Effect of nature-activities education program on the multiple intelligence level of children in the age group of 8 to 12 years

Abstract

Research population consists of 15 children who attended a 5 week (3 days a week) nature-activities course with the consent of their parents during the summer term of 2016-2017 academic year. Participants were selected from children who had never taken part in a nature activity before. Measurement tool of this study was "Development of Self-Assessment Scale in Multiple Intelligence Fields" of which validity and reliability test was conducted in 2001 by Gonca Seber. Since participants aged under 18, official consents of their parents were obtained to initiate the research. Next, scales were applied to all participants face-to-face for twice as before and after the implementation of education program. Obtained data were contrasted with the current multiple intelligence level and distribution of students via analyzing the changes was also measured at the end of 5-week education process. Changes detected in each of the multiple intelligence fields were explored and interpreted. Throughout the education process, 4 instructors supervised the participants. As a result linguistic intelligence (t=-5.20; p<0.05), visual intelligence (t=-8.29; p<0.05), mathematical intelligence (t=-13.72; p<0.05), kinesthetic intelligence (t=-6.96; p<0.05), social intelligence (t=-6.16; p<0.05), intrapersonal intelligence (t=-11.01; p<0.05), naturalistic intelligence (t=-8.46; p<0.05) and musical intelligence (t=-12.08; p<0.05) posttest scores of all participants are significantly higher than their pretest scores. A positive and significant relationship was measured between linguistic intelligence and naturalistic intelligence scores (r=0.59; p<0.01). Yet not any significant relationship existed between linguistic intelligence and other types of intelligence. A negative and significant relationship was measured between the scores of kinesthetic intelligence and social intelligence (r=-0.59; p<0.01). A negative and significant relationship was identified between the scores of social intelligence and intrapersonal intelligence (r=-0.52; p<0.01).