3 Procedures 25

2.4 Statistics 26

2.5 Data Analysis 27

CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 28

3.1 Scores of multiple intelligence survey 28

3.2 The results of pre-test and post –test 30

3.3 The result of interviews 33

3.4 Implications 34

PART III: CONCLUSION 36

1 Recapitulation 36

2 Limitations of the study 37

3 Recommendation for further research 38

REFERENCES 40 APPENDIX I

DECLARATION

I certify that the thesis is the result of my own research and the

substance of the thesis has not, wholly or in part, been submitted for a degree

to any other university or institution Where other sources of information have

been used, they have been indentified and acknowledged

Hanoi, December 2018

Luu Thi Mai Thanh

Formatted: Header distance from edge:

0,98"

Formatted: English (United States)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to send my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quynh for her helpful suggestions, comments and continuous support of my study I am also grateful to her for reading my manuscript and helping me make necessary changes

I would also like to all of the members in Post-graduate Department of University of Languages and International Studies (Hanoi) for designing a very useful syllabus of my Master program

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my parents and my husband for their continuous support and encouragement throughout my study time

Hanoi, December 2018

Luu Thi Mai Thanh

ABSTRACT

According to Ellis (1985) second language learners are different in speed and results So the purpose of this study was to find the best way for teachers to cater much better for every single student The research investigated Gardner’s “Theory of multiple intelligences” in a sample of forty eight students and they were all in grade four at a primary school in Hanoi This research is an experimental study with the target group The instruments included multiple intelligence survey form; typical activities for different multiple intelligence types; one pre-test and one post-test; interviews and observations The one experiment group design was used with subject Meanwhile, percentage and index were used to analyze the collected data There is a variety of learning activities created to develop students in all aspects

Keywords: intelligence, multiple intelligences, differentiated instruction

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

MI: Multiple intelligence(s)

SPSS: Statistical Package for Social Science

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Figure 1 Multiple intelligence domains by McKenzie (2002, p 156) 14

Table 1 Reliability Statistics of Multiple Intelligence survey 22

Figure 2 Distributions of Multiple Intelligences 28

Figure 3 Mean scores of MI preferences 29

Figure 4 Mean scores and Standard deviation of MI frequencies 29

Figure 5: Paired samples statistics of Class 1 31

Figure 6 A score comparison between pre-test and post-test of Class 1 31

Figure 7 Paired samples statistics of Class 2 31

Figure 8 A score comparison between pre-test and post-test of Class 2 32

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

This chapter introduces the research area and outlines the background and rationale for the present study It also provides a chapter by chapter overview of the thesis

1 Rationale

Differentiation seems to have become a very familiar term that many

teachers have heard However, it can be difficult to define The concept comes from the idea that there are a large number of children with mixed abilities in classes, and those activities are needed to be varied based on student’s levels of understanding, readiness to learn, learning needs, or interest

According to BBC active (2010), differentiation is defined by the Training and Development Agency (TDA) for schools as “the process by which differences between learners are accommodated so that all students in a group have the best possible chance of learning” In recent decades, it has been considered as a key skill for any teacher, especially those with mixed ability classes

However, according to Stradling and Saunders (1993), differentiation is

a pedagogical, rather than an organizational approach Differentiation shapes

an approach to teaching in which teachers proactively modify curricula, teaching methods, resources, learning activities, and student products This is done to address the diverse needs of individual students and small groups of students, and to maximize the learning opportunity for each student in a classroom (Berne, 1999; Tomlinson, 1999)

When teachers follow differentiated instruction, they become instructors, not speakers in the class Therefore, they give their students a higher chance of practicing and sharing their ideas in every lesson Thus,

there is a close relationship between the differentiation approach and the learner – centred class theory

Jean Jacque Rousseau (1712-1778), a Swiss born French theorist confirmed that teachers should begin an instruction by considering what the learner is capable of learning, and what he is interested in learning The learner-centred approach is therefore strongly advocated, based on the conviction that all are capable of learning and enhancing self-development to their highest potential

There exists a very popular saying: “Everybody is a genius But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing

that it is stupid.” This saying is frequently misquoted as Albert Einstein,

however, I believe it is a great quote In fact, there are a lot of teachers who have been using the same activities for different students in a class and evaluate them with the same criteria The research which I have focused on has since made me reflect on my own teaching in my classroom Thus, I have been asking myself: “Have I considered my students’ needs before teaching? Have I given them equal evaluations and opportunities?”

Mixed ability classes are widespread among schools, even though students in Vietnam are tested, and organised and grouped on academic ability However, this is based on their first language, rather than in English Therefore, a wide range of abilities is a common occurrence in many classrooms, and one that many teachers are struggling with in our own staffroom This has enhanced my own reflections: “How do I meet the needs

of all my students?” Teachers are aware, more than ever, that a all lesson plan will not meet the needs of all their learners

In the paper named “Teaching English in Primary Schools in Vietnam” (2007), Dr Nguyen Mai Hoa introduced Moon’s (2005) finding of the teaching methodology Moon (2005) pointed out that in many primary schools the teaching methods are “adult-oriented” In my experience, one of

the most dominant features of teaching methodology used in ESL is repetition This is done through drills and whole class choralling This is meant to help children to learn vocabulary and grammar word perfectly And this context is not fair to all of students In fact, students come with varied backgrounds, home life, experiences, motivation and abilities, not to mention different learning styles While teachers are aware of this phenomenon, they are often unsure how to deal with it (Tobin & McInnes, 2008) If educational practice is to progress teachers need to find a way to deal with diversity and the needs of individuals, while teaching a group of students (Visser, 1998)

In my personal experience, the greatest satisfaction that an instructor can have each time students come out of their class is that they gain an understanding of the lesson and an appreciation of their teacher However, in

a classroom with many students of different levels of knowledge, skill and attitude, this is quite difficult How do we ensure that we are applying a suitable teaching strategy and a proper assessment method to detect learning?

To answer this question, we should build an ideal learning environment where students are eager to learn and express their ideas confidently

I have taught English to primary students at a big school in Hanoi for nine years This is a private school where students have seven English classes per week During this time, I worked very hard and tried my best to update useful teaching methods I have noticed a tremendous difference in ability in each of groups of students This diversity, added to the amount of exposure to English via multimedia outlets, interests, and learning styles, all play a role in the vast ability gap in English among students I quickly came to realize that it

is better to have a variety of text levels available, as well as assignments

As a way to differentiated instruction, a teacher may implement the theory of multiple intelligences (MI) The theory was developed by Howard Gardner in the early 1980s and states that each person has several distinct

intelligences correlating with a specific part of the brain Utilizing the MI theory, teachers can organize learning activities to be relevant each of the intelligences in their classrooms This means that students will have targeted learning experiences, resulting in higher levels of achievement The theory of

MI recommended that teaching strategies for a group of children may not be suitable for another group

2 Objectives

This research presents the effect of a new teaching strategy

“Differentiated instruction for students of different intelligences” with the

hope of caring for every student in a class So it will help teachers to organize class activities in a more effective way and improve the present situation by unleashing students’ sleeping potentials This experimental study also gives a meaningful answer to the question “How do I meet the needs of all my students?” The objective totally matches one of the purposes of teaching English as an elective subject in primary schools: “Building positive attitudes

to English, and better understanding and love for Vietnamese through learning English Furthermore, students’ intelligence, personality, and learning method will have also been gradually formed” (Ministry of Education and Training, 2003)

The research aims to build up motivations for the students in their learning progress So that a variety of activities designed for different groups will be organized in every lesson

All of the students who took part in the study can be informed about what their dominant intelligence(s) are so that they can adjust their learning strategies to get improvement Hence, this research one more time confirms

the statement: “Everybody is a genius.”

3 Subjects

The research was conducted on two Grade 4 classes in a primary school in

Ha Noi The participants were an English teacher who had more than nine

years of teaching experience and twenty four students from Class 1, twenty four students from Class 2 “Everybody up 4” (second edition) published by Oxford University Press (2016) was used as the textbook

The teacher first had the students do a multiple intelligence survey to identify their intelligence types, and then designed lesson plans which included different activities for different groups of students to cater their

needs effectively A pre-test and post-test will also be given to compare the

students’ performances of these two classes

4 Research questions

In order to find out the impact of multiple intelligence theory on student’s achievement, this study was designed to answer two questions:

a What are students’ types of intelligences?

b To what extent does the differentiated lessons based on the application of the MI theory lead to better learning by the students?

5 Methodology

The study consists of three phases The first phase focuses on MI survey and answers Research question 1 The second phase mainly carries out differentiated lessons And in the third phase, the research aims to judge students’ achievement and analyze data This is an experimental study with the use of the following instruments:

 A multiple intelligence survey for students

 A pre-test and post-test

 Interviews for students

 Differentiated activities based on the theory of multiple intelligences

A printed MI survey created by Laura Candler (2011) was used in the study because most other MI surveys are too long or complex for kids It was then translated into Vietnamese so that students could read and answer easily The teacher delivered the survey during the teaching time and had the

students finish it in one period The next day, gathered data were analyzed with the software named Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) to ensure the validity and reliability

In this case, Class 1 was the experimental group, and Class 2 was the control group A list of varied activities was designed in every lesson to enhance the potential of each child After analyzing data, interviewing students and observing lessons, the researcher made any adjustments to the instruments and the method of teaching if needed A pre-test and post-test were also conducted to find out how the students in each of the group had made improvements in English subject

6 Organization of the thesis

This study covers three main parts as follows:

Chapter 3 shows the analyzed findings and answers for two research questions

Part 3: Conclusion

This part is considered as a brief summary of the main content including

in the study It is also a recapitulation of findings, and it discusses on some limitations of the study as well as gives out suggestions for further study

PART 2: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter aims to establish the significance of the general field of the study, then identify a place where a new contribution of MI could be made The bulk of the chapter was on critically evaluating the different views

of “intelligence” so as to identify the appropriate approach to investigate the research questions

1.1 Intelligence

1.1.1 Different views of intelligence

The term “intelligence” has many definitions, taking into account its complexity The notion of general intelligence (Spearman, 1927) had long been widely accepted by psychologists Historically, for a long time, intelligence quotient (IQ) test had been used as an effective instrument to identify the intellectual ability of someone The abbreviation “IQ” was invented by the psychologist William Stern in 1912 Many different kinds of

IQ tests included varied items Some test items are visual, while some are verbal In 1904, Charles Spearman made the first formal factor analysis correlations among the tests He named “g” for “general factor”, and it was an important tool of an IQ test However, Howard Gardner noted in his book

“Frame of mind” that the IQ tests had predictive power for success in schooling but little predictive power when it came outside the school context Because of the important role in language learning, a lot of researchers have given different definitions for intelligence

According to Wagner and Sternberg (1985), there were three conceptions of intelligence These views were reviewed by Chastain in a book written in 1988 Firstly, from the psychometric view, intelligence is defined as

mental capacity, and prepared tests can be used carefully to measure that mental ability After measuring, the test results can help in ranking learners according to their ability Secondly, from the Piagetian view, he believes that intelligence is composed of stages of development based on maturity, experiences in the physical environment, and it is the product of individual self-regulator processes Thirdly, the information processing view points out that intelligence comes from the way the brain represents and processes information

In Moaafian’s point of view (2008, cited in Hernandez et al., 2010), intelligence is a person’s ability to reason, plan, solve problems, understand complex ideas, learn quickly and learn from experience In short, intelligence

in this view is considered as a very general mental capacity, it is like some of personal competences in both schooling and non-schooling environments Ellis (2008) confirmed that there was a close link among intelligence, working memory and language aptitude With this view, Ellis also mentioned cognitive capacities and the difference between their conceptualizations and terms (p.649)

Howard Gardner (2011, p.63) appreciated that his review of earlier studies of intelligence suggested him the existence of different intellectual strengths/competences Gardner (1983,p.81) defined “intelligence as the ability to solve problem or to create fashion products that are valued within one or more cultural settings” This definition showed the difference between his idea and the traditional psychology view of intelligence Furthermore, Gardner (1993) described intelligence as a bio-psychological potential that could be changed by motivational, experience and culture factors And in the book entitled “Multiple intelligences around the world” (p.323), he pointed out that intelligence was “a set of skills of problem-solving” helping a person

deal with his/ her problems or difficulties Also, intelligence was “the potential for finding or creating problems – thereby laying the groundwork for the acquisition of new knowledge”

Looking back at the above definitions of intelligence, I find that Spearman, Piaget, Moaafian and Ellis just limited intelligence in one or some

of the aspects and “intelligence” is uncountable Meanwhile, Gardner made the term “intelligence” become a countable noun, and he has professed to be quite willing to refer to his eight intelligences as talents or abilities He claimed that there was no hierarchy of ability, and Linguistic and Logical/ Mathematical abilities are not more important than any of the other

“intelligences” in real-life

1.1.2 The theory of Multiple Intelligences

1.1.2.1 Types of multiple intelligences

The theory of multiple intelligences was coined by Howard Gardner in his book named “Frames of mind” (1983) Gardner uses the term MI to explain the different ways in which people are intelligent He proposes that learners have seven types of intelligences Each of us has these intelligences, but there are some intelligences that are much more dominant than others This view on intelligence differs from the before views which based on only two intelligences: Linguistic and Mathematical intelligence The theory helps teachers comprehend better how individual strengths can be understood Gardner (1983) identified seven categories of skills and abilities which he considered as individual intelligences: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal and intrapersonal Later he added two more types: naturalistic intelligence (1995) and existential intelligence (1999) Educational researchers has made further studies on the hypothesis of existential intelligence for years, so that the teacher did not put

this type in practice Gardner (1993) claims that all intelligences are needed in society, and seven types of intelligences could be used together in a learning environment I totally appreciates this idea and plans to give students chances

of using their preferred intelligences in their classroom

The theory of MI had been proposed, discussed and developed in four books: “Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences” (1983),

“Multiple intelligences” (1993), “Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century” (1999) and “Multiple intelligences around the world” (2009) Parviz Maftoon exploited these ideas in the series and made very clear descriptions for all intelligences in an article named “The Realization of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences (MI) Theory in Second Language Acquisition (SLA)” (pp 1235-1236) Furthermore, his review turned to be very helpful for language instructors since it provided some suggested activities which were suitable for students of specific types of intelligences What follows is a brief introduction of intelligence types shorten from Maftoon’s article

a Verbal/ Linguistic Intelligence

A person who owns this intelligence has the ability of applying linguistic rules effectively He or she is very sensitive to language and able to deal with problems by using language Gardner (1993) pointed out that poets, linguists, language teachers, lawyers are the one who possess verbal/ linguistic intelligence A student who has this type of intelligence might be eager to do the following activities:

- Visiting libraries or bookstores

- Writing diaries

- Playing word games

- Memorizing songs, poems or stories

b Logical/ Mathematical intelligence

According to Gardner (1993), students with logical/mathematical intelligence are keen on the processes of categorization, classification, inference, generalization, calculation and hypothesis testing They are good at doing comprehension/ written language tests Suggested activities for these students might be:

- Watching videos about science

- Finding out information about famous scientists’ inventions

- Visiting science museums

- Arranging things into story line or time line

c Visual/ Spatial intelligence

This type of intelligence refers to the sensitivity to colors, shapes, lines, forms and space A person who has spatial intelligence is good at visualizing models in detail He or she is interested in the following things while learning

a language:

- Working on puzzles with words

- Making a collage by cutting out images from newspapers/ magazines

- Burning a CD of their favorite songs

- Singing songs

- Going to concerts or listening to music

e Bodily/ Kinesthetic intelligence:

Bodily/ Kinesthetic intelligence is the ability of using body for expression It also refers to the use of body in dealing with problems or making products People having this type of intelligence might choose jobs such as athletes, dancers, mechanics, and physical education teachers A student with bodily intelligences likes doing the following activities:

- Involving in sports

- Signing up for drama or dancing class

- Miming or acting out a story

- Gardening, cooking, learning car mechanics

f Interpersonal intelligence

This type of intelligence expresses the ability to getting on well with human relationships People that possess interpersonal intelligence are teachers, salesperson, or politicians In Teele’s (2000) view, interpersonal intelligence individuals are very friendly and eager to participate in social activities They prefer doing the following activities:

- Interacting with other people

- Being a people watcher and looking for chances of practicing English

- Taking part in some clubs, parties and talking to people that they do not know well

g Intrapersonal intelligence:

Intrapersonal intelligence makes a person independent, appreciate time alone and be self-reflective He or she can define interests, fears and abilities Self-monitoring becomes the most dominant characteristics of these individuals Students who own this type of intelligence may like doing the following activities:

- Thinking their goals and their hopes for the future

- Using a diary to write about their thoughts and feelings

- Making a list of strengths and weaknesses of their language learning

h Naturalistic intelligence:

Gardner added this intelligence as the eighth one after the first publication

of the model in 1995 Gardner (1999) pointed out that a naturalist is the one who

is good at identifying and classifying objects People who own this type of intelligence always focus on “observing, classifying and understanding the parts

of the physical environment as well as showing understanding of natural phenomena” (Parviz Maftoon, p.1236) A student who has naturalistic intelligence is usually concerned with the following activities:

- Discovering environment, animals, nature and plants

- Talking about favourite pets or natural places to classmates, friends, parents

With the hope of cater for all of students’ needs, it is important when looking at how students possess different kinds of minds, and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways Gardner argued that students would be better served if teachers could teach in a number of ways and learning could be assessed through a variety of means In term of teaching, this theory makes wonderful changes for teachers’ method A teacher-centred class really shifted to a learner-centred class by various activities in the lessons The researcher highly appreciates lists of suggested

activities for students given by Howard Gardner The theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) brings a magic door for differentiated instruction, and it is

also the reason why this paper mentioned the term MI

1.1.2.2 Three domains of multiple intelligences

McKenzie (2002) categorized three domains of multiple intelligences: the analytical, introspective and interactive domains (Figure 1)

Figure 1 Multiple intelligence domains by McKenzie (2002, p 156)

McKenzie grouped logical, musical and naturalist intelligence into the analytic domain because they include the processes of analyzing and incorporating data into existing schema The interactive domain consists of linguistic, interpersonal and kinesthetic intelligence because the students who have these types of intelligences typically invite and encourage interaction to achieve understanding Intrapersonal, existential and visual intelligence belong to the introspective domain because they need a looking inward learners, an emotive connection to their own experiences and beliefs to make sense of new learning

These domains show the relationship among some types of intelligences and teachers can depend on this classification to plan lessons that address all of the intelligences in a class The domain also might help teachers to minimize the number of groups in a lesson

1.1.3 Critiques of Multiple Intelligence Theory

Gardner (2011, p.293) discussed on a critique of the MI theory by himself He pointed out that there were still numerous areas of human psychology that the theory could not encompass Before that, some other researchers have concentrated on the problems with the theory

Carroll (1985) thought that Gardner might have neglected the area of memory as psychometric evidence which shows the important abilities in this domain

Many psychologists (for example, Klein, 1988, p.106) see that differentiation of the concept of intelligence is not supported by well-founded evidence However, many educationalists appreciate the practical value of the strategies suggested by the theory

Steinberg (1988) argues that Gardner is not supporting the existing definitions of “intelligence”, and in fact he uses the word “intelligence” with the same meaning of “ability” So that he calls MI theory as “a theory of talents, not one of intelligences”

However, the theory is also received support from many researchers and educators MI theory is evaluated its results by its applications in educational settings (Chen, 2004) For instance, Project Zero at Harvard University studied forty-one schools that applied MI theory to their curriculum for three school years The results showed improvements in students’ test scores and discipline, parents’ involvement Haley (2004) also appreciated the effectiveness when applying MI theory to second language and foreign language learning and teaching

1.2 Differentiated instruction

1.2.1 Mixed ability classrooms

Mixed ability classrooms are widespread among schools This is a common factor that teachers have been struggling with, and asking the

question that triggered this study: “How do I meet the needs of all my students?” Teachers are aware, more than ever, that a one-size-fits-all lesson

plan will not meet the needs of all their learners Students come with varied backgrounds, home life, experiences, motivation and abilities, not to mention

different learning styles While teachers are aware of this phenomenon, they are often unsure how to deal with it (Tobin & McInnes, 2008)

The greatest satisfaction that a lecturer can have is that each time students come out of class they strongly impress on their lesson and appreciate the lecturer as the best one they have got in their life However, in

a classroom with many students of different knowledge backgrounds, skills and attitude, this value is quite difficult to get How do teachers ensure that they are applying suitable teaching strategies and a proper assessment method

to detect learning? To answer this question, educators should build an ideal learning environment where students are eager to learn and express their ideas confidently

1.2.2 Differentiated instruction

Differentiated instruction and assessment (also known as differentiated learning or, in education, simply, differentiation) is a framework or philosophy for effective teaching that involves providing different students with different avenues to learning (often in the same classroom) in terms of acquiring content, processing, constructing, or making sense of ideas, and developing teaching materials and assessment measures so that all students within a classroom can learn effectively, regardless of differences in ability (Tomlinson, Carol 2001)

Students vary in culture, socioeconomic status, language, gender, motivation, ability/ disability, personal interests and more, and teachers must be aware of these varieties as they plan curriculum By considering varied learning needs, teachers can develop personalized instruction so that all children in the classroom can learn effectively (Tomlinson and Carol Ann, 1999)

Theisen (2002) also pointed out that our students come to us with varied abilities, diverse languages and cultural backgrounds, different

interests and learning profiles Students need to have variety, choices, challenges, and opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities and help them reach their highest potentials Differentiated instruction can play a vital role in students’ achievement and students’ satisfaction in learning and offers a potential tool to dealing with a mixed ability classroom

Visser (1998) emphasizes the importance of teachers understanding the significance of differentiation since research confirms that differentiation allows all students to achieve at their maximum ability Therefore, if teachers understand the concept of differentiation they would have a simpler time implementing it into their lessons and be able to help students meet the requirements of the National Curriculum (Langley, 2015)

In fact, implementing differentiation can help teachers build up a learner-centred class However, there is little research related to differentiated instruction, so this is the reason why I chose this topic to focus on teachers’ perceptions of differentiated instruction

Establish the conditions for the comparisons required by hypotheses of the experiment research

Enables the experimenter through statistical analysis of the data to make a meaningful interpretation of the results of the study

The two groups were given a pre-test on the dependent variable After treatment, both groups were measured on the dependent variable

The average difference between the pre-test and post-test was found for each group

This thesis follows the steps of an experimental study and also takes into account its components Participations, instruments and method will be conducted to carry out their functions

In conclusion, the chapter provides the readers different views of

“intelligence”, but it emphasizes on the theory of MI and appreciates to build

a wonderful class with differentiated instruction to cater for all of students

CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter explains the setting of the study and describes all of the instruments used to explore and evaluate the effectiveness of the method It also points out the process of the study

2.1 The setting of the study:

2.1.1 A description of the students and their learning program:

The study was conducted at a primary school in Hanoi The students of this school start learning English as one of the main subjects since they are in Grade 1 classes Before going to primary school, most of them know the English alphabet and many of them can understand some common topics such

as weather, toys, numbers, colours However, many students just start

learning English when they are in grade one, and English is considered as a strange subject to them Besides, they also have one Maths and one Science lesson per week with the textbooks which are imported from Oxford University Press It is the fact that if students are not interested in learning English, this subject will be a stress for them because there are many new words and structures requires them to remember and apply Students in one class are in different levels and interests, so a similar way of teaching or learning seems to be not appropriate because it cannot motivate all of the

students

2.1.2 A description of the teachers:

At this primary school, English teachers have chances of taking part in yearly training programs which focus on the methodology and knowledge All

of the teachers have their bachelor degrees and get the teaching experience at least seven years There are six foreign teachers in English Staff, and twenty Vietnamese teachers can communicate with them fluently and share the

teaching methods together The teachers have to teach English, Math and

Science in English, and they prepare carefully to make meaningful lessons

Since most of them are enthusiastic teachers, they have been trying to find

various ways to update new trends of teaching and learning in the world and

make those trends really proper in their classes

2.2 Research methodology:

The study was conducted into three phases In the first phase, the

students did a pre-test to place students’ level They had to take part in an MI

survey to identify their most dominant intelligences Different activities were

designed for students of different intelligence groups based on suggested

ideas presented by Gardner (1993) This phase aimed to answer the first

research question as well as made a firm prerequisite to continue the next

phases and answered Research question two In the second phase, interviews

and observations were carried out to check if the students were in their

preferred intelligences or not Additionally, these instruments helped the

author tests the effectiveness of her method to make any changes if necessary

In the last phase, the researcher used a post-test, interviews, and then

analyzed the statistics collected during the three phases

2.2.1 Participants:

The participants were all in grade four of a primary school in Nam Tu

Liem District, Hanoi The study investigated multiple intelligences on twenty

four students of Class 1 (experimental group) Twenty four students of Class

2 were chosen as the control group The number of male and female students

were equal These two classes were chosen as the participants of the study

since the students were in the same grade and the pre-test with different

scores shows that they are mixed ability classes

Comment [MOU1]: Ok three phases

Nhưng em cần làm rõ là phase 1 là trả lời RQ1,

và là tiền đề để thực hiện các phases còn lại và trả lời RQ2

Comment [M2R1]: This phased aimed to

answer the first question as well as made a firm prerequisite to continue the next phases and answered Research question three

Em đã thêm phần mô tả này ở ngay cuối phần

viêt về “the first phase”

The MI survey consisted of twenty - four items (See Appendix 1) Each type of intelligences was evaluated from three descriptive statements To help students give their correct responses, the author used Likert-scale ranging from zero (Not at all) to five (Very true) The highest possible score for a column was fifteen Scores above ten represented strengths The students had

to count total scores for every types of intelligences, then the teacher checked the results twice Appendix 2 shows the survey scores of 24 students in Class

1 I based on this table to identify the most and second dominant intelligence types of every students

The reliability of the survey was checked carefully before performing the main study The teacher gave the students of Class one a multiple

intelligence survey and had them do the survey in the class After collecting the students’ survey scores, Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) softwear 20 was used to check the validity of the survey Table one below presents the result of the analysis

Table 1 Reliability Statistics of Multiple Intelligences survey

In general, the Cronbach’s Alpha is of 0.60 or higher is an acceptable value (Black and Porter, 1996; Nunally, 1978) The table shows the Cronbach’s Alpha of the MI survey is 0.657 So I could confirm that the instrument used to identify students’ multiple intelligence is reliable enough

2.2.2.2 Pre-test and Post-test

After identifying students’ types of intelligences, the teacher had the students in two classes do pre-test which contained four parts: Reading – Listening – Speaking – Writing All of the items in the test were based on the topics, the structures and vocabulary of Unit 1

A post-test was given to the students at the end of Semester one (December, 2017) Like the format of the pre-test, the post-test also included Reading- Writing – Listening and Speaking test But the topics, forms and vocabulary were much wider because the students needed to review the contents of Unit 1 to Unit 4 In comparison with the pre-test, the post-test had the same form but it was upgraded in amount of words and structures The teacher did not use specialized tests for students of different MI groups since the purposes of this study are to encourage students and improve students’ learning scores

After each of the tests, the teacher recorded students’ results in two tables saved as Excel files Then, the function “Analyze” of SPSS was chosen

to run paired-sample T-tests of Class 1 and Class 2 The results of these tests showed the teacher how effectively she helped her students improve their achievements by applying the new method of teaching Appendix 3 provided the test scores The instructor used this table to find out the students who had the highest and lowest improvements and interviewed them to get more findings for the study

2.2.2.3 Designing and organizing learning activities

Distinct activities were designed for students of varied intelligence groups The students in Class 1 were divided in groups of the same multiple intelligence types There were some troubles in organizing students’ group work because the number of students for each of the groups was not evenly The process of categorizing students into their MI groups met two main constraints The first one came from the uneven number of students for each

of MI groups The second derived from the changes in students’ type of intelligences By observations the teacher realized these changes In this circumstance, she had to see the table of survey scores to consider using the second dominant intelligence types in the step of grouping students

With Class 2 – the control group, the teacher used traditional method to apply in her real teaching The students had chances of discussing in groups, but they did the same activities for every part during a lesson

In Class 1, the teacher spent time making twelve differentiated lesson plans Activities that promoted the development of multiple intelligence theory allows every student the opportunity to develop their own side and promote talent or the ability to learn the identity of the self The differentiated activities were partially performed in Production part

There were seven English periods per week for Grade 4 students: one for Maths in English, one for Science in English, and five for English lessons that followed the schedule of the text book “Everybody Up 4” To cover the teaching contents and objectives, the teacher decided to make one differentiated lesson plan for two continuous periods per week There was a total of twelve lesson plans that applied the theory of multiple intelligences Lists of specialized activities suggested by Howard Gardner and the teacher’s teaching experience were considered as the main resources to design teaching plans In this study, Appendix 6 to 12 would show the readers typical activities applied for eight different intelligence groups The lesson contents were taken out from the text book “Everybody Up 4”

2.2.2.4 Interviews

To make sure that the differentiation instruction depending on students’ multiple intelligences was really meaningful, the researcher organized some interviews with students Students were chosen randomly for all of the interviews to ensure the subjectivity of the study They were informed the purposes and content of the interviews The teachers took notes during and after the conversations All of the questions were given with the following purposes:

 making sure that the class activities were really suitable for students

 checking if the students liked their groups

 and revising the teaching method if necessary

Basing on the interview findings, the teacher found the way to organize the class activities more effectively At the end of Week 14, after the post-test, the last interview was conducted deeply with students who got highest and lowest improvements in Class 1 to make sure the effectiveness of the new teaching method Appendix 13 shows the interview form