Intelligence

Schooling and Academic Achievement

What is “intelligence”?

Brief history of IQ testing

• Binet

• Lewis Terman– Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test

• Army Alpha & Beta Tests

• D. Wechsler– Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

• Special education (PL 94-142)

Other IQ efforts...• Spearman

– 2 IQ factors: “g” general and “s” specific

• Thurstone– specialized abilities

• Guilford’s structure-of-intellect model– 3 dimensions: content, operations, products

• Cattell– fluid vs. crystallized intelligence

Contemporary approaches

• Robert Sternberg– triarchic theory

• Howard Gardner– multiple intelligences

• Daniel Goleman– emotional intelligence

Sternberg’s triarchic theory

• 3 basic processes to intelligence:

– metacomponents

– performance components

– knowledge-acquisition components

Gardner’s MI theory• Criteria for an intelligence:

– potential isolation by brain damage;

– existence of savants, prodigies, or others distinguished by the presence or absence of specific abilities;

– recognizable end-state and distinctive developmental path;

– identifiable set of core operations;

– an evolutionary history and plausibility;

– support from experimental psychology tasks;

– susceptibility to encoding in a symbol system.

8 types of intelligence!• linguistic• logical/mathematical• spatial• bodily/kinesthetic• musical• interpersonal• intrapersonal• naturalist

MI theory is not an educational theory—it is a psychological

theory of individual differences in intelligence.

D. Goleman’s emotional intelligence theory

• A form of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action.

EQ involves:

• Developing emotional self-awareness– e.g., separating feelings from actions

• managing emotions – e.g., controlling anger

• reading emotions – e.g., taking others’ perspectives

• handling relationships

Why test intelligence?

The amount of schooling completed varies with IQ:

• Some elementary school Mean IQ = 82• Elementary school completed Mean IQ = 91• Some high school Mean IQ = 96• High school graduate Mean IQ = 100• Some college Mean IQ = 107• College graduate Mean IQ = 115

What kinds of schools promote intellectual competence?

• Strong administrative leadership

• High expectations for student success

• Safe environment for learning

• Frequent monitoring of student progress

Characteristics of successful schools:• recognition of good teaching and student accomplishments

• high parental and community involvement

• prevailing sense of care and community

• an academic emphasis

• homework!

• high expectations for student learning

• large amount of in-class, on-task instruction

• fair discipline within an orderly environment

• teacher and administrative control of the school

• staff collegiality