Design of Integrated Learning Environment Based on Multiple
Intelligence for Early Childhood Education
Rita Mariyana and Ocih Setiasih
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Setiabudi 229,Bandung, Jawa Barat, Indonesia
Keywords: Learning Environment, Integrated, Multiple Intelligence, Early Childhood.
Abstract: The study aims to develop an integrated learning environment design based on multiple intelligence for early
childhood. Especially children aged 4 to 6 years. The research approach uses research and development
through two stages. The first step is to develop multiple intelligence instruments needed to support the design
of integrated learning environment based on multiple intelligence. The second stage, designing the design of
integrated learning environment based on multiple intelligence based on the development stage. The study
was conducted in West Java Indonesia. Through literature study and observation to early childhood education
institute produced a picture of integrated learning environment design with learning process that can be used
early child educator to optimize children’s multiple intelligences.
1 INTRODUCTION
Early childhood is in the sensitive period. The child
begins to accept the development efforts of all
potentials. Sensitive period is the period of
maturation of physical and psychic functions that are
ready to respond to the stimulation provided by the
environment. This period is the time to lay the first
foundation in developing the physical, cognitive,
linguistic, emotional, social, self-concept, discipline,
self-reliance, artistic, moral, and religious values.
Multiple intelligence assumption in children
appears based on the paradigm that every child has a
potential genius. Every child is born with certain
ability. Children have admiration, curiosity,
spontaneity, vitality, flexibility, and much more fun
for him. Early childhood will be directly controlled
complex system of symbols, brilliant brain,
personality and acceleration sensitive to any stimulus.
It is the obligations of parents at home and teachers at
school to maintain the intelligence of each child from
an early age. The natural genius of the child should
be nurtured and nurtured optimally with the guidance
of parents and teachers and the provision of a
conducive learning environment to optimize the
child's plural intelligence.
The Multiple Intelligence Theory was first
published in Dr. Howard Gardener, Frames of Mind
in1983. His theory shows that intelligence is not a
unit which can be measured by IQ test. Instead, he
claims that humans have at least eight kinds of
intelligence, namely; musical intelligence, visual
intelligence, verbal intelligence, logical intelligence,
body intelligence, interpersonal intelligence,
intrapersonal intelligence and naturalistic intelligence
(Gardner, 2004).
The rate of adoption of this theory in early
childhood education increases because of the fact that
there are different dimensions of intelligence and
emphasizes that intelligence is a viable trait. Gardner
states that every child does not have the same interests
or talents and does not learn the same way and
emphasizes that each child can learn differently
(Gardner 2004) Gardner asserts that one cannot speak
of one kind of intelligence alone in individuals,
because there is more than one field of intelligence.
Learning environment where the individual
interrelated has an impact on the intelligence of
children. Another factor that affects the development
of children's intelligence in addition to the inheritance
of their parents is the factor of the learning
environment. Children need a learning environment
equipped with rich stimulants to use their inherited
mental potential and develop their skills. In
accordance with the theory of multiple intelligences,
the field of intelligence can be enhanced through
104
Mariyana, R. and Setiasih, O.
Design of Integrated Learning Environment Based on Multiple Intelligence for Early Childhood Education.
In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences (ICES 2017) - Volume 1, pages 104-108
ISBN: 978-989-758-314-8
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

appropriate environments and opportunities, not only
through natural capacity (Armstrong, 2000; Gardner,
2004).
The importance of providing a conducive learning
environment for early childhood can stimulate and
develop the potential of the child, especially the
potential of multiple intelligences owned by each
different child so that by developing the design of the
indoor learning setting the indoor outdoor playground
can enhance the potential of multiple intelligences
owned by each child.
The research findings Afoma R. Okudo Christy
Omotuyole, (2014) illustrate that the pre-school
learning environment should provide rich learning
nutrition for preschool children so that the
development of child language and overall child
development and learning style strategies are
provided for children should be very different from
adults.
The study aims to develop the concept and
structuring of integrated learning environment based
on multiple intelligences to develop the potential of
multiple intelligence of early childhood. The resulting
product is a set design of integrated learning
environment based on multiple intelligences to
maximize the potential of multiple intelligence in
early childhood.
2 LITERATURE REVIEW
Each child is sensitive to receive any stimulus, as long
as the psychic and physical functions are ready to
respond to any stimulus provided by the environment.
Environment as the main element of giving some
stimulus needs to be taken seriously. Special planning
and selection is required to provide an appropriate
and needed environment for children. The accuracy
of the environment provided will have no effect on
the processes and outcomes of children's behavior,
either directly or indirectly. A learning environment
that is able to develop a variety of child development
optimally if designed nicely and well.
Learning environment is one of the key success
factors in building children's ability and behavior and
developing the potential of multiple children's
intelligence. The implication is that the environment
for children should be given priority, especially if the
environment is a learning environment.
The concept of a learning environment comes
from the word "environment" and "learning."
Learning environment is a place or atmosphere that
affects the process of changing human behavior.
Human beings are children as subjects residing in the
environment changes generated from the
environment can be perceived and relatively
permanent. The stronger the influence of the
environment, the change that will occur on the subject
under study is expected to be higher as well. This is
the magnitude of the environmental impact on the
child's learning behavior, so it would be very wise, if
a teacher displays the role of the environment for the
development and growth of individuals, especially
children (Mariyana, et al. 2010)
A true learning environment is able to develop
various dimensions of children development
optimally. Finally it can be concluded that the
environment is one of the key determinants of success
in building the ability and behavior of children. The
implication is that the provision of the environment
for children should be given priority, especially if the
environment is a learning environment.
The indoor environment is very important for
children. It should be familiar and entertaining,
reducing the transition from home care to the early
setting of the year. This may involve completing the
physical environment with soft furnishings, a small
room and a quiet space. The best setting facilitates the
transition by serving all children, (Beckley, 2012).
The outdoor learning playground environment that
lets also be one that encourages curiosity,
investigation and exploration, has a number of
sensual experiences for children to encourage them to
use all their senses, which is safe (Johnston 2005) in
(Beckley, 2012).
Outdoor activities are an integral part of children's
education programs. For Froebel in (Mariyana, et al.
2010) the children's playground is "natural". Children
keep the gardens, build dams, raise animals, and play
games. Generally they do it outdoors or in outdoor
space. In addition to children love the free air and its
wide area, the outdoor activities also provide more
facilities that can be utilized by children to help its
development.
Through outdoor activities all parts of child
development can be improved. This happens because
outdoor activities involve multiple aspects of child
development. Outdoor activity is more instrumental
in integrating the sensory and various potentials of the
child. This includes physical development, social
skills and cultural knowledge, as well as emotional
and intellectual development.
The concept of Multiple Intelligences is a term
in the study of intelligence initiated by an American
education expert named Howard Gardner. There is a
wide variety of translations of this Multiple
Intelligences, some translating with double
intelligence, complex intelligences and plural
Design of Integrated Learning Environment Based on Multiple Intelligence for Early Childhood Education
105

intelligence. In this paper the term used is multiple
intelligences.
Gardner (2004) says that "Intelligence is the
ability to solve problem, or to create products, that are
valued within one or more cultural". He thinks that
one's intelligence is not measured by standard
psychological tests, but can be seen from one's own
problem solving habit and one's habit of creating new
products that have a cultural value (creativity).
Gardner (2004) identifies nine intelligences and
believes that they are independent of each other and
function in their own terms as separate systems:
linguistic, musical, mathematical-logical, visual-
spatial, bodily kinaesthetic, intrapersonal,
interpersonal, naturalist, and existentialist.
Developing a profile from one's plural
intelligence is not simple. Again, no test (intelligence)
can determine the potential and quality of one's
intelligences. Standardized tests, as Howard Gardner
(2004) often points out, measure only a fraction of the
overall spectrum of abilities. The realistic way of
assessment of the performance of the person in the
various contexts of the best type of task and activity
to assess or find out one's plural intelligence is
through an experiences where it is associated with
one intelligence with another. Surely it takes a long
time to examine it.
Although it is true that every child can have all the
intelligence and be able to develop it to a high enough
level, the children seem to show what Howard Garner
(2004) mentions as a tendency toward certain
intelligences at a very young age. By the time they
enroll school, they may have determined ways of
learning that are more aligned with some of their
intelligence than others.
3 METHOD
The approach used in this research is development
research as it aims to develop an integrated indoor and
outdoor playground learning environment design that
can maximize the potential of multiple intelligence in
early childhood.
Model development activities used a qualitative
approach with the steps of: (1) formulating a plan for
the development of indoor and outdoor environment
design that can increase the intelligence potential of
multiple early childhood intelligence; (2) Develop an
initial indoor outdoor design that enhances the
intelligence potential of multiple intelligences,
including model form, setting, implementation, and
evaluation of indoor outdoor design that has been
developed.
4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
To design the indoor and outdoor learning
environment settings to increase the potential of
multiple intelligence of early childhood can be seen
in the following figure:
Figure 1: Design of integrated learning environment.
Instalasi
Outbound
Playgroup Class
Class-A
Library
Class-B
Amphitheater
Canteen
Fuction
Room
Entrance
Parking
Playground
Area
ICT Room
Audio Visual
A to Z Garden
Ranch
Biogaz
Greenlab
Workshop
Warehouse
Recycle
Garden
Toilet
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106

Figure 1 above is the design of integrated learning
environment. The 8m x 8m stage house-shaped class,
with traditional green concept, uses natural light, and
has a partially open space. Various teaching-learning
activities related to the method of multiple
intelligences can be done, one of them by making a
class display by students using materials from scrap
materials.
The school library is one of the facilities that can
stimulate and improve the abilities associated with
linguistic intelligence, through a variety of fun
learning activities, one of them through story telling
or reading a book, the child is trained to be a good
listener, and able to mimic or explain what they hear.
ICT and Audio Visual Room is one facility that is
able to stimulate and improve the ability related to
logical intelligence and Visual intelligence. Kids can
watch a variety of movies and multimedia games,
which can stimulate creativity and add science in a
fun way, such as the introduction of science through
animated films or learning about computer functions
through Games.
Green lab is a garden or natural laboratory where
students learn and explore and interact with nature
directly, through various fun learning activities such
as learning to grow crops, make compost and others.
Various activities in Green lab can stimulate children
especially at 4 to 6 years old, to improve the ability to
recognize and classify and describe the various
features that exist in the environment
A to Z garden is a garden-shaped facility with a
collection of different plants that represent alphabet
letters ranging from A to Z as the letter A is
represented by Apple plants and J is represented by
Orange plants and so on.
Recycle garden and Workshop is a workshop
facility to process or recycle used goods into various
handicrafts, in this Recycle Garden, children do
various activities to make handicrafts from used
goods and train Visual intelligence.
Amphitheatre is a facility where children learn
various performing arts, begin to sing, play drama,
read poetry, and become a facility to show skill in
public. This performing arts activities can give
positive value to the development of early childhood,
in addition to give a happy feeling, excitement and
calm can also be used as an alternative media to in
still the values of characters that can build a better
child's personality in the future.
Outbound and Playground are facilities to train
mental and body as well as a means of playing.
Outbound activity is very important to be applied to
early childhood, in addition to reduce the saturation
in everyday learning that is in the classroom, this
activity can also make the healthy body, because this
activity requires participants to be active and in a
playful, happy and fun, so the effect to physical and
mental will be more felt, that is positive effect.
The relationship between intelligence and
teaching and learning should be the basic element in
generating ways to optimize the higher academic
potential of children, the success of learners and
lifelong learning (Özdemir, Güneysu and Tekkaya,
2006)
The findings of Yalda Delgoshaei, Neda Delavari
(2012) applying the Multiple Intelligence approach in
the classroom as an educational method resulted in
improvements in the five domains of cognitive
development of pre-school children with 99%
significance.
There are many advantages to using Multiple
Intelligences in the process of mentoring learning: the
mentoring process becomes more personal, the early
teachers become more aware of their intellectual
competence; they also become better observers of
their students and thus able to personalize the
teaching and learning process. (Roxana, Sorina
Constantinescu, 2013).
5 CONCLUSIONS
From the results of the study, it can be concluded that
a conducive learning environment has a significant
impact on the level of achievement of early childhood
learning development. There are many ways to create
a conducive learning environment for the potential of
multiple intelligence of children to be improved and
optimized through an integrated learning
environment with basic concepts in early childhood
learning. As far as doing so, a philosophy which is its
foundation is that young children are those who are
served and given an atmosphere that enables them to
grow and develop optimally. Children are not printed
or forced into something that does not match their
particular abilities and interests.
The conclusion of the research shows that the
formulation and the design and definition of an indoor
and outdoor playground learning setting design that
can increase the potential of multiple intelligence of
early childhood is an integrated learning environment
setting that was created to support the improvement
of the potential of multiple intelligence of early
childhood. Integrated indoor and outdoor playground
setting design guidelines that can enhance the
potential for multiple early childhood intelligence is
a plan that is deliberately formulated to guide the
learning process in order to support the improvement
of complex child intelligences.
Design of Integrated Learning Environment Based on Multiple Intelligence for Early Childhood Education
107

Multiple intelligence theory is not only present to
develop the potential of early childhood, but multiple
intelligence will adjust to the ability of children so
that the potential of children will be developed
through the maximum learning process by integrating
an integrated learning environment with the themes
of early childhood learning.
The design of learning environment settings
integrated with the learning process in children is
expected to increase the children’s potential of
multiple intelligence through the integration of
themes in the learning objectives of early childhood.
Indirectly the purpose of early childhood education
has the same concept with the multiple intelligence
concept of so that the learning process will be easy to
develop by understanding and integrating the
concepts of both.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Gratitude are extended to the Directorate of Research
and Community Service, General Directorate for
Research Reinforcement and Development of the
Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher
Education who have funded this research in
accordance with the Decree of General Director of
Research Reinforcement and Development No.
30/EKTP/2017 of April 3, 2017 on "Higher
Education Research Funding Receiver of State
Owned University in Fiscal Year 2017”.
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