Using the theory of multiple intelligences to guide the design of elementary school english homework

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to: 1) investigate how to design elementary school English homework guided by the theory of multiple intelligences to stimulate students' enthusiasm for English learning, promote personalized development and improve academic performance, 2) compare students' learning achievements before and after the implementation in order to determine its significance level and 3) examine students' satisfaction with English homework design guided by the theory of multiple intelligences. The research samples consisted of 54 fourth-grade students from Class 5 of Chongqing Eighth Primary School, Yuzhong district, Chongqing province, China, in the 2021-2022 academic year, selected through purposive sampling. Research tools included elementary school English homework designed under the guidance of the theory of multiple intelligences, assessments of the quality and technical aspects of English homework content, achievement questionnaires and satisfaction questionnaires. The research results indicated that: 1) The effectiveness of designing elementary school English homework guided by the theory of multiple intelligences for individual differences in English language proficiency showed verifiable efficiency. Experts' evaluations of the content of English homework design guided by the theory of multiple intelligences and the evaluation of media both met the criteria of excellence (𝑥̅=4.87, SD =0.23 and 𝑥̅=4.40, SD = 0.52, respectively). 2) Post-test scores were significantly higher than pre-test scores at the statistical significance level of .05. 3) Students exhibited the highest satisfaction with elementary school English homework design guided by the theory of multiple intelligences (𝑥̅= 4.53, SD =0.50).