Quantitative Validation of the Multiple Intelligences Theory: A Predictive Model for Students' Academic Major Selection
Document Type : Scientific research
Author
PhD in Curriculum Planning, Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Allameh Amini Campus, Farhangian University, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract
Background and Objective: Despite the widespread influence of Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences in educational literature, its empirical validity as a predictive tool for academic and career choices has remained ambiguous. This study was conducted with the primary objective of explaining the structural relationship and assessing the predictive validity of the multiple intelligences profile in students' selection of academic majors.
Methodology: This research was a descriptive-correlational study. The statistical population included twelfth-grade students in Tehran, from which a sample of 350 students (191 female, 159 male) was selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected using the standardized Multiple Intelligences Questionnaire (McKenzie, 1999) and a researcher-developed questionnaire to determine the academic major. The data were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression.
Findings: The results indicated that the regression model based on the eight dimensions of intelligence significantly predicted the choice of academic major ( ) and possessed a high explanatory power ( ). The overall accuracy of the model in correctly classifying students was 85.1%. Visual-Spatial intelligence was the strongest predictor for the field of Arts ( ), and Naturalist intelligence was a key predictor for the field of Experimental Sciences ( ).
Conclusion: The findings of this research provide strong empirical evidence for the predictive validity of the multiple intelligences theory in the context of educational guidance. The results show that students' intelligence profiles are a determining and measurable factor in their inclination towards different academic fields. These findings can provide the scientific basis for revising traditional counseling approaches and developing data-driven, multidimensional talent assessment tools.
Methodology: This research was a descriptive-correlational study. The statistical population included twelfth-grade students in Tehran, from which a sample of 350 students (191 female, 159 male) was selected using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected using the standardized Multiple Intelligences Questionnaire (McKenzie, 1999) and a researcher-developed questionnaire to determine the academic major. The data were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression.
Findings: The results indicated that the regression model based on the eight dimensions of intelligence significantly predicted the choice of academic major ( ) and possessed a high explanatory power ( ). The overall accuracy of the model in correctly classifying students was 85.1%. Visual-Spatial intelligence was the strongest predictor for the field of Arts ( ), and Naturalist intelligence was a key predictor for the field of Experimental Sciences ( ).
Conclusion: The findings of this research provide strong empirical evidence for the predictive validity of the multiple intelligences theory in the context of educational guidance. The results show that students' intelligence profiles are a determining and measurable factor in their inclination towards different academic fields. These findings can provide the scientific basis for revising traditional counseling approaches and developing data-driven, multidimensional talent assessment tools.
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