Indian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Life Sciences ISSN: 2231-6345 (Online) An Open Access, Online International Journal Available at http://www.cibtech.org/jls.htm 2014 Vol. 4 (2) April-June, pp.488-495/Mirzaei et al. Research Article © Copyright 2014 | Centre for Info Bio Technology (CIBTech) 488 THE EFFECT OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES ON IRANIAN EFL LEARNERS’ PRONUNCIATION ACCURACY AT INTERMEDIATE LEVEL *Fatemeh Mirzaei, Shahrokh Jahandar and Morteza Khodabandehlou Department of English Language, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Guilan, Iran *Author for Correspondence ABSTRACT The present study investigated the effect of Multiple Intelligences Theory on Iranian EFL learners. The participants of the study were selected based on their results in an OPT exam. This study tried to determine the extent to which multiple intelligences theory affects the pronunciation ability of Intermediate learners. To answer this question, 40 intermediate learners of Kish Institute of Science and Technology in Rasht whose score fell between 1SD below and above the mean were randomly assigned to two groups of control and experimental. At the beginning of the study Mackenzie’s MI inventory (1999) was run in order to determine learners’ intelligence type, then a pre-test was run and the results of the groups were compared. The results did not show any specific difference between the groups. The experimental group received treatment by implementing Multiple Intelligences theory for teaching pronunciation. The control group received placebo which means no treatment has been done and learners received a normal routine of the semester as they always did. At the end of the study a pronunciation post- test was run and the result of the independent sample t-test showed a significant difference between the control and experimental group. The findings of the study indicated that implementing Multiple Intelligences theory can be an effective way to improve pronunciation of EFL learners. Keywords: Multiple Intelligences, Pronunciation Accuracy, Intermediate Level, OPT INTRODUCTION Pronunciation instruction is a prominent factor in foreign language teaching. Since sounds play an important role in communication, foreign language teachers must attribute proper importance to teaching pronunciation in their classes. It is evident that communication is a mutual relationship between the speaker and the hearer. This means that one must comprehend what he/she hears in the target language and must produce the sounds of the language he/she is trying to learn accurately. Unless he has sufficient knowledge of the sound patterns of the target language, he can neither encode a message to anybody nor decode the message sent by another person by learning the sounds of the target language within his mother tongue. Therefore, pronunciation instruction is of great importance for successful oral communication to take place since it is an important ingredient of the communicative competence (Hismanoglu, 2006). According to Fraser (2000), ESL/EFL teachers need to be provided with courses and materials to help them improve their effectiveness in teaching pronunciation. The theory of Multiple Intelligence was proposed by Howard Gardner in 1980’s. This theory has important implications for teaching in general and for language learning in particular (Armstrong, 2007; Azar, 2006; Buchen, 2006; Campbell and Dickinson, 2004; Christian, 2004; Fogarty and Stoehr, 2007; Tracy and Richery, 2007; Viens and Kallenback, 2004; Barrington, 2004; Chan, 2006; Christion and Kennedy, 2004; Hall, 2004). Gardner (1999) defines intelligence as the ability to process information that is activated in a cultural contest for problem solving or creating products which are worthy in a culture. Gardner (1999) introduces 8 distinct intelligences which include verbal linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic and existential (Armstrong, 2000; Ormrod, 2006; Peariso, 2008). Still in development is a ninth intelligence, the existential intelligence. Gardner hopes to officially add it as an intelligence after more data has been collected and analyzed (Gardner, 2009). After the introduction of MI theory, changes have been made in