Characteristics of The Learner

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LEARNER
LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS
 Can be personal, academic, social or emotional, or cognitive in nature.
 It includes:
1. Culture
2. Age or Aged
3. Emotional Status
4. Socio-economic Level
5. Literacy
1) Culture
 Learned set of shared norms and practices – direct thinking, decisions, and actions.
 Affects health behaviors and educational approach we use.
 Learned and transmitted from one generation to another.
 Created through interactions with specific individuals.
 Patterned from repetition of specific behavior.
 Evaluative, values are reflected in individual behaviors.
2) Age or Aged
 Need more time to learn; more sessions.
 Enjoy learning in a group to address issues like isolation, fear, and anxiety.
 Hearing Deficits
 Face client
 Speak clearly, lowly, loudly, and avoid shouting.
 Visual
 Use large print materials and letters.
3) Emotional Status
 Hampers ability to learn and affect of teaching.
 Depression, stress, denial, fear, anxiety.
 Examples:
 Roommates Disagreement
 Relationship Issues
 Separation Anxiety
 Fear of Failures
4) Socio-economic Level
 Income, Educational Level, Occupation, or Employment.
 No resources needed to comply medical regimen.
 Factors beyond client’s control.
 Income
 Transportation
 Local Availability
5) Literacy
 The ability to read and understand what is being read.
 Use materials that are consistent with client’s reading ability.
 Materials too high a level is useless as they will not be understood, too low a level or too simplistic are
of some value.
 Illiterate
 Written communication obviously can’t be used.
 Illiteracy has effect on compliance, learning, and health.
ASSESSMENT OF THE LEARNER/ DETERMINANTS OF LEARNING
ASSESSMENT OF THE LEARNER OR DETERMINANTS OF LEARNING

1) Learning Needs
 What learner needs to learn.
2) Learning Readiness
 Learner receptive to learning.
3) Learning Style
 How learner best learns.
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METHODS OF ASSESSING LEARNING NEEDS & STEPS IN ASSESSING LEARNING NEEDS
Methods of Assessing Learning Needs
1. Informal conversation or interviews between nurse and patient.
2. Structured Interviews
3. Written Pre-test and Post-test
4. Observation of health behaviors over a period of different times.
Steps in Assessing Learning Needs

1. Identify the learner.
2. Choose the right setting.
3. Collect data on the learner.
4. Include the learner as a source of information.
5. Include members of the health care team.
6. Determine availability of educational resources.
7. Assess demands of the organization.
8. Consider time management issues.
9. Prioritize needs.
CRITERIA FOR PRIORITIZING LEARNING NEEDS

CRITERIA FOR PRIORITIZING LEARNING NEEDS
1) Mandatory Learning Needs
 Immediately
 Life Threatening
2) Desirable Learning Needs

 To promote well-being.
3) Possible “Nice to Know” Learning Needs

 Not directly related to daily activities.
READINESS TO LEARN: TEACHABLE MOMENT

READINESS TO LEARN: TEACHABLE MOMENT
1) Physical Readiness
 Ability
 Adequate strength, flexibility, and endurance.
 Task to be mastered.
 Free from noise and distractions.
 Health Status
 Good Health or Ill
 Gender
 Male – Less inclined to seek consultation.
 Female – More receptive to medical care or health teaching.
2) Emotional Readiness
Anxiety Level
 Some anxiety contributes to learning, but too much interferes with learning ability.
Support System
 If weak or absent, there might be:
 Sense of insecurity, despair, frustration
 High level of anxiety
Motivation
 Cue is when learner starts asking questions and shows interest in what the teacher is doing or saying.
Risk-taking Behavior
 Activities undertaken without much thought to what their negative effects might be.
Frame of Mind
 Depends on learners’ priorities of his needs determine his readiness to learn.
 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Developmental Stage
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 Peak time for readiness to learn; “Teachable Moment”
3) Experiential Readiness
 Previous learning experiences affect willingness to learn.
 Pleasant, unsatisfying, humiliating, frustrating
 Orientation – Clients’ point of view.
Parochial Orientation
 Close-minded Thinking
 Conservative
 Less willing to learn new materials
Cosmopolitan Orientation
 More receptive to new or innovative ideas like the current trends in health education.
4) Knowledge Readiness
Present Knowledge Base
 Also known as “Stock Knowledge”
 How much one already knows about the subject matter.
Cognitive Ability
 Learners’ capability of learning.
 It includes memorizing, recalling, and recognizing concepts or ideas.
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Characteristics of The Learner

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LEARNER

ASSESSMENT OF THE LEARNER/ DETERMINANTS OF LEARNING

ASSESSMENT OF THE LEARNER OR DETERMINANTS OF LEARNING

Steps in Assessing Learning Needs

CRITERIA FOR PRIORITIZING LEARNING NEEDS

2) Desirable Learning Needs

3) Possible “Nice to Know” Learning Needs

READINESS TO LEARN: TEACHABLE MOMENT

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