Multiple Intelligences Theory in the Algerian Middle School Textbooks of English: An Evaluation Study

Abstract

Teaching and learning English as a foreign language in Algeria are primarily based on textbooks, which can be considered as the palpable manifestation of the curriculum. Hence, the Algerian ministry of education initiated reforms in 2016 to improve the quality of middle school textbooks. This research aimed to evaluate four middle-school textbooks in the light of Multiple Intelligences Theory. This qualitative research relied on EBadi & Beigzedeh checklist to evaluate the aforementioned books. In addition to that, teachers' awareness and attitudes towards the Multiple Intelligence Theory and its integration in second-generation reforms were investigated by means of a semi-structured questionnaire administered to sixty (60) Algerian teachers from different regions in Algeria. The findings revealed that the most predominant intelligence types in the four textbooks were linguistic intelligence, followed by interpersonal intelligence. The inclusion of the remaining intelligences is different from one textbook to another. The results also unveiled that bodily/kinesthetic and naturalist intelligences were the least dominant intelligences in the textbooks. Concerning the Algerian teachers' awareness and attitudes, the findings revealed that they were familiar with the theory, but they do not know how to apply it. In spite of that, they have positive attitudes towards the theory and its integration in English Language Teaching. This research ends up with a number of pedagogical implications and recommendations derived from the findings as well as its limitations and suggestions for further studies.