Abstract:
Each person had a number of different forms of intelligence in different levels according to
the theory of Multiple Intelligence. Nowadays in educational field Multiple Intelligence (MI)
plays a vital role. Application of MI theory helps students to understand how they are
intelligent and teachers, school administrators and parents can better understand the learners
of them. As a result it was important to study the Multiple Intelligence (MI) of school
students in Sri Lanka. Therefore Objectives of this research were, to identify the different MI
of students and how MI differ in terms of gender among the school students in Sri Lanka.
Selected sample was 144 school students from grade 11 in Gampaha District as respondents.
To collect the data questionnaire was used. Data were analyzed by using simple statistical
methods. The findings of this study showed that all intelligence were possessed by the
students either in high, moderate, or low category. Intrapersonal intelligence became the
highest intelligence among the nine types of MI. Moreover, other types of MI in high
category were interpersonal and existential intelligence. The other types were in moderate
category, were visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic, musical-rhythmic, logical- mathematic,
bodily-kinesthetic and naturalist intelligence. In terms of gender, the study revealed, male
students significantly possessed higher in bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal and existential
intelligence. Female students were significantly higher in intrapersonal, interpersonal,
naturalist and existential intelligence. Both genders higher in intrapersonal and existential
intelligence. Male students are higher than female students in logical-mathematic, bodilykinesthetic
and existential intelligence. Female students are higher than male students in
verbal-linguistic, visual-spatial, musical-rhythmic, intrapersonal, interpersonal and naturalist
intelligence.
