Finding out Iraqi EFL Preparatory School Students’ Intrapersonal Intelligence and Speaking Performance: A Correlational Study
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Abstract
The present paper investigates the correlation between intrapersonal intelligence and speaking performance at the preparatory school level in Iraq. Although speaking is a fundamental skill for communication, many students struggle to master it within a foreign language (FL) context. This challenge is often attributed to various underlying factors, including low self-esteem, heightened anxiety, and a deficit in the awareness of productive learning strategies. Intrapersonal intelligence is defined as being self-aware and possessing the ability to understand one’s own emotions, motives, and goals is hypothesized to play a crucial role in helping students handle these challenges and improve their speaking proficiency. The study aims to determine the level of intrapersonal intelligence among students, evaluate their speaking performance, and identify the correlation between these two variables. By understanding this relationship, the paper seeks to assist educators in developing focused pedagogical approaches to enhance students' oral proficiency. The sample consists of 130 randomly selected Iraqi EFL fifth preparatory students from Karbala Governorate during the 2024–2025 academic year. The methodology employs two main instruments: a Speaking Performance Test to evaluate oral communication proficiency and an Intrapersonal Intelligence Questionnaire to assess students' self-awareness and their capacity to understand their own emotions and motives.
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