Adopting Multiple IntelligenceBased Activities (MIBAs) to Enhance Male and Female EFL Learners’ Oral Performance

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Gardner’s multiple intelligencebased activities (MIBAs) to improve the oral performance of male and female EFL learners. To this end, 60 Iranian intermediate EFL learners were selected out of 120 learners based on their scores on a sample Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) and divided into two equal groups of experimental (n=30) and control (n=30). The IELTS speaking test was administered as a pretest. The experimental group was taught through some appropriate activities based on the definition of eight types of Gardner’s intelligences. At the same time, a method including conventional speaking activities such as repetition drills, memorization, reading texts, and answering some knowledge questions was employed for the control group. The treatment period lasted for 10 weeks. After the treatment, the oral posttest, the same as the pretest, was administered to investigate the impact of the teaching process on the learners oral performance. The participants’ oral proficiency was evaluated using both the IELTS speaking band scores and a researchermade evaluation sheet including eight speaking components. The findings revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group. The use of MIBAs significantly affected EFL learners’ oral performance and improvement regardless of their gender. The findings may offer some implications for the fields of teaching, material preparation, and curriculum designing. Additionally, the findings can make optimal changes for assessment methods.