Interrogating the relationship between multiple intelligence patterns and academic performance among pre-service teachers

Abstract

This study investigated the views of University of Ghana pre-service teachers (PSTs), on the impact of multiple intelligences (MI) on learning and its relationship to academic success. The research aimed to comprehend how PSTs view MI and its influence on learning, look at disparities in these views between genders, analyse the connection between PSTs' views of MI and their academic performance, investigate how gender influences this relationship, and find the differences between STEM and non-STEM pre-service teachers regarding this perception and the effect of MI on learning. We gathered primary data from a sample of PSTs using a structured questionnaire, a cross-sectional design, and a quantitative research methodology. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, Pearson product-moment correlation, and dichotomous moderated multiple regression analysis. The results show that PSTs have differing opinions on the various forms of intelligence and that there is a weakly positive correlation (r =.152) between PSTs' opinions of MI and academic achievement. Also, STEM pre-service teachers perceived the impact of MI on learning much more than their non-STEM counterparts (t = -4.262, df = 373, p < 0.001), and gender had no discernible moderating influence on this relationship ( (F(1, 271) = 1.174, p =.279). The study advises promoting inclusive teaching methods that consider students' varied intelligences. The study's conclusions highlight how important it is for teacher preparation programmes to include knowledge and comprehension of MI theory in their curricula to better prepare teachers for various learning situations.