The learner

motivation and
behavior change
Lecture #4
Outlines
 Introduction
 Definition of motivation
 Factors affecting Motivation
 Motivation assessment
 Health behavior of learner and change model
 Role of the nurse in health promotion
The nurse as educator needs to understand what drives the learner to
learn and what factors promote or hinder the acquisition and
application of knowledge. Motivation and compliance, related yet
different concepts, are central to the learning situation and are common
denominators in many health behavior models.
Motivation, from the Latin movere, means to set into motion.

Motivation has been defined as a psychological force that moves a

person toward some kind of action (Haggard, 1989)

 Motivational factors
Factors that influence motivation can serve as incentives or obstacles to achieve desired behaviors.

Both creating incentives and decreasing obstacles to motivation pose a challenge for the nurse as
educator.

The cognitive (thinking processes), affective (emotions

and feelings), social, and psychomotor (behavioral) domains of the learner can be influenced by the
educator, who can act as a motivational facilitator or blocker

.
Motivational incentives need to be considered in the context of the
individual. What may be a motivational incentive for one learner
may be a motivational obstacle to another. For example, a student
who is assigned to work with an elderly woman may be motivated
when the student holds older persons in high regard.

Another student may be motivationally blocked by the same

emotional domain because previous experiences with older
women, such as a grandmother, were unrewarding.
 Motivation-Internal impulse that allows one to take action
or change behaviors.

 Nurses motivate patients to make changes by: having a

positive attitude, listening to patient needs, encouraging,
rewarding, and devoting time and energy to assist with
changes.
Factors Affecting motivation
motivation to learn can be classified into three major categories, which are not
mutually exclusive:

1. Personal attributes, which consist of physical, developmental, and psychological

components of the individual learner

2. Environmental influences, which include the physical and attitudinal climate

3. Learner relationship systems, such as those of significant other, family,

community, and teacher–learner interaction.
Learner characteristics also affect on his motivation

1.Culture.
2.Literacy
3.Age.
4.Socioeconomic level
Culture

1. Culture: can be defined as all the behaviors, arts, beliefs and

institutions of population that are passed down from generation to
generation.

• Culture has been called " the way of life for an entire society" as such it
includes codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, norms of
behavior such as law and morality ,and system of belief as well as the arts
• Culture is invisible pattern and intrinsic motivated.
Literacy
2. Literacy : The clients ability to read and understand.
• Establishing the reading level and ability to read. The studies
revealed that the more educated the healthier.
• Should Using materials that are consistent with clients ability
to read.
• For whom are illiterate, written communication obviously
cannot be used.
• Illiteracy can have a profound affect on compliance, learning,
and health.
 Age
3. Age:
 Older adult usually needs more time to learn.

 Older adults tend to learn best when the information is relevant

to them and has a practical situation or application.

 Emotional and mental status of older adults should be taken

into account when planning an educational intervention.

 Older adult often enjoy learning in group.

 Socioeconomic level

.
4 Socioeconomic level: the behavior cannot be change because of
factors beyond the clients control, income, transportation, and local
availability.
 Motivation assessment

How does the nurse know when the learner is motivated?

As a generic concept, assessment of motivation to learn has

not been adequately addressed in the literature. The lack of
adequate, conceptually-based measurement tools could be a
factor in this neglect.
Motivational assessment of the learner needs to be
comprehensive, systematic, and conceptually based.
Cognitive, affective, physiological, experiential,
environmental, and learning relationship variables
need to be considered

.
`
 How to enhance motivation in
educational environment
1. In the educational situation, clear communication, including clarification of
directions and expectations, is critical.

2. Organization of material in a way that makes information meaningful to the

learner, environmental manipulation,

3. positive verbal feedback, and providing opportunities for success are

motivational strategies

4. Reducing or eliminating barriers to achieve goals is an important aspect of

maintaining motivation.
 HEALTH BEHAVIORS OF
THE LEARNER
The nurse as educator focuses on health education as well
as the expected health behaviors. Health behavior
frameworks are blueprints and, as such, serve as tools for
the nurse as educator that can be used to maintain desired
patient behaviors or promote changes.
 Change Model

A model that informs the phenomenon of health behaviors of the

learner is the Stages of Change Model
 1- precontemplation
In the precontemplation stage individuals have no current intention of
changing. Strategies involve simple observations, confrontation, or
consciousness-raising
contemplation
In the contemplation stage individuals accept or realize
that they have a problem and begin to think seriously
about changing it. Strategies involve increased
consciousness-raising
Preparation stage individuals are planning to take action within the
time frame of one month. Strategies include a firm and detailed plan
for action.

In the fourth stage, action, there is overt/visible modification of

behavior. This is the busiest stage and strategies include commitment
to the change, self reward, countering (substitute behaviors), creating
a friendly environment, and supportive relationships
Maintenance, the fifth stage, is a difficult stage to achieve
and may last six months to a lifetime. There are common
challenges to this stage, including overconfidence, daily
temptation, and relapse self-blame. The strategies in this
stage are the same for the action stage
The final stage, termination: occurs when the problem
no longer presents any temptation. However, some experts
note that termination does not occur, only maintenance
becomes less vigilant
 THE SUBROLES OF NURSE AS EDUCATOR IN HEALTH
PROMOTION
1- Facilitator of Change
The goal of the nurse as educator is, of course, to promote health.
Health education and health promotion are integral to this effort.
At the same time, the nurse as educator is an important facilitator
of change. DeTornay and Thompson (1987) proposed that
explaining, analyzing, dividing complex skills, demonstrating,
practicing, asking questions, and providing closure are effective in
facilitating change in the learning situation.
 Organizer

Organization of the learning situation, including

manipulation of materials and space, sequential
organization of content from simple to complex,
and determining priority of subject matter, is a
 Evaluator
Educational programs, like other healthcare projects, need to be
accountable to the learner or consumer of the health service. This
accountability is ensured by evaluation in the form of outcomes.
Of course, self-evaluation, patient evaluation, organization
evaluation, and peer evaluation are not new concepts. Evaluative
processes are an integral part of all
learning.
Summary