Relationship among critical thinking, multiple intelligence, and Iranian EFL learners’ speaking skill

Abstract

Focusing on multiple intelligence (MI) and critical thinking (CT), which are often thought to be the important factors in improving second language (L2) learners’ skills, has been the major concern of researchers in recent decades. This study investigated the (possible) relationship among MI, CT, and Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ speaking skill. Seventy intermediate participants were chosen from Shahrekord University, Iran, and a language institute in Yazd, Iran. To identify the participants’ MI profiles, the Persian translation of McKenzie’s MI Inventory Questionnaire was administered to the participants. Also, to determine the participants’ CT, the Persian translation of California CT Skill Test was used. Thereafter, the participants’ speaking skill was measured by the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) speaking test. Results of the Pearson correlation coefficient showed that there was not any significant relationship between the participants’ MI and the speaking skill, whereas there was a significant relationship between their CT and speaking skill. In addition, the results revealed that, first, MI and the speaking skill did not correlate significantly and, second, the findings showed that the higher the participants were critical thinkers, the better and more fluent they were in their L2 speaking. Findings have some implications for L2 practitioners, students, administrators, and researchers in English language teaching, suggesting the incorporation of and CT skills in L2 learners’ class activities and their textbooks.