Efficacy of multiple intelligences activities on learning Korean as a foreign language : the case of a video project

Abstract

This study aimed to corroborate the efficacy of classroom activities based on the theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) by analyzing the learners' performance in a video project. Overseas classroom environments for Korean-language learning have faced manifold problems, such as lack of time for practice, large class sizes, and fewer exposures to the Korean language outside the classroom. Hence, classroom activities for Korean as a Foreign Language (KFL) learners should be designed to enhance Korean-language communication skills more effectively and efficiently. Classroom activities based on the MI theory are known to be motivational and effective for foreign-language acquisition, but their specific effectiveness on KFL learning has not been investigated yet. To examine the efficacy of MI activities on KFL learners, the performance in a final video project of an experimental group that had received more types of MI activities throughout one semester was compared with that of a control group. During the semester, the experimental group was more actively engaged in seven types of MI activities, while the control group had four kinds of limited MI activities. The results of the video project show that the experimental group created scenarios and videos in a significantly better way than the control group. This suggests that more various classroom MI activities mobilized learners' MI and enhanced their problem-solving skills to complete a comprehensive task in a KFL classroom.