Theories About Intelligence and Academic Achievement

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Article Summary
Nature vs Nurture
Comparison of Theorists
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The discussion of intelligence is essential in education because theories relate to how schools build curricula. It is vital to understand what approaches to teaching children are the most effective and which of the students’ qualities matter for academic achievement and motivation. Moreover, researchers aim to learn whether some of these traits can be improved upon or learned. Comparing the perception of intelligence, one can choose from many authors’ works, including theories by Wechsler, Steinberg, Gardner, and Sternberg. The theories of intelligence touch upon various processes of acquisition of information and its use, but few attempt to combine these aspects.

Article Summary

The discussion of intelligence is raised in schools and by teachers who develop curricula because it influences how they choose types of exercises and questions to create for students to deliver the best results. An interesting idea that challenges the role of intelligence is presented by North (2015), who describes educational initiatives that focus on grit, openness, and conscientiousness rather than on intelligence. The argument on which these teachings are based is that a student’s passion and perseverance for reaching goals may be more important than intelligence in itself. These programs are also criticized for their potential lack of teaching morality in combination with grit. Another strategy introduced in the article is the individualized approach to every student based on their strengths. I agree that other qualities may be important for academic achievement because they allow students to gain self-confidence, improving their experience at school.

Nature vs Nurture

The discussion about hereditary intelligence and learning through the environment is one of the longest-debated philosophical questions. “Nature” in the duality refers to genetic factors, while “nurture” includes one’s family upbringing, socioeconomics factors, relationships, and culture (Cherry, 2020). According to Cherry (2020), the modern view is that both hereditary and acquired characteristics shape one’s development. Therefore, it is pertinent to focus on intelligence theories that focus on different type of intelligence and approaches to knowledge acquisition and use.

Comparison of Theorists

One may briefly mention the ideas presented by Steinberg in regards to intelligence acquisition. According to the theorist, intelligence requires discipline, expectation setting, and open communication (Sternberg & Williams, 2009). Therefore, parental encouragement has to be balanced with strict rule enforcement and involvement in schooling. This theory demonstrates that other factors other than intelligence may be necessary for academic achievement. In my opinion, this approach is similar to the one presented by North (2015) as it also values outside factors and non-intelligence characteristics. However, it is also different as it highlights the behavior of parents and teachers.

The ideas presented above seem to focus on qualities other than intelligence. Nevertheless, the latter’s place in education is still considered important. One of the theories considering that is the intelligence scale presented by Wechsler. Wechsler thought of general intelligence as quantifiable, meaning that each element of it could be measured (Watkins & Canivez, 2021). Aspects of intelligence include verbal comprehension, visual and spatial understanding, reasoning, memory, and processing speed (Watkins & Canivez, 2021). This theory centers on acquiring information – almost all segments deal with being exposed to data or memorizing facts. Only one type – fluid reasoning – refers to using one’s knowledge to produce an original thought. Therefore, I believe that Wechsler’s view of intelligence has a limited capability of helping teachers engage students and build curricula.

The theory by Gardner presents a much more complex view of intelligence. It is separated into eight categories: “linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic” (Sternberg & Williams, 2009, pp. 127-128). Each type corresponds with specific activities – for instance, spatial intelligence is responsible for measuring distances and determining the sizes of objects in an environment (Cherry, 2021). In contrast to Wechsler’s approach, Gardner expands the idea of intelligence and suggests that it is not limited by acquiring information. It is also represented by various types of knowledge to deal with real-life and theoretical situations. I think that theory is interesting because it highlights the potential for diversity in students’ skills. It also shows the value of different subjects and how they can develop one’s intelligence. However, the approach does not create connections between different intelligence categories and does not explain the process of knowledge gathering.

Finally, the last view of intelligence for this comparison is the triarchic theory introduced by Sternberg. Similar to Gardner, Sternberg separates intelligence into several abilities – analytical, creative, and practical (Sternberg & Williams, 2009). Each of them corresponds to actions that one performs – for example, creative intelligence allows one to create and imagine concepts. However, these abilities are not tied to specific activities, as in Gardner’s approach. Creativity and other aspects of intelligence correspond to how a person uses information and applies it. Furthermore, Sternberg divides the process of utilizing information into three steps – metacomponents, performance, and knowledge-acquisition components (Sternberg & Williams, 2009). These categories describe how an individual makes decisions, performs actions, and solves problems. As a result, Sternberg’s theory discusses factors covered separately in all previously discussed approaches to intelligence. In my opinion, this explanation of intelligence is more versatile than other theories. It can be applied in every educational environment, helping teachers understand students’ thought processes and their potential strengths and weaknesses.

Conclusion

The discussion of intelligence and other factors in academic achievement is based on many views and theories. It is clear that some programs still value the role of intelligence, while others seek another focus. Among the ideas discussed in the paper, Sternberg’s theory of intelligence appears to bridge the divide between the different elements of academic achievement as it covers components and aspects of intelligence. Other approaches either focus solely on the acquisition of information without its meaningful application or vice versa.