When planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating an
educational program, the nurse as educator must carefully
consider the characteristics of learners with respect to their
developmental stage in life.
Developmental stages refer to the physical, mental and
emotional stages a child has to go through as they grow up.
An individual’s developmental stage significantly influences the
ability to learn. There are 3 major developmental factors
associated with learner readiness—
Physical - which involves developing control over the body,
particularly muscles and physical coordination.
Cognitive - is the development of knowledge, skills, problem
solving and dispositions, which help children to think and
understand the world around them.
psychosocial - involves both the psychological and social
aspects in human development.
These factors must be taken into account at each
developmental period throughout the life cycle.
It has been established that the age is not the only predictor of
learning ability. There are times where in any given age, a
person may find a wide variation in the acquisition of abilities
related to the 3 developmental factors; physical, cognitive and
psychosocial. In this discussion then are used as merely
approximate age reference points but they do not imply that the
chronological age corresponds perfectly to the various stages
of development.
Yes, age is an influential factor to assess learning readiness,
but it should never be examined in isolation. Other factors such
as growth and development, physical and emotional health
status, personal motivation and others can affect a person’s
ability and readiness to learn.
Dependence
● Manipulative behavior, do not listen, is insecure, and do
not accept responsibility for their own actions.
The major question underlying the planning for education
experiences is: when is the most appropriate or best time to
teach the learner?
The teachable moment, is defined as the point in time when the
learner is most receptive to a teaching situation. It is important
to note that the teachable moment is not a spontaneous and
unpredictable event. The teacher can actively create
opportunities for a teachable moment by taking an interest in
and attending to the needs of the learner.
main focus of instruction for health maintenance of children is
geared toward the parents, who are considered to be the
primary learners rather than the very young child.
The operant conditioning model was developed by B.F.
Skinner. It focuses on the behavior of the organism and the
reinforcement that occurs after the response.
In this model, there is a reinforcer - which is a stimulus applied
after a response that strengthens the probability that the
response will be performed again.
When specific responses are reinforced on proper schedule,
behaviors can be increased or decreased.
Giving positive reinforcements such as rewards greatly
increases the likelihood that a response will be repeated in a
similar circumstance.
For example: if patient who moans and groans as he attempts
to get up after a surgery is given praise and encouragement
(reward) fo4 his attempts at walking (response), it will improve
the chances that he will continue struggling towards
independence.
There are 2 types of negative reinforcement, and the difference
between the 2 relates to the timing.
The first type of negative reinforcement is the escape
conditioning: as an unpleasant stimulus is applied, the
individual responds in a way that causes the uncomfortable
stimulation to cease.
Example is when a nurse is being scolded for being late during
meetings, she says something humorous. The head of the
team stops scolding her and laughs. Because the use of humor
has allowed the nurse to escape an unpleasant situation,
chances are she will use humor to alleviate a stressful
encounter.
The second type of negative conditioning is the avoidance
conditioning: unpleasant stimulus is anticipated rather than
being applied directly. This has been used to explain some
people tendency to become ill to avoid doing something they
do not want to do.
Example: a child fearing an exam may tell his mother that he
has a stomachache. If the child is allowed to stay home from
school, the child may increasingly complain of sickness to avoid
unpleasant situations.
Skinner said that the simplest way to extinguish a response is
not to provide any kind of reinforcement for an action.
Example: offensive jokes in the workplace may be handled by
showing no reaction. After several experiences, the joke teller,
who is likely seeking attention, may stop his or her use of
offensive humor.