A Comparative study of the Impact of Bilingualism and Gender on Bilingual and Monolingual Learners in Linguistic and Logical-Mathematical Intelligences

Authors
1 PhD student in linguistics, PNU, Tehran, Iran
2 Associate Professor of Linguistics and Foreign Languages ​​University, Shiraz, Fars, Iran
3 Associate Professor of Linguistics and Foreign Languages​​, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The present research initially presents a brief description of two perspectives on the nature of intelligence. Then, it explains the theoretical framework of the research by overviewing the literature on bilingualism and cognitive development. This research primarily aims to explore the impact of bilingualism and gender on linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences in a sample of monolingual and bilingual high school students (fourth graders) of Fars and Khuzestan provinces in Iran. To fulfill this objective, 448 monolingual and bilingual students were selected from among 67031 students in the 2012-2013 academic year. They were administered Multiple Intelligences Survey questionnaire developed by Armstrong (1993) and the results were analyzed through SPSS software. The findings revealed that the bilingual students rated themselves higher on linguistic and logical-mathematical than monolingual peers. Moreover, the male students gave higher self-estimates for logical-mathematical intelligence than their female peers while female students gave higher self-estimates for linguistic intelligence than their male peers. The results of such studies, which indicate students’ differences on intelligence, may lead to the awareness of curriculum developers and teachers to diversify teaching activities based on learners’ learning styles and intellectual abilities.

Keywords


  • ·      براهنی، محمدتقی (1371). «پیامدهای شناختی دوزبانگی». ارائه‌شده در سمینار بررسی ابعاد دوزبانگی. تهران، تیرماه 1371.

  • جان اچ. فلاول (1383). رشد شناختی. ترجمه فرهاد ماهر. تهران: رشد.

  • غفارثمر، رضا؛ فاطمه طبسی‌مفرد و رامین اکبری (1393). «‌تفاوت شناختی در سرعتِ نامیدن تصویر میان مردان و زنان دوزبانه فارسی- انگلیسی». جستارهای زبانی(پژوهش‌های زبان و ادبیات تطبیقی سابق).د 5. ش 2 (پیاپی 18). صص 161-178.

  • کمالی، بهناز (1384). دوزبانگی. تهران: مدرسه.

  • ·      میردهقان، مهین‌ناز؛ وحید نجاتی و ایلناز داوودی (1391). «درک ضرب‌المثل‌های فارسی در نوجوانان یک‌زبانه و دوزبانه: تحلیل مقایسه‌ای عملکرد بر پایه مدل اقناع محدودیت».  پژوهش‌های زبان و ادبیات تطبیقی. د 3. ش 3(پیاپی 11). صص 193-216.

  • نیلی‌پور، رضا (1358).توانایی‏های دوزبانه شدن کودکان و بزرگسالان. اهواز: دانشگاه شهید چمران.

  • نیلی‌پور، رضا (1365). «شرایط مطلوب دوزبانه شدن». رشد آموزشی زبان. ش 6. صص 12-17.

  • نیلی‌پور، رضا (1371). «ماهیت و مفاهیم دوزبانگی». ارائه‌شده در سمینار بررسی ابعاد دوزبانگی. تهران‌، تیرماه 1371.

    • Andreou, G. & A. Karapetsas (2004). “Verbal abilities in low and highly proficient bilinguals”. Journal of Psychological Research. 33. (5). Pp. 357-364.

    • Armstrong, T. (1992). MI checklist. Mind Styles Consulting Services, Cloverdale, CA.

    • Ben-Zeev, S. (1977). “Mechanisms by which childhood bilingualism affects understanding of language and cognitive structures”. In P. A. Hornby (Ed.). Bilingualism: Psychological, Social, and Educational Implications. (Pp. 29-55). New York: Academic.

    • Bialystok, E. (1991). Language Processing in Bilingual Children. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    • Caldas, S. J. & S. Caron-Caldas (1996). Case- Study in Family French-Immersion and Academic Achievement. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in New York, NY. April 10.

    • Cenoz, J. (2003). “The successive effect of bilingualism on third language acquisition. A review”. International Journal of Bilingualism. 7. Pp. 71-87.

    • Comeau, L. & F. Genesee (2001). “Bilingual children’s repair strategies during dyadic communication”. In Trends in bilingual Acquisition. Cenoz, J. & Genesee, F. (eds.). Pp. 231-256. Amsterdom: John Benjamins.

    • Cummins, J. (1976). “The influence of bilingualism on cognitive growth: A synthesis of research findings and explanatory hypotheses”. Working Papers on Bilingualism. 9. Pp. 1-43.

    • Cummins, J. (1984). “Bilingualism and Cognitive Functioning”. In S. Shapson & V. D'Oyley (Eds.). Bilingual and Multicultural Education: Canadian Perspectives. (pp. 55-70). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

    • Diaz, R. (1983). “Thought on two languages: The impact of bilingualism on cognitive development”. Review of Research in Education. 10 (1).Pp. 23-54.

    • Ellis, E. (2006). “Monolingualism: The unmarked case”. Estudios de Sociolingüística. 7(2). Pp. 173-196.

    • Furnham, A. (2001). “Self-estimates of intelligence: Culture and gender differences in self and other estimates of both general (g) and multiple intelligences”. Personality and Individual Differences. 31 (8). Pp. 1381-1405.

    • Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind. The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic Books.

    • Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice. New York: Basic Books, Herper Collins Publishers.

    • Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century. New York: Basic Books.

    • Gardner, H. (2004). Frames of Mind- Multiple Intelligence Theory. New York: Basic Books.

    • Gardner, H. (2006). Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons. New York: Basic Books.

    • Gleason, J. B. (2005). The Development of language. Boston, M.A.: Allyn and Bacon.

    • Grosjean, F. (1982). Life with Two Languages: An Introduction to Bilingualism. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.

    • ·       Gurian, M., Stevens, K. (2004). “With boys and girls in mind”. Educational Leadership. 62 (3). Pp. 21-26.

    • Hakuta, K. & Diaz, R. (1985). “The relationship between degree of bilingualism and cognitive ability: a critical discussion and some new longitudinal data”. In K. E. Nelson (Ed.). Children's Language. Vol. 5 (Pp. 319-344). Hillsdale, N. J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    • Hakuta, K. (1986). Mirror of Language. New York: Basic Books.

    • Hakuta, K. (2001). “A critical period for second language acquisition?” In D. Bailey, J. Bruer, F. Symons & J. Lichtman (eds.). Critical Thinking about Critical Periods. (Pp. 193-205). Baltimore: Paul Brookes Publishing Co.

    • Halpern, D.F. & M.L. LaMay (2000). “The smarter sex: a critical review of sex differences in intelligence”. Educational Psychology Review. 12 (2). Pp. 229-246.

    • Hamers, J. F. & M. H. A. Blanc (2000). Bilinguality and Bilingualism (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    • Hamers, J. F. & M. H. A. Blanc (2004). “A sociocognitive model of bilingual development”. Journal of Language and Social Psychology. 23 (1). Pp. 70-98.

    • Kapetangianni, K. & M. Shatz (2006). “Early awareness of language in an emerging bilingual”. Poster Presented at the Language Acquisition and Bilingualism Conference. Canada: Toronto.

    • Loori, A. A. (2005). “Multiple intelligences: A comparative study between the preferences of males and females”. Social Behavior and Personality. 33(1). Pp. 77-88.

    • Lynn, R. (1994). “Sex differences in brain size and intelligence. A paradox resolved”. Personality and Individual Differences. 17 (2). Pp. 257-271.

    • Many Intelligences. New York: Plume, Penguin Group.

    • Marian, V.; Y. Faroqi-Shah; M. Kaushanskaya; H. Blumenfeld & S. Li (2009). “Bilingualism: Consequences for Language, Cognition, Development, and the brain”. ASHA Leader. 14(13). 10-13. Retrieved June 22, 2013 from Academic Search Complete database.

    • Martin-Rhee, M. M. & E. Bialystok (2008). “The development of two types of inhibitory control in monolingual and bilingual children”. Bilingualism: Language and Coginition. 11(1). Pp. 81-93.

    • Mazoochi, N. & M. Saeidi (2013). “A comparative study on bilingual and monolingual Iranian EFL Learners' linguistic intelligence across genders”. Life Science Journal. 10(6). Pp. 321-334.

    • Moniri, S. F. (2006). Bilingual Memory: A Lifespan Approach. Doctoral Dissertation. Stockholm University.

    • Nicoladis, E. (2008). “Bilingualism and language cognitive development”. In Altarriba & Heredia (eds.). Pp. 167-181.

    • Noruzi, M. R., N. Sariolghalam & G. R. Rahimi (2010). “The enigma of Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences theory in the area of organizational effectiveness”. International Journal of Business and Management. 5 (5). Pp. 161-1680.

    • Paik, H. S. (1998). One intelligence or many? Alternative approaches to cognitiveabilities. Retrieved July 29, 2012. from http://www.personalityresearch .org/papers/paik.html.

    • Peal, E. & W. E.  Lambert (1962). “The relation of bilingualism to intelligence”. Psychological Monographs. 76 (27). Pp. 1-23.

    • Rammstedt, B. & T. H. Rammsayer (2000). “Sex differences in self-estimates of different aspects of intelligence”. Personality and Individual Differences. 29(5). Pp. 869-880.

    • Ramzi, N.; K. Abouchedid & S. Singhal (2008). “Gender differences on self estimates of multiple Intelligences: A comparison between Indian and Lebanese youth”. Journal of Social Sciences. 16(3). Pp. 235-243.

    • Romaine, S. (1995). Bilingualism. (2nd edition). Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.

    • Saer, D. J. (1924). “The effects of bilingualism on intelligence”. British Journal of Psychology. 14. pp. 25-38.

    • Sampath, K. K. (2005). “Effect of bilingualism on intelligence”. In Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Bilingualism. Cascadilla press.

    • Saunders, G. (1988). Bilingual Children: From Birth to Teens. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.

    • Saunders, G.; Ghazi S. R., Nawaz Khan, H., & Shabbir, M. N. (2011). “Self  Perceived Multiple Intelligences of Male and Female”. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences. 2(1). Pp. 176-187.

    • Spearman, C. (1904). “General intelligence. Objectively determined and measured”. American Journal of Psychology. 15. Pp. 201-293.

    • Su-ching, L. (2009).“Gender and major differences in self-estimates of different aspects of Gardner’s multiple intelligences: A study of the undergraduate pre-service teachers in Taiwan”. Asian Social Science. 5(5). Pp. 3-14.

    • Tahriri, A. (2010). On Teaching To Diversity: Investigating The Effectiveness Of MI Inspired Instruction In An EFL Context. Doctoral dissertation. Shiraz University.

    • Wodniecka, Z.; F. Craik; L. Lou & E. Bialystok (2010). “Does bilingualism help memory? Competing the effects of verbal ability and executive control”. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. 13 (5). Pp. 575-595.