CHAPTER 5- Determinants of Learning

ASSESSMENT OF THE LEARNER

 Learning Needs – are gap in knowledge that exist between a desired level of
performance and the actual level of performance.
a.1. Assessing Learning Needs:
1.Identify the learner.
2.Choose the right setting – establish a trusting environment .
3.Collect the date on the learner- by determining the characteristic
learning needs of the target population .
4.Include the learner as a source of information-allow the learner to
actively participate in identifying his needs and problems.
5.Include members of the healthcare team.
6.Determine availability of educational resources.
7.Assess demands of the organization- its philosophy, vision, mission and
goals to know its educational focus
8.Consider time-management issues- allow learners to idenitify their
learning needs.
9.Prioritize needs.

a.2. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:

1.Self-actualization needs.
2.Esteem needs.
3.Love and belonging.
4.Safety needs.
5.Physiological needs.

a.3. Methods in Assessing Learning Needs

 1.Informal conversations / interviews- asking open-ended questions
where the learner may reveal information regarding their perceived
learning needs.
2.Structured interviews-ask some predetermined questions to gather
information regarding learning needs.
3.Written pretests- can be given to identify the knowledge level of the
potential learner.
4.Observation of health behaviors over a period of different times- may
help determine established patterns of behaviour.

 Readiness to Learn

b.1. Four Types of Readiness To Learn:

*Physical Readiness
a. Measures of ability – adequate strength, flexibility and endurance.
b. Complexity of task- psychomotor skills require varying degrees of
manual dexterity and physical energy output.
c. Environmental effects – refers to the environment that is conducive to
learning.
d. Health status
e. Gender- studies show that men are less inclined to seek health
consultation or intervention than women. Women on the other hand, are
more health conscious and receptive to medical care and health
promotion teaching.

*Emotional Readiness
a. Anxiety level – may or may not be a hindrance to learning.
b. Support system- composed of the immediate family and friends,
significant others, the community and church.
c. Motivation- emotional readiness or willing to learn.
d. Risk –taking behaviors- activities that are undertaken without much
thought to what their negative consequences or effects might be.
d. Frame of mind – depends on what the priorities of the learner are in
terms of his needs which will determine his readiness to learn.
e. Developmental stage- determines the peak time for readiness to learn.

*Experimental Readiness
a. Level of aspiration – depends on the short term and long term goals.
b. Past coping mechanisms – refers to how the learner was able to cope
up with.
 c. Cultural background- is important to assess and know from the
patient’s own cultural perspective to determine readiness to learn.
d. Orientation
-Parochial-close minded thinking
-Cosmopolitan orientation- a more worldly perspective and more
receptive to new or innovative ideas.
*Knowledge readiness
a. Present knowledge base- how much one already knows about the
subject matter.
b. Cognitive ability – involves lower level of learning which involves
memorizing, recalling or recognizing concepts.

b.2. Motivation and Behavior of the Learner

MOTIVATION – is related to learning behaviour or learning and behaviour. It is
the force that drives the learner to learn and comply or apply the knowledge
resulting to a change in behaviour.

Health BEHAVIOR frameworks- can be used to facilitate motivation or promote

compliance to a health regimen or program.

 Learning Styles

Additional Readings: https://educationonline.ku.edu/community/4-different-

learning-styles-to-know

1.Motivation and Behavior of the Learner: The term motivation comes from
the latin word “movere ” which means to move or set into motion.

2. Literacy and Readability: Literacy is defined as the ability of adults to read,

understand and interpret information written at the eighth grade level or above.
Assessing levels of literacy:
a. Word recognition- process of transforming letters into words and being
able to pronounce them correctly.
b. Readability – the ease with which written or printed information can be
read.
c. Comprehension – the degree to which individuals understand what
they have read.
3. Teaching Strategies for Low Literate Patients:
a. Establish a trusting relationship before beginning the teaching-learning
process.
 b. Use the smallest amount of information possible by teaching only what
the patient needs to learn.
c. Make points of information as vivid and as explicit as possible.
d. Teach one step at a time.
e. Use multiple teaching methods and tools requiring fewer literacy skills.
f. Allow patients to restate information in their own word and
demonstrate any procedure that is being taught.
g . Keep motivation high.
h. Use repetition to reinforce information.
4. Developing Printed Educational Materials:
a. Organizational factors:
-include a short but descriptive title.
-use brief headings and subheadings.
-incorrporate only one idea per paragraph and be sure that the
first sentence is the topic sentence.
-Divide complex instructions into small steps.
-Consider using a question / answer format.
-Address no more than three or four main points.
-Reinforce main points with a summary at the end.

b. Linguistic Factors:
-Keep the reading level at grade 5 or 6.
-Use mostly short sentences.
-Use a personal and conversational style.
-Define technical terms.
-Use words consistently throughout the text.
-Avoid the use of idioms.
-Use active rather than passive voice.
-Incorporate examples.
c. Appearance factors:
-Include simple diagrams.
-Use upper-case and lower-case letters.
-Place emphasized words.
-Try to limit line length.

Additional Readings: https://nursekey.com/determinants-of-learning/

References:
1. De Young, S. (2009), NURSING STRATEGIES FOR NURSE EDUCATORS, 2nd Edition
2.Castro, C. (2011), HEALTH EDUCATION FOR NURSING AND OTHER ALLIED PROFESSIONS,1 st
Edition