Measuring Multiple Intelligences and Moral Sensitivities in Education

Book excerpt: In this book, we introduce several sensitivity measures in educational contexts that can be used in research, education and self-evaluations. In Chapter 1 we discuss the framework of Howard Gardner‘s Multiple Intelligences theory and introduce our Multiple Intelligences Profiling Questionnaire. We present the psychometrical qualities of the instrument with empirical data sets of children, youth and adults. In Chapter 2 the Spiritual Sensitivity Scale is introduced with the theoretical framework it is connected to. The existence of spiritual intelligence has been a widely debated issue and not everybody is ready to call advanced thinking in religious or spiritual domains as intelligence. This has guided us to use the term sensitivity, which is easier to justify than intelligence in these areas of human behavior. In Chapter 3 we introduce the Environmental Sensitivity Scale, which is quite close to the possible intelligence of naturalist suggested by Gardner. In Chapter 4, Ethical Sensitivity Scale is introduced followed by Emotional Leadership Questionnaire in Chapter 5. All these scales have a solid theoretical framework and earlier empirical work to support the instrument building. Chapter 6 introduces Intercultural and Interreligious Sensitivity Scales with their theoretical frameworks and earlier empirical work. Following each chapter, we have included a ready-to-use version of the questionnaire and SPSS syntax to compute factors. A commentary by Dr. Seana Moran compliments the book and challenges the readers to further reflect the meaning of education in supporting holistic development of learners in their life-long journey. We have authored this book to contribute to this goal and hope it will be used in the hands of researchers, teachers and students in their mutual effort to grow and to learn new things in life.