The Relationship between Multiple Intelligence Abilities and Academic Burnout among First-Year Saudi EFL University Students

This correlational research design examined the relationships between MI abilities (i.e., verbal-linguistic, visual-spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal) and academic burnout of Saudi EFL students during their first year of the university regarding components of academic burnout (i.e., exhaustion, cynicism, depersonalization). The participants comprised (918) first-year EFL female students who volunteered in the study. The data was gathered using an MI and academic burnout questionnaires. The study found that first-year EFL students find online learning methods unsuitable due to the long hours and effort required for assignments and quizzes. Female students, who consume more energy, find online learning unpreferable. The study also found a weak relationship between MI abilities and academic burnout among EFL first-year university students. Female students with multiple intelligences tend to have less academic burnout. Intrapersonal intelligence showed a weak but significant correlation with exhaustion, while no correlation was found between visual-spatial intelligence and exhaustion and cynicism. The study concludes with some recommendations and suggestions for further research.