Nature of Multiple Intelligences and Perceptual Learning Styles of Prospective Teachers in West Bengal, India

Abstract

In light of the students' various learning styles and levels of intelligence, different pupils learn in different ways. This study analyses the multiple intelligences and learning styles of 410 prospective teachers from teacher training institutes in West Bengal, India. During the data collection procedure, researchers used a random sampling technique. It indicates that there are differences between women and men in particular forms of intelligence (spatial, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal), which tend to be disregarded in our conventional teacher education programmes. The verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, and bodily-kinesthetic categories of intelligence—which are frequently acquired through curriculum—do not exhibit statistically significant gender differences. The sensation-intuition dimension is the only one where there are gender differences in learning style. The sole conclusion that can be drawn from these findings is that prospective teachers' preferred learning styles are merely disregarded during the teaching-learning process, which should include techniques for nurturing them. The findings of this study imply that incorporating teaching methods that take into account multiple intelligences and learning styles may have a positive impact on students' academic performance. Comparably, while deciding which students to accept for a given course, academic institutions must take multiple intelligences into consideration as well. Keywords: Multiple Intelligences, Learning Styles, Prospective Teachers