Multiple Intelligence in the Efl Classroom: Enhancing Achievement in Learning Argumentative Writing Among Students at Jimma University, Ethiopia

Abstract The goal of this study was to scrutinize the influence of Multiple Intelligence-Oriented Instruction (MI-OI) on the argumentative writing ability of students enrolled under the college of business and economics at Jimma University. Ninety students from the department of accounting and finance were participated in the study throughout the academic years 2024–2025. The study utilized a quasi-experimental design with mixed-methods approach to data analysis. Participants from the intact group were placed into two groups randomly to the experimental group (n = 45) and the control group (n = 45). Writing achievement tests were used to collect quantitative data, while structured interviews were used to gather qualitative data. Atlas.ti v.28 was utilized for qualitative data and SPSS v.28 was used for statistics analyses. The groups’ argumentative essay writing achievement increased significantly, according to an independent-samples t-test statistics (t (88) = 12.287, p <.001). The experimental group’s mean scores meaningfully improved from the pre-test (M = 2.33, SD = 0.52) to the post-test (M = 3.58, SD = 0.54) at p = 0.01. These findings were supported by qualitative inquiry, which showed that MI-OI methods enhanced students’ ability to craft meaningful argumentative essays. Thus, the study commends the use of MI-OI approaches in comparable educational situations and finds that incorporating them into EFL writing courses can impressively augment students’ argumentative essay writing skills.