INVESTIGATING SELF-ESTIMATED MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES AMONGST MALAYSIAN SCIENCE-BASEDSECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS (65 - 81)

Abstract

A cross sectional survey was conducted to explore whether there were gender and ethnicity differences with regard to each of the eight multiple intelligences as measured by the 80-item Malaysian-Based Multiple Intelligence Inventory (MBMI2), an adapted version which has appropriate validity and reliability established through a pilot study. The participants, comprising 426 science-based Form Four students who were drawn from nine secondary school classes in Manjung District, were selected using a cluster random sampling. In terms of gender, the analyses from the dataset using independent samples t-test indicated that females self-estimated themselves significantly more dominant in verbal-linguistics, visual-spatial, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences as compared to their male counterparts. In terms of ethnicity, the analyses from the dataset using ANOVA indicated that Malays self-estimated themselves significantly more dominant than Chinese in verbal-linguistics, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, naturalist, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences whilst Indians are more dominant than Chinese in self-estimation for verbal-linguistics, naturalist, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences. Implications from these findings for enhancing the teaching and learning in science are discussed.