Merging Multiple Intelligences with Dialogic-based Portfolio Assessment to Expedite Iranian EFL Learner's Higher order thinking Skills

Controversy has not been yet resolved among second language researchers as how to enhance higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) in EFL contexts. Responding to the growing need to foster thinking skills, many foreign language educators have recently attempted to investigate the effect of diverse teaching strategies on HOTS. Yet, few studies have focused on the infusion of Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI), dialogic teaching, and portfolio assessment in improving HOTS. Thus, the present study aimed to explore the impact of multiple intelligences-oriented dialogic-based portfolio assessment on the higher-order thinking skills of forty Iranian EFL learners studying at Jehad Daneshgahi Institute--Karaj Branch. The participants in two intact classes were assigned to a control or dialogic-based portfolio assessment (DBPA) group and an experimental or MI-oriented dialogic-based portfolio assessment (MIDBPA) group. In the experimental group, the participants’ MI was initially measured through Christison’s (1998) MI checklist to group learners with the same strong intelligence in one group. The multivariate analysis of ANOVA (MANOVA) indicated the superiority of MIDBPA group over the control group in the use of HOTS. The findings highlight the virtue of MI-based materials, even in dialogic-based learning environments, in enhancing HOTS. Pedagogical implications are discussed and recommendations for further research are suggested.