Contribution of Multiple Intelligences to L2 Writing of EFL Learners

Abstract

The present study was carried out to unveil the predictive power of multiple-intelligences (MI) in accounting for different components of L2 writing.  To do so, through an OPT, 120 intermediate EFL learners were selected. In one class session, the researcher gave McKenzie's (1999) MI questionnaire to the learners and asked them to fill out the questionnaire. In the subsequent session, the participants were asked to write an argumentative essay about a topic within 60 minutes. The learners' writings were scored from 1 to 4 based on each component of writing under question (i.e., content, organization, cohesion, vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and pronunciation). Finally, the learners' answers to the questionnaire were quantified and their performances on the writing test were scored by two raters (and the inter-rater reliability calculated through Pearson correlation equaled .86). Multivariate regression in AMOS (version 22) was used to analyze the data, and to show which types of MIs contributed more to different aspects of L2 writing. The results of this investigation showed that certain types of multiple-intelligences affected certain components of the students’ writing. More precisely, it was unraveled that logical and musical intelligences contributed more to the relevance and adequacy of content; on the other hand, verbal, musical, and naturalistic intelligences  bore effects on learners' writing organization; logical, existential, and verbal intelligences played a significant part in the learners' cohesion; logical and intrapersonal intelligences contributed more to the adequacy of vocabulary for purpose; musical, logical and intrapersonal intelligences could significantly account for the grammar of written productions; visual and kinesthetic intelligences were most effective in the punctuation components of L2 writings; finally, EFL learners' spelling was influenced by logical, musical, existential, and interpersonal intelligences. The results of the study bear significant implications for L2 writing researchers and teachers.