Opportunities to develop multiple intelligences in the communication and culture section of the moet’s new english textbook 10

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOIUNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION GRADUATION PAPER OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP MULTIPLE INT

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

GRADUATION PAPER

OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

IN THE “COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE” SECTION OF

THE MOET’S NEW ENGLISH TEXTBOOK 10

Supervisor: Nguyễn Thu Hiền Ph.D Student: Nguyễn Vân Thảo

Course: QH2016.F1.E1

Hanoi – 2020

ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH

KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP

CƠ HỘI ĐỂ PHÁT TRIỂN ĐA TRÍ TUỆ TRONG PHẦN

“GIAO TIẾP VÀ VĂN HÓA” CỦA SGK TIẾNG ANH 10

Acceptance page

I hereby state that I: Nguyễn Vân Thảo, Class QH.2016.F1.E1.SP.CLC, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts Honors (program) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper

Signature

Date

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This graduation thesis would not have been completed if it had not been for the help and support of many people, who have in one way or another inspired and motivated me

to reach the end

My deepest gratitude and respect is extended to my supervisor, Mrs Nguyen Thu Hien for her advice and guidance in every step of my journey I am not only greatly indebted to her constructive feedback on every section of my paper but I am also profoundly grateful for her kindness, patience and devotion towards this thesis She has been a constant source of inspiration for me to finally finish this research

I would also like to send my utmost appreciation for my high school English teacher, Mrs Nguyen Ha Sam, for her assistance in the process of coding data Her support was vital for the researcher to finalize the results

Last but not least, I am thankful for all the help from my friends and sister for their supportive and encouraging words They have helped me overcome the stress and

obstacles I encountered during the whole journey

ABSTRACT

The Theory of Multiple Intelligences has been of great interest to psychologists and educators for its significant impact on language learning However, this theory is still under-researched in Vietnamese context and there has been no published research on the representation of multiple intelligences in English textbooks Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the “Communication and Culture” section of the New English Textbook 10 for the opportunities to develop multiple intelligences All of the activities in chosen section of the Student Book were analyzed using a carefully designed MI checklist based on relevant literature of the framework of the MI theory and existing studies on the

MI in textbooks The results show that the chosen section of the textbook mostly addressed verbal/linguistic, visual/spatial, interpersonal and logical/mathematical intelligences The less common represented intelligences were intrapersonal, naturalist and musical intelligences No instance of the bodily/kinesthetic intelligence was found in the analyzed activities Hence, the opportunities to enhance linguistic, spatial, interpersonal and logical intelligences are abundant while the chances for the other four intelligences are more limited The findings of the study suggest that English teachers should fully exploit the textbook to help students develop different intelligences and consider the inclusion of more activities to develop the less developed intelligence types in the chosen section of the textbook in their lessons

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1

ABSTRACT 2

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 5

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES 6

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 7

1.1 Background to the study 7

1.2 Aim and research questions 8

1.3 Scope of the study 9

1.4 Significance of the study 9

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 10

2.1 Multiple Intelligences in Education 10

2.1.1 Theories of intelligence 10

2.1.2 Multiple Intelligences: Conceptual Framework 11

2.2 Multiple intelligences in language teaching and learning 14

2.2.1 The role of Multiple intelligences in language teaching and learning 14

2.2.2 Multiple Intelligences activities 17

2.3 Multiple intelligences in language textbooks 19

2.3.1 The role of textbooks in language teaching and learning 19

2.3.2 Studies on Multiple intelligences in language textbooks 20

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 24

3.1 Context of the study 24

3.2 Materials 25

3.3 Text analysis process 25

3.3.1 Coding scheme 26

3.3.2 Coding process 26

3.4 Data analysis 28

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 29

4.1 Overview of the representation of MI in the “Communication and Culture” section of the New English Textbook 10 29

4.2 Opportunities to develop Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence 31

4.3 Opportunities to develop Spatial/Visual Intelligence 33

4.4 Opportunities to develop Interpersonal Intelligence 35

4.5 Opportunities to develop Logical/Mathematical Intelligence 36

4.6 Opportunities to develop Intrapersonal Intelligence 38

4.7 Opportunities to develop Naturalistic Intelligence 40

4.8 Opportunities to develop Musical Intelligence and Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence 41

4.9 Possible connections between the unit themes and the representation of MI 41

4.10 Summary 43

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 44

5.1 Summary of the findings 44

5.2 Implications of the study 44

5.3 Limitations of the study and recommendations for further research 45

5.4 Concluding remark 46

REFERENCES 47

APPENDIX: MI CHECKLIST 54

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EFL: English as a Foreign Language ELT: English Language Teaching CLT: Communicative Language Teaching MOET: Ministry of Education and Training MoET VEPH: MoET Vietnam Education Publishing House MI: Multiple Intelligences

MIT: Multiple Intelligences Theory

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Figure 1 The distribution of eight intelligences 29

Table 1 Number of activities per intelligence and percentage of occurrence 30

Table 2 Number and percentage of Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence activities 31

Table 3 Number and percentage of Spatial/Visual Intelligence activities 33

Table 4 Number and percentage of Interpersonal Intelligence activities 35

Table 5 Number and percentage of Logical Intelligence activities 37

Table 6 Number and percentage of Intrapersonal Intelligence activities 39

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

This chapter introduces the background of the study, and discusses the aims, the scope and the significance of the research

1.1 Background to the study

The past decade has seen a paradigm shift in teaching approach over the globe Teacher-centeredness in classroom instruction, where the teacher shoulders the major responsibility (Mascolo, 2009), has been deemed ineffective in fostering learners’ educational growth (Duckworth, 2009) Hence, learner-centered approach, rooted in constructivist philosophy of teaching (Brown, 2008), has been adopted in various institutions (McCombs & Whistler, 1997; Weimer, 2002) to encourage learners’ autonomy This approach prioritizes students’ involvement in every aspect of their learning and “learning is dependent upon the nature and will of the learners” (Schmidt,

2010, p 326) In the process of promoting learner-centeredness, it is crucial to take into consideration students’ different needs and learning preferences (Moate & Cox, 2015) to create a motivating learning environment One of learners’ needs is their desire to learn at their own strengths and potentials for academic achievement Gardner (1983) proposed the Multiple Intelligences Theory (MIT), which highlighted individual’s diverse capabilities besides the original emphasis on linguistic and logical mathematical intelligences Though still new to this theory, Vietnamese scholars have made several attempts to investigate the impact of integrating MIT in language classroom activities and learning practices Tran and Le (2017) redesigned the homework tasks in the course book Q-Skills English Reading and Writing 3 with the aim to develop various types of intelligences The students were asked to complete a vocabulary revision task focused on each intelligence on a weekly basis, which resulted in students’ creativity and a greater enthusiasm toward vocabulary learning Chau and Truong (2018) found that MI-oriented task-based activities had great effects on improving the freshmen’ learning motivation and enhancing their speaking skills Besides teaching practices, textbook is also a vital part of every “teaching-learning situation” (Hutchinson & Torres, 1994, p 315) Hence, this study aims to investigate one section of the MOET’s New English Textbook 10 to see whether the activities in this section of the textbook provide opportunities for students to develop their multiple intelligences

1.2 Aim and research questions

In the context of Vietnam, MI theory is relatively a new concept and only a few studies have been conducted on the use of MI in language teaching The MOET has initiated a reform in English language teaching to best cater for students’ individual differences and needs (Hoang, 2015) To address and develop learners’ different types of intelligences, the MIT is a vital factor aiding teachers and educational reformists to design the most suitable and effective lessons (Su & Liang, 2017) Hence, it is of significance to investigate the new curriculum teaching and learning activities for the opportunities to develop each type of intelligence Textbooks, an indispensable part of every teaching situation (Hutchinson & Torres, 1994; Tomlinson, 1998), should also be considered for its chance to develop students’ multiple intelligences Additionally, in English Language Teaching (ELT), the understanding of the native culture as well as the target culture is of utmost importance in order to convey clear messages and avoid offending other speakers due to one’s mismatch in cultural beliefs (Valverde, 2005) The inclusion of culture in ELT

is, thus, of importance for learners to develop communicative competence in an international context as it helps to raise cultural awareness and appreciation among learners Culture and communication are closely related and dependent on each other as

" we communicate in the way we do because we are raised in a particular culture and learn its language, rules and norms" (Gudykunst & Young, 1996, p.4) As no published research has been found on the MI learning opportunities in English textbooks in Vietnam, this study attempts to provide an insight into the New English Textbook 10’s activities Particularly, this research aims to examine the activities in the “Communication and Culture” section of the book for opportunities to develop MI In other words, this study aims to find the answers to the following question

1 Does the section “Communication and Culture” in the New English Textbook 10 provide opportunities for developing students’ multiple intelligences?

2 If yes, what is the frequency of each type of intelligences?

1.3 Scope of the study

This study focuses on analyzing the activities and illustrations in the

“Communication and Culture” section of the New English Textbook 10 to find out the opportunities to nurture learners’ multiple intelligences in that section Hence, other sections in the New English Textbook 10 are not examined Furthermore, the instructions

in the Teacher’s Book of the New English Textbook 10 are also not investigated for the

chances to develop students’ multiple intelligences

1.4 Significance of the study

This study can be significant in raising the awareness of teachers about the chances for developing multiple intelligences in English textbooks in general and in New English 10 textbook in particular Additionally, the research can encourage teachers to adapt the activities in the textbook and design a variety of appropriate activities to enhance students’ multiple intelligences English textbook writers and designers can also be better informed

of the representation of multiple intelligences theory in the textbook to consider making necessary changes to foster learners’ multiple intelligences

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter introduces the conceptual framework for this research and the roles of Multiple Intelligences Theory on language teaching and teaching Moreover, findings

from previous studies on Multiple Intelligences in language textbooks are discussed

2.1 Multiple Intelligences in Education

Intelligence has always been a topic of interest for researchers, psychologists and educators Among countless theories of intelligence proposed by the experts, Multiple Intelligences is one of the most popular theories in the field of psychology and education This first part of the literature review, hence, briefly introduces some prevailing theories

of intelligences in the past century and provides the conceptual framework of multiple intelligences as basis for devising the coding scheme of this research

2.1.1 Theories of intelligence

Psychologists have attempted to define and describe intelligence; however, there has not been a single standard definition for “intelligence” (Pal et al., 2004, p 181) Together with the plethora of its definitions is the abundance of theories of intelligence changing and persisting till this day One of earliest theories was developed by Spearman (1904) with the introduction of general intelligence or “G” factor He believed that intelligence was a general cognitive ability that could be measured and numerically expressed (Spearman, 1904) Hence, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test, or IQ test, was constructed to measure general intelligence (Terman and Merrill, 1973) Thurstone (1938) contradicted Spearman’s view of intelligence with his theory of Primary Mental Abilities

He suggested that measuring one single ability could not determine intelligence Similarly, Gardner (1983) defined intelligence as “a biological potential to process information that can be activated in a cultural setting to solve problems or create products that are valued

in a culture” (p 33-34) This definition implies that “intelligence is not restricted to a particular culture, it can be genetically inherited, developed or improved through education

or social environment” (Ebadi & Beigzadeh, 2016, p 19) Rather than perceiving intelligence as a general ability consisting of only language and logical abilities, Gardner introduced the Multiple Intelligences Theory in his book ‘‘Frames of Mind: The theory of multiple intelligences’’ (1983), which proposed the existence of different types of

intelligence MI theory is believed to make profound impact on a learner-centered learning context as it “characterized the ways in which learners are unique and developed

instruction to respond to this uniqueness" (Richards & Rodgers, 2001, p 123)

2.1.2 Multiple Intelligences: Conceptual Framework

The MI theory originated in the 1980s and has since been refined by Howard Gardner (Gardner, 1983, 1999) and by several educationists like Thomas Armstrong (Armstrong, 1994), Tom Hatch (Gardner & Hatch, 1989) and Sue Teele (Teele, 2000) According to the MI theory, intelligence is viewed as a person's pluralistic ability that can

be developed This view of intelligence is a product of the research on human intelligence that has been conducted continuously since the early 1900s

Gardner (1983) proposed Multiple Intelligences Theory with seven types of intelligences including linguistic/verbal intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, musical intelligence, interpersonal intelligence and intrapersonal intelligence He later introduced two more intelligences, which are naturalistic and existential intelligences (Gardner, 1999), but he did not confirm existential as the ninth intelligence (Botelho, 2003) The characteristics of each intelligence are described and explained based on the information and description of multiple intelligences in previous studies (Armstrong, 1994; Brualdi, 1996; Gardner, 1999; Golubtchik, 2001; O’Brien, 2000; Smith, 2002, 2008) Even though these intelligences are discussed separately in the following paragraphs, in reality, “intelligences comingle freely, almost with abandon" (Gardner, 1999, p 39)

Linguistic Intelligence entails sensitivity to spoken and written language, that is, the ability to learn languages and the capacity to use language to accomplish certain goals (Smith, 2002, 2008) The uses of this intelligence involves rhetoric (using language to convince others to take a specific course of action), mnemonics (using language to remember information), explanation (using language to inform), and meta-language (using language to talk about itself) (Armstrong, 1994) This intelligence is utilized in listening, speaking, reading and writing (O’Brien, 2000) This intelligence not only deals with verbal and grammatical tasks but is also used for creating stories, using metaphors and similes, symbolic thinking, and conceptual patterning (Golubtchik, 2001) Students with this type

of intelligence possess heightened language sensibilities; hence, it is motivating for them

to receive personal attention and avoid non-constructive verbal criticism like sarcasm, negative comments, and humiliation, which may discourage their learning (Golubtchik, 2001)

Logical-mathematical Intelligence is the capacity to analyze problems logically, carry out mathematical operations, and investigate issues scientifically (Smith, 2002, 2008) It deals with inductive and deductive reasoning, numbers and relationships (O’Brien, 2000), abstract concepts, and critical thinking (Golubtchik, 2001) The processes involved in logical-mathematical intelligence include categorization, classification, inference, generalization, calculation, and hypothesis testing (Armstrong, 1994) Students having logical intelligence like to develop strategies, conduct experiments, reason things out, work with numbers, ask questions, and explore patterns and relationships (Golubtchik, 2001)

Spatial Intelligence includes the capacity to visualize, to graphically represent visual or spatial ideas (Armstrong, 1994), and to manipulate and create mental images in order to solve problems (Brualdi, 1996) It deals with the visual arts, navigation, architecture and certain games such as chess (O’Brien, 2000) People with this intelligence are sensitive to color, line, shape, form, space (Armstrong, 1994) and are able to form clear images in their minds (Golubtchik, 2001) These students adapt well with visual aids such

as overhead projectors, maps, posters, photographs, and videos but will have difficulty reading long passages unaccompanied by illustrations (Golubtchik, 2001)

Bodily-kinesthetic Intelligence is the expertise in using mental abilities to coordinate one's own bodily movements, which challenges the popular belief that mental and physical activity are not related (Brualdi, 1996) It involves the ability to use the body

to express emotion(s), to play a game, and to interpret and invoke effective "body" language (O’Brien, 2000) Students of this type learn through touching, physical movement, manipulating concrete objects, and interacting with their environment (Golubtchik, 2001)

Musical intelligence refers to the ability to recognize rhythm, pitch, melody, and musical composition and performance (Gardner, 1999) It is the capacity to perceive,

discriminate, transform, and express musical forms (Armstrong, 1994) It involves sensitivity to environmental sounds, the human voice and musical instruments (O’Brien, 2000) Students strong in this intelligence learn better through rhythm, melody, and music and enjoy playing instruments They excel at picking up sounds, remembering melodies, noticing rhythms, and keeping time, and can easily memorize words accompanied with music These students often prefer to tell or hear information aloud rather than read silently (Golubtchik, 2001)

Interpersonal Intelligence is the ability to perceive and make distinctions in the moods, intentions, motivations, and feelings of other people (Armstrong, 1994) It allows people to work effectively with others (Smith, 2002, 2008) and to have empathy for their feelings and beliefs (O’Brien, 2000) People with highly developed interpersonal intelligence are team players and possess strong leadership qualities They are skilled at understanding people, organizing, collaborating, communicating, and mediating conflicts (Golubtchik, 2001)

Intrapersonal Intelligence is knowledge of the self, which involves having an accurate picture of oneself like one’s strengths and limitations; awareness of inner moods, intentions, motivations, temperaments, and desires; and the capacity for self-discipline, self-understanding, and self-esteem (Armstrong, 1994) Students with a high level of intrapersonal intelligence have the ability to plan in advance and set independent personal goals They also require a lot of one-on-one interaction, guidance, and reinforcement from their teacher Despite their reluctance in group work and class discussions, they are stimulated by thought-provoking questions, and are capable of contributing a unique perspective (Golubtchik, 2001)

Naturalist Intelligence is the expertise in the recognition and classification of the numerous species—the flora and fauna—of an individual’s environment and the sensitivity

to other natural phenomena (e.g., cloud formations, mountains, etc.) and the capacity to discriminate among inanimate objects such as cars, sneakers, and CD covers (Armstrong, 1994) Naturalists appreciate and discern living things, and have a keen interest in the laws and forms of nature They enjoy going on hikes and being outdoors Naturalists will care for the classroom pet and plants, organize and sort classroom collections of rocks, shells, leaves, insects, and other items from nature, and categorize anything (Golubtchik, 2001)

Even though the Multiple Intelligences Theory was developed by Gardner (1983) when he was working as a psychologist, this theory can be of significance to educators According to Armstrong (2010), each person possesses capacities in all intelligences While some may be stronger in one or some types of intelligence, others may excel in other kinds of intelligence Gardner (1993) believed people can develop each intelligence to an adequate level of competency through education Gardner (1999) stated that a person’s potentials can be activated depending on certain criteria such as “the values of a particular culture, the opportunities available in that culture, and the personal decisions made by individuals and/or their families, schoolteachers, and others” (p 34) Since the educational environment plays a vital role in nurturing multiple intelligences in an individual, this study will investigate the opportunities language teaching, specifically language textbooks, offer for the development of learners' multiple intelligences Additionally, because the theoretical framework of MI has provided a firm basis to construct detailed and effective MI checklists to code the textbook activities in a number of previous studies (Palmberg, 2001; Botelho, 2003; Van den Berg & Nieman, 2007; Kırkgöz, 2010; Razmjoo

& Jozaghi, 2010; Rezvani & Amiri, 2012; Taase, 2012; Estaji & Nafisi, 2014; Kia-Ahmadi

& Arabmofrad, 2015; Ebadi & Beigzadeh, 2016), the analysis of the chosen section’s activities in this study will also be based on the characteristics of eight intelligences described above

2.2 Multiple intelligences in language teaching and learning

Multiple Intelligences Theory has been found to have several implications for education, especially language learning Thus, the second part of the literature review synthesizes the effects this theory exerts on language teaching and learning in previous studies as well as the common activities to enhance each type of intelligences

2.2.1 The role of Multiple intelligences in language teaching and learning

The Multiple Intelligence Theory has been widely believed to contribute significantly to language learning (Moenikia & Zahed-Babelan, 2010; Yi-an, 2010) Several studies have investigated the impact of MIT on learners and positive results have been found, namely the enhancement of language skills and the promotion of enjoyable classroom atmosphere Furthermore, the development of each intelligence besides

linguistic/verbal intelligence type could also lead to successful language learning since

"language is not seen as limited to a 'linguistics' perspective but encompasses all aspects

of communication" (Richards & Rodgers, 2001, p 117) In this section, the roles of MI in supporting the language learning and teaching process are examined

It has been found that MIT can have an influence on learners’ development of language skills and contribute to the creation of positive classroom environment The use

of MI has been revealed to affect students’ level of achievements not only in general (Haley, 2004; Soleimani etal., 2012; Tahriri & Yamini, 2012; Bas & Beyhan, 2017) but also in specific sub-skills (Condis, Parks, & Soldweddel, 2000; Soleimani etal., 2012) In fact, MI activities were found to be effective in developing students’ writing competencies (Eng and Mustapha, 2010; Naoe, 2010; Gündüz & Ünal, 2016) and improving their reading comprehension skills (Gaines & Lehmann, 2002; Okebukola & Owolabi, 2009)

MI activities can also have a link to some affective factors, namely motivation, attitudes, self-esteem, enthusiasm, etc (Bas & Beyhan, 2010) Ibnian and Haban (2013) emphasized the crucial role of MIT in creating an attractive, encouraging and motivating atmosphere

in an ELT class Activities catering for learners’ dominant intelligences help them to be more active in their learning (Gullatt, 2008) and have positive effect on learners’ attitudes towards English (Hamurlu, 2007) as well as foster higher self-efficacy in ELT classrooms (Shore & Robin, 2002; Koura, 2005)

Literature has also shown that the development of each of intelligence can greatly assist students in their language learning As it is defined as the capacity to use language effectively in oral and written form (Armstrong, 2010), Linguistic Intelligence is closely related to language (Halil, 2017) Hence, the enhancement of this intelligence is connected

to the development of language skills and linguistic components Besides verbal/linguistic intelligence, language learning can be supported by other intelligence frame work (Morgan

& Fonseca, 2004)

Musical intelligence is of importance to improve students’ performance and boost their motivation in language learning Students receiving musical education or exposed to classical/baroque music had higher academic results (Campbell, 1997; Lozanov, 1988) There are other merits of music in the teaching context such as students’ better

concentration and connection with their inner self, elimination of distracting sounds, and the creation of a relaxed and motivating classroom atmosphere (Arnold & Fonseca, 2004)

Visual/spatial intelligence is also a vital tool to facilitate language learning The inclusion of images to nurture visual/spatial intelligence is significant in providing comprehensible and meaningful input for second language learners (Arnold & Fonseca, 2004) Imagery is especially important in fostering learners’ interest and motivation in reading (Long, Winograd & Bridge, 1989) For reading comprehension tasks, using mental images systematically can be a useful learning strategy as visualization while trying to understand a text is vital for meaning making (Tomlinson, 1998)

Logical/mathematical intelligence can contribute to the development of language learning Numerous studies have been conducted regarding the role of critical thinking in language learning, some of which have concluded on its part in improving writing ability (Rafi, n.d.), oral communication ability (Kusaka & Robertson, n.d.) and language proficiency (Liaw, 2007) Additionally, problem-solving tasks are useful in that learners focus mainly on meaning, and the process of rereading to solve the problem will help them

be familiar with the vocabulary and structures in the text (Arnold & Fonseca, 2004)

There is a link between bodily kinesthetic intelligence and the development of creative learning especially in first grade children (Salame, Uzho & Paola, 2016) Non-verbal aspects of communication are also crucial in language teaching as facial expression and body language can effectively express an idea, intention or feeling Speech-independent gestures (emblems) or autonomous gestures are nonverbal acts that can replace speech or help to organize the flow and rhythm of interaction and to maintain attention by adding emphasis (Knapp & Hall, 1992)

Interpersonal intelligence is crucial to the teaching and learning of foreign language Instructional models based on the social constructivist perspective stress the need for collaboration among learners and with practitioners in the society (Lave & Wenger, 1991; McMahon, 1997) From a Vygotskian constructivist point of view, learning happens inter mentality first, between minds in interaction, and only later becomes one's own learning, intra mentally (Dornyei & Murphy, 2003) Therefore, it is vital to be aware

of developing interpersonal intelligence together with linguistic/verbal intelligence Group

work can also enhance learners’ communicative competence, and generate learners’ motivation (Richards & Rodgers, 2001) and confidence (Larsen-Freeman, 2004)

Intrapersonal and naturalistic intelligence can also contribute to language learning Pishghadam (2009b) examined the effect of intrapersonal on foreign/second language learning and found that intrapersonal intelligence supported the development of productive skills Understanding personal strengths and limitations can optimize personal performance (Christison, 1999; Reid, 1995, 1998) Nature-related tasks can enhance speaking and writing skills Some of those activities writing about their country and city, explaining words about nature, etc (Derakhshan & Faribi, 2015)

In conclusion, the incorporation of MI in instructional materials and activities in the classroom can increase students’ academic results and develop their cognitive skills as well as language skills The MI activities can also enhance their motivation, enthusiasm and attitudes towards language learning by creating an individualized and student-centered classroom Furthermore, the development of each type of intelligence is believed to greatly assist learners’ language learning and develop well-rounded individuals with critical thinking, problem-solving skills, creativity, and collaboration All those benefits of MIT

in language teaching are the stimulus for this research to investigate whether the new curriculum’s English textbook offer MI opportunities for students

2.2.2 Multiple Intelligences activities

The utilization of a variety of activities and tasks which involve different types of intelligences can lead to language development and MI enhancement The teacher’s aim

is not to focus on learners’ specific intelligences but to give them the opportunity of approaching information in their preferred way, as well as to promote the development of their other intelligences (Arnold & Fonseca, 2004) Different teaching and learning strategies, activities and tasks have been suggested by the MI researchers for educators to develop learners develop their MI

Firstly, there are several activities to enhance linguistic and logical intelligence Besides the traditional linguistic strategies involving textbooks, worksheets, and lectures, Armstrong (2010) suggested five more methods to foster linguistic intelligence in every learner, namely story-telling, brainstorming, tape recording, journal writing and

publishing Activities catering for reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills can also develop linguistic intelligence (Ebadi & Beigzadeh, 2016) For logical-mathematical intelligence, there are some approaches that can be used, which are calculations and quantifications, classifications and categorizations, Socratic questioning, heuristics and science thinking (Armstrong, 2010) Using activities such as charts, Venn diagrams or other graphs, and tables will engage the logical-mathematical intelligence (Watrous-McCabe, 2005)

Secondly, spatial and bodily intelligence can be nurtured through the following activities Spatial intelligence which is connected pictures can be nurtured through the strategies of visualization, color cues, picture metaphors, idea sketching and graphic symbols (Armstrong, 2010) Spatial activities can include mind mapping, flow charts, fishbone diagrams, and a pictorial representation of a concept (Watrous-McCabe, 2005) Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence requiring physical learning could be developed by the use

of body answers, classroom theater, kinesthetic concepts and hands-on thinking (Armstrong, 2010) as well as role-plays, games, project work, shadow puppets, and many activities related to group dynamics (Arnold & Fonseca, 2004)

Several strategies and tasks have been proposed to develop interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence To enhance interpersonal intelligence, Cooperative Learning can be utilized in the language classroom (Ahmed & Gasm, 2012) Learners interact and cooperate in small groups to carry out various tasks, developing verbal negotiation strategies to make language understandable and meaningful Peer sharing, people sculptures, board games and simulations are some other effective activities (Armstrong, 2010) One-minute reflection periods, personal connections, choice time, feeling-toned moments, goal-setting sessions (Armstrong, 2010), contemplation through discussion questions that encourage reflection, and the ability to select supplemental resources for learning (Watrous-McCabe, 2005) are believed to be useful in catering for intrapersonal intelligence

Musical and naturalistic intelligences can be fostered with the inclusion of the following aspects In terms of musical intelligences, the addition of rhythms, songs, raps, and chants; discographies, super memory music, musical concepts and mood music (Armstrong, 2010) or spoken text will support this intelligence (Watrous-McCabe, 2005)

Regarding naturalist intelligence, two possible activities could be utilized to maximize learners’ exposure to and familiarity with nature They are “Nature Walk”, which requires students’ movement outside the classroom and “Eco-study”, involving the inclusion of topics and objects related to nature in the classroom (Armstrong, 2010) Activities like brainstorming about how to preserve nature, protect endangered species, curb pollution, or describe the process of recycling paper or classify the vegetal and animal world (Arnold

& Fonseca, 2004) can increase students’ lexical knowledge and enhance problem-solving and critical thinking skills (Chicas, Lilian, Alvarenga & Bernal, 2013)

From the aforementioned points, each type of intelligence can be developed through the use of various strategies, tasks and activities Above all, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is an effective method to nurture multiple intelligence CLT is an approach that aims to help students achieve communicative proficiency (Richards & Rogers, 2001) It also promotes the utilization of various materials to maximize communicative language use (Richards & Rogers, 2001, p.168) With the variety of materials and techniques adopted by teachers, CLT can enhance all the intelligences (Botelho, 2003) It can nurture verbal/linguistic intelligence as four language skills are used in communication among learners It fosters interpersonal intelligence when students interact and work together to negotiate meaning or complete tasks (Harris& Meltzer, 2015) Logical/mathematical intelligence can also be developed through problem-solving tasks

2.3 Multiple intelligences in language textbooks

As discussed in the previous section, the Theory of Multiple Intelligences has been found to positively impact language learning As language teachers have relied on textbooks to a varying extent for their language teaching, the third part of the literature review examines the roles of textbooks in language teaching and learning process as well

as investigate in-depth previous studies on Multiple Intelligences in language textbooks

2.3.1 The role of textbooks in language teaching and learning

The textbook is “the visible heart of any ELT program” (Sheldon, 1988, p 237) and

a universal element of ELT teaching (Hutchinson & Torres, 1994; Tomlinson, 1998) Textbooks have become an integral aspect of English language teaching (Moulton, 1994;

Cunningsworth, 1995; Kitao, 1997) In some EFL teaching contexts the textbook can even serve as the only source of instruction and language input inside and outside the classroom (Richards, 2005) Numerous merits of textbooks have been proposed by researchers Textbooks provide syllabus for a program, hence, guiding teachers in material production and selection, lesson planning and assessment methods (Cunningsworth, 1995) Textbooks can help to standardize instruction and assessment; thus, teachers can teach and test in the same way for different classes using the same textbook (Richards, 2001) In addition, students seem to put faith in textbooks’ credibility than teachers’ self-made materials, for they are carefully tested nationally or internationally before publication in the market (Sheldon, 1988) Textbooks can also be a facilitator of learner autonomy (Cunningsworth, 1995) With textbooks, students can take control of their learning and less dependent on teachers for language input or language reinforcement

Besides the various positive opinions of textbooks, there have also been certain reservations about textbook use The overuse and over-dependence of teachers on textbooks makes them have little control over the content and methods of the lesson (McGrath, 2002); hence, textbooks can deskill teachers (Richards, 2001) Another concern

is that because textbooks are often written for global markets, they are limited in content and application in meeting students’ needs (Tomlinson, 1998) and requires adaptation to suit individual needs (Richards, 2001)

2.3.2 Studies on Multiple intelligences in language textbooks

A number of studies have been conducted on ELT textbooks and materials in light

of MI theory to examine the opportunities for developing multiple intelligences in textbooks Language textbooks appeared to cater to several types of intelligences besides linguistic intelligence (Palmberg, 2001; Botelho, 2003; Van den Berg & Nieman, 2007; Kırkgöz, 2010; Razmjoo & Jozaghi, 2010; Rezvani & Amiri, 2012; Taase, 2012; Estaji & Nafisi, 2014; Kia-Ahmadi & Arabmofrad, 2015; Ebadi & Beigzadeh, 2016) However, some studies revealed that a number of textbooks did not provide chances for enhancing all types of intelligences as they included no activities addressing certain intelligences such

as bodily/kinesthetic intelligence (Ebadi & Beigzadeh, 2016), musical and naturalistic intelligence (Taase, 2012), interpersonal (Rezvani & Amiri, 2012)

Out of all the intelligences, researchers had a unanimous agreement that textbooks provided ample opportunities to develop verbal/linguistic intelligence with nearly 100%

of the activities (Palmberg, 2001; Rezvani & Amiri, 2012) Besides linguistic intelligence, several studies concurred that the dominant intelligences in language textbooks were visual/spatial, logical, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences (Van den Berg & Nieman, 2007; Taase, 2012; Ebadi & Beigzadeh, 2016) Out of those four intelligences, the two commonly represented intelligences in language textbooks were visual/spatial (Kırkgöz, 2010; Razmjoo & Jozaghi, 2010; Taase, 2012; Kia-Ahmadi & Arabmofrad, 2015; Ebadi & Beigzadeh, 2016) and logical/mathematical (Van den Berg & Nieman, 2007; Rezvani & Amiri, 2012) On the other hand, bodily/kinesthetic, musical and naturalistic intelligences were among the least prevalent intelligences in the language textbooks In some cases, there was even a lack of activities addressing bodily intelligence (Rezvani & Amiri, 2012; Taase, 2012; Ebadi & Beigzadeh, 2016), musical and naturalistic intelligences (Rezvani & Amiri, 2012; Taase, 2012)

In addition to providing the frequency of every intelligence and revealing the most and least dominant intelligences developed through the textbook activities, some studies also discussed in-depth the most common types of activities representing each type of intelligence For instance, Van den Berg and Nieman (2007) indicated that all activities in their list were addressed to enhance verbal/linguistic intelligence On the other hand, interpersonal intelligence was only developed in two of their activities, namely group tasks and group and peer assessment Botelho (2003) and Ebadi and Beigzadeh (2016) concurred that pair and group work received the greatest attention in their analyzed textbooks The most common activities to nurture intrapersonal intelligence were discussion of learners’ likes and dislikes and voicing their opinion (Van den Berg & Nieman, 2007) While Botelho (2003) found giving personal opinion a prevalent activity to develop intrapersonal type, such tasks as doing things by oneself, reflecting, talking about oneself were also observed Regarding spatial/visual intelligence, the analysis of visual texts (Van den Berg

& Nieman, 2007) and the utilization of pictures, graphs, tables (Botelho, 2003) were the most frequently addressed activity

Some research further analyzed the textbooks to find the possible link between the theme and different intelligences as well as the activities to enhance more intelligence

types It was insinuated that the topic might have an impact on the presence of different intelligences in the textbooks Particularly, the units about “Art and artist” and “Body decoration” cover majorly visual/spatial intelligence (Van den Berg & Nieman, 2007) Botelho (2003) also denoted that musical intelligence was majorly represented in units about music styles and naturalistic intelligence was addressed in units about nature and environmental issues Furthermore, Botelho (2003) suggested some instances of integrating more than four intelligences in one activity He implied that most activities included an average of three or four intelligences, but some activities could enhance more than four intelligences in learners, namely games and extra activities The combination of two skills such as listening/speaking, reading/writing, and reading/speaking could also strengthen more intelligences

A common list of studies on MI in textbooks utilize the MI checklist for classifying the activities into each type of intelligence The categories of the checklist were based on the characteristics of the different intelligences (Gardner, 1983, 1999; Armstrong, 2000; Christison, 1996; Christison & Kennedy, 1999) While some checklists only include the description of each intelligence’s characteristics and activities (Botelho, 2003; Van den Berg & Nieman, 2007; Taase, 2012), some incorporate a column for sample activities in the analyzed textbooks to have clearer and better coding (Razmjoo & Jozaghi, 2010; Estaji

& Nafisi, 2014; Ebadi & Beigzadeh, 2016) Botelho (2003) compiled the list of activities and materials for each type of intelligences based on the description of MIT from various sources (Christison, 1996; Christison & Kennedy, 1999; Palmberg,2001) This checklist has been reused and adapted by various studies (Rezvani & Amiri, 2012; Kia-Ahmadi & Arabmofrad, 2015; Ebadi & Beigzadeh, 2016) The checklist of Razmjoo and Jozaghi (2010) is based on elements of the MIT proposed by Gardner (1998) Furthermore, it includes detailed sample activities for each intelligence, providing a basis for reference to the activities in Vietnamese textbook Ebadi and Beigzadeh (2016) make their checklist based on the review of literature (Botelho, 2003; Estaji & Nafisi, 2014; Ibragimova, 2011; Kirgoz, 2010) and theoretical framework of MI theory (Gardner 1983, 1999) Their checklist is more comprehensive as it is formed and adapted from a variety of sources and also entails types of activities and sample activities for every intelligence Hence, due to their prevalence, clarity, and comprehensiveness, the checklists from the following

research (Botelho, 2003; Razmjoo & Jozaghi, 2010; Ebadi & Beigzadeh, 2016) are considered to be the basis for designing this study’s checklist

From the review of literature, it is clear that there has been increased attention of educators and scholars towards MIT and its positive influence on the English language teaching and learning in many countries Furthermore, no published research has been found in Vietnam on whether or not English textbooks enhance multiple intelligences despite the integral role textbooks play in the teaching and learning process This research, therefore, aims to examine the opportunities for developing students’ multiple intelligences in one section of the New English Textbook 10 with a view to contributing

to the current body of research on MIT in language learning and teaching

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

This chapter describes the context of the study, the materials used in this study, as well

as the procedures for text analysis and the data analysis adopted in this research

3.1 Context of the study

With the increased focus on a learner-centered and communicative approach to ELT, the MOET is also taking steps to innovate its English language curricula with the

National Project entitled Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National

Education System, Period 2008-2020 A ten-year English textbook development project

was constructed by MoET to assist the implementation of the three language curricula (Hoang, 2018) One of the guiding principles of the textbook project is “to meet the English language learning needs of students of three different age ranges … as well as their cognitive, social and affective needs” (Hoang, 2015, p.7) Furthermore, the National Foreign Languages 2020 project requires students to develop a great variety of competences to be a global citizen, ranging from general competencies (including autonomy, problem-solving, creativity, self-management, communication, collaboration, information technology), to specific competencies, such as foreign language skills (MoET, 2013) This requirement of the new curriculum aligns with the theory of MI, which seeks

to develop a well-rounded individual (Laker, 2012) encompassing necessary skills and competences for the 21st century The activities catering for different types of intelligence can be conducive to the overall development of an individual, i.e the development of language skills through linguistic intelligence activities, the improvement of communication skills through interpersonal intelligence activities, the enhancement of logical thinking skills with the activities addressing logical intelligence, etc

Another objective of the new curriculum that is also a new feature compared to previous curriculum is the emphasis on raising students’ awareness of not only their own country’s culture but also that of other countries in the world As discussed in the literature review section, culture and language are intertwined and one cannot effectively function without the other As specified in New English Textbooks for upper-secondary schools, the Communication subsection provides students with an opportunity for further practice and consolidation of the skills and the language previously learnt in the unit In this section,

skills are often integrated, that is, speaking skills are integrated with either reading skills

or listening skills, or with both The Culture subsection is aimed at broadening students’ background knowledge about the world and deepen their knowledge about the culture of Vietnam It is expected that the communication section would offer various activities for practicing skills and provide diverse input related to culture Hence, this study will investigate the “Communication and Culture” section in the New English Textbook 10 for its MI learning opportunities

3.2 Materials

The material is the New English Textbook 10 belonging to the ten-year English textbook series collaboratively designed by MoET Vietnam Education Publishing House (MoET VEPH) and Pearson Education The textbook has two volumes of student’s books, teacher’s books, workbooks and CDs for each semester of grade 10 Both volumes of the student’ books were selected for analysis The New English Textbook 10 was selected for two main reasons Firstly, among the three levels of schooling (primary, lower secondary, upper secondary), the textbooks of the upper secondary schools pay more equal attention

to all the macro-skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing (Hoang, 2016); thus, there might be more diverse activities for multiple intelligences analysis Secondly, students aged 15-16 might be more open-minded and keen on the variety of MI activities than their senior high school students (Meneviş & Özad, 2014) Therefore, it is appropriate that the New English Textbook 10 is selected due to the diversity of skills and activities and the receptiveness of students

The data were obtained from section “Communication and Culture” of all 10 units

of New English Textbook 10 with careful examination of the description of activities and pictures available in student’s books This section consists of several activities, ranging from 3 to 6 activities, most of which are the combination of skills, i.e listening/speaking skills or reading/speaking skills

3.3 Text analysis process

This research utilizes the inductive method in the text analysis and uses the six steps

in Mayring's (2000, as cited in Van den Berg & Nieman, 2007) model as a framework Those six steps involve the establishment of the research problem and the topic, the

definition of categories as a theoretical framework, the step-by-step formulation of categories based on the literature to fit into the definition of the categories, the revision of categories after the analysis of 10%-50% of the text or the formative checking of reliability, the final analysis of the text or the summative checking of reliability, and the interpretation of the results and quantitative steps of the analysis, i.e quantities and frequency

3.3.1 Coding scheme

As specified in the literature review (see section 2.3.2), the coding scheme of this study was constructed based on the coding schemes of several research on MI in textbook (Botelho, 2003; Razmjoo & Jozaghi, 2010; Ebadi & Beigzadeh, 2016) Most of the categories in this study’s checklist were taken from Botelho’s checklist (2003) The categories in his checklist were detailed with the activities for each intelligence taken from various sources (Christison, 1996; Christison & Kennedy, 1999; Palmberg, 2001) and his checklist was an effective tool to categorize activities as it was later reused and adapted in more recent research (Rezvani & Amiri, 2012; Arabmofrad, 2015; Ebadi & Beigzadeh, 2016) The rest of the categories were derived from the common activities in the checklists

of Razmjoo and Jozaghi (2010) and Ebadi and Beigzadeh (2016) The sample activities were adapted for each category in the two previous checklists (Razmjoo & Jozaghi, 2010; Ebadi & Beigzadeh, 2016) as well as those in the New English Textbook 10

The initial categories that were specified are based on the characteristics of the different intelligences as specified in the conceptual framework (Armstrong, 1994; Brualdi, 1996; Gardner, 1999; Golubtchik, 2001; O’Brien, 2000; Smith, 2002, 2008) After the initial categories were piloted on a number of activities in the textbook, the categories were revised and altered if necessary until the most important categories remained For instance, some omissions were made for categories not appropriate for high school level like “coloring”, “story-telling” or language-focused categories such as “deductive and inductive reasoning”, because the section of “Communication and Culture” focuses on four skills and culture introduction

3.3.2 Coding process

The researcher coded the activities in the selected section of the textbook based on the developed coding scheme All the activities and exercises in 10 units in the section

“Communication and Culture” in New English Textbook 10 were carefully analyzed to identify the types of intelligences that can be developed In order to identify the appropriate intelligence in each activity, the main procedure was to decide what type or types of intelligences that activity addressed Some of the examples in English textbooks for each type of intelligence are stated in this paragraph These instances are part of the list of activities representative of each type of intelligence and the full MI checklist can be found

in Appendix 1

For verbal/linguistic intelligence, some exemplary activities entail “Name some things people have invented to make up for what they cannot do” or “Read the TV blurbs” Regarding logical/mathematical intelligence, activities to rate things like “Put the ideas in the order of importance with 1 being the most important and 5 the least important” can be included in this intelligence For spatial/visual intelligence, suitable activities are those utilizing graphs or mind map such as “Fill in the blank in the mind map with the information you have read in the text” or using visualization technique like “Imagine the area in which your school is located has suffered from environmental pollution” Activities characteristic of bodily/kinesthetic intelligence can be “Design a travel brochure” or

“Role-play being a tour guide and a tourist to the Himalayas”

As far as musical intelligence is concerned, activities involving songs like “Listen

to the song excerpt” are appropriate Tasks requiring pair/group work or interviews/ offline surveys like “Interview your friends about the chores they share with their families” are representative of interpersonal intelligence Intrapersonal intelligence can include tasks that require self-reflection or personal preference like “Do you think you could follow it? Why or why not?”, “If you have a chance to go on an eco-tour, which destination in Viet Nam will you choose?” Activities concerning nature and environmental issues can be classified in the naturalist intelligence such as “Group the animals based on their habitat”

or “What environmental threats are mentioned in the conversation?” It should also be noted that some of the activities entail a combination of intelligences For example, the activity like “Work in groups Discuss the questions.” addressed both interpersonal intelligence and verbal/linguistic intelligence The activities of this kind would be counted