Abstract

The accelerated rate of change that typifies today’s society has resulted in educational systems and educators being confronted with the challenges of educating students for a world characterised by social mobility, globalisation and technological challenge: a world in which students have to assimilate, assess and integrate more information from diverse sources within increasingly short periods of time. This paper discusses the unique characteristics of Gardner’s Intrapersonal intelligence domain and assesses its potential in comparison to some other “self” theories commonly found in educational theory and practice. It then argues that the concept of the executive function of intrapersonal intelligence provides a relatively unexplored notion of self that has the potential to empower all those engaged in educational pursuits, irrespective of their diversity. As executive function brings together and interpolates the commonly identified characteristics of successful learners, it is argued that one of the most inclusive ways in which educators can improve student outcomes, build knowledge, skills and strategies that promote personal achievement and prepare young people for the complexity of their world, can be found by exploring this specific aspect of the renowned Multiple Intelligences (MI) paradigm and ways in which it may be enhanced.