CHARACTERISTICS

OF THE
LEARNERS
CHARINA AUBREY RIODIL
BSN-II
DETERMINANTS
OF LEARNING
 1. LEARNING NEEDS
- what the learner needs to learn; learning needs may be determined through
informal conversation or interviews, structured interviews, written pretests
and observation.
Steps in the assessment of Learning Needs:
Identify the learner – who is the learner? (individual? Or group?)
Choose the right setting – establish a trusting environment
Collect data on the learner – determine characteristic learning needs of the
target population
Include learner as source of information – allow learner to
actively participate in identifying his needs and problems

Include members of the healthcare team – collaboration with

other HCPs
Determine availability of educational resources – must be
appropriate, available, affordable, easy and simple to
manipulate
Consider time – management issues
Prioritize needs – may use Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.
Mandatory – must be immediately met since they are life threatening or
are needed for survival
Ex. Patient with recent history of recent heart attack must be taught signs
& symptoms of an impending attack and what emergency measures to
take.
Desirable – must be met to promote well-being and are not life-
dependent
Ex. Importance of taking the full course of antibiotics for a patient with TB.
Possible – “nice to know” which are not directly related to daily activities
Ex. An obese patient who has just lost weight because of diabetes may
not necessarily need information on tummy tucking.
 2. LEARNING READINESS
– time when the patient is “willing to learn” or is
receptive to information
The best time to teach the learner is when the
learner is ready – which is known as the
teachable moment (that point in time when the
learner is most receptive to a teaching situation.
(Havighurst, 1976)
 FOUR TYPES OF READINESS TO
A.) LEARN(PEEK)
P – Physical Readiness
Includes:
Measures of ability – strength, flexibility and endurance needed to learn.
Complexity of task – the difficulty level of the task
Environmental effects – environment conducive to learning
Health status – is patient in good health or ill health? Does he have the energy
to learn?
Gender – men are less inclined to seek health consultation than women.
Women are more health conscious and receptive to medical care and health
promotion teaching (Bertakis et al, 2000).
B.)
Emotional Readiness
Includes:
Anxiety level – may or may not be a hindrance to learning.
Support system – a strong support system gives patient increased sense of security
and well-being; weak or absent support system elicits sense of insecurity, despair,
frustration and a high level of anxiety.
Motivation – emotional readiness or willingness to learn
Risk-taking behaviour – activities undertaking without much thought on the negative
consequences. Role of health educator is to develop awareness on how this
behaviour can shorten one’s lifespan, how to minimize risk, etc.
Frame of mind – depends on the priorities of the learner in terms of his needs.
Developmental stage – determines peak time for readiness to learn or “teachable
moment”
C.)
E – Experiential Readiness
- refers to the previous learning experiences which may positively affect willingness
to learn. Includes:
◦ Level of aspiration – depends on the short-term and long-term goals the learner
has set which will influence his motivation to achieve.
◦ Past coping mechanisms – how was learner able to cope with previous problems
and how effective were their strategies?
◦ Cultural Background – consider language used; know the culture.
◦ Locus of control – motivation to learn which may be internal/intrinsic (within the
individual) or external/extrinsic (motivation to learn is influenced by others)
◦ Orientation – person’s point of view which may be parochial (close-minded
thinking, conservative in their approach to new situations, less willing to learn
new materials and have great trust in the physician) or cosmopolitan (more
worldly perspective and more receptive to new or innovative ideas like the
current trends and perspectives in health education).
D.)
K– Knowledge Readiness
Knowledge readiness refers to:
◦Present knowledge base – stock
knowledge
◦Cognitive ability – lower level of learning
 LEARNING STYLES
– indicate how people learn in uniquely different
ways
Some are global thinkers while some are
analytic; Some learn better from auditory sources
than visual stimuli; Some learn better when with
the group than independently alone.
 PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING
Use several senses – It has been shown
that people retain 10% of what they read,
20% of what they hear, 30% of what they
see or watch, 50% of what they see and
hear, 70% of what they say, and 90% of
what they say and do.
Active Learner involvement – actively involve the patients or
the clients in the learning process. Use more interactive
methods involving the participation of the learners.

Conducive learning environment – provide an environment

conducive to learning. Always consider the comfort and
convenience of the learner.

Learning readiness – assess the extent to which the learner is

ready to learn. Readiness to learn is affected by factors like
emotional status (anxiety, fear and depression) and physical
conditions (pain, visual or auditory impairment, anesthesia)
Relevance of information – determine the relevance of the information. Anything that
is perceived by the learner to be important or useful will be easier to learn and
retain.
Repeat the information – continuous repetition of information over a period of time
enhances learning; applying the information to a different situation and asking the
learner to apply the information to another situation or rewording it and giving
practical applications will help in the learning process.
Generalize information – cite applications of the information. Give examples.
Make learning a pleasant experience – give frequent encouragement, recognize
accomplishments and give positive feedback.
Be systematic – present information in an organized manner and with information
that the learner already knows or familiar with.
Be steady – present information at an appropriate rate. Mind your pacing.