The Use Of MI Theory As A Stimulus To Motivate College Students' English Learning In China

Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University, developed the theory of multiple intelligences in 1983. Gardner proposes at least eight different intelligences (linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and naturalist intelligence) to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults. It has been seized by so many educators because it is humanizing school so that it fits the learner. Research has shown that given enough exposure to the materials of intelligence, nearly everyone can achieve quite significant results in that intellectual realm. The current study has shown that most college students find English learning uninteresting, or irrelevant to their daily life, and so lack of attention, passivity, "off-task " attitudes and other disruptive forms of behaviors have become common place in Chinese College English classrooms. College English Curriculum Requirements (For Trial Implementation) pointed out that College English teaching will be free from the constraints of time or place and geared towards students' individualized and autonomous learning. What can College English teachers do to enhance their students' motivation to learn English? This paper argues that MI theory motivates college students to become responsive and active learners. The author tried implementing MI theory into College English Classroom teaching and found that college English teachers' use of MI theory is a key to effective teaching and learning. Results of the study indicated that students didachieve greater success rates when the MI theory was implemented. So she suggests that college English teachers incorporate the capacities of the intelligences into the College English teaching and learning process, thus providing students with a more holistic educational experience that give them the chance to develop their full intellectual potential and capabilities in and through their mastery of the English curriculum.This thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter One introduces the background to the research and the significance of the research. In Chapter Two, detailed introduction of Multiple Intelligences are elaborated, and then related research is reviewed and briefly described. Chapter Three presents the design of the research, including objectives of the research, a description of the participants, instruments for data collection, and procedure. In Chapter Four data collected via those instruments are presented and results are discussed in light of MI theory. The concluding chapter summarizes the findings, and recognizes the limitations of the study as well as recommendations for further research.