(7) Social and economic stability. Being hospitalized and absent from work
cause some patients excessive stress. Help the patient deal with any social and economic
problems before imposing the additional stress of learning information or a new skill.
(8) Responsibility. To learn self-care or take preventive measures against
illness, a patient must have a sense of responsibility. Encourage the patient to participate
in planning the learning activities to promote his feelings of control.
(9) Self perception. Self-perception has an effect on the ability to learn. If
effective learning about a health problem is to occur, any unrealistic self-image or body
image should be addressed. If necessary, help the patient improve self-image before
focusing on learning needs.
(10) Attitude toward learning. Attitude toward learning is difficult to measure.
Talk to the patient to get an idea of how he feels about learning to improve his health. If
the patient has a negative attitude about learning, establish a relationship that will help in
altering that attitude.
(11) Motivation to learn. The patient must want to learn for teaching to be
effective. If the patient is not motivated to learn the material needed to improve his health,
discussing his interest and concerns may lead to success.
(12) Culture. Some cultures value education that will improve their condition,
while others view change or new practices as threatening. Do not stereotype any person
because of his culture; but recognize that each person has a unique family background
with certain cultural values that may have an effect on how teaching learning is perceived.
(13) Communication skills. The basic requirement for the teaching-learning
process is communication. Assess your communication skills as well as those of the
learner.
(a)
Assess the learner's reading skills before using printed material as a
teaching aid.
(b) Assess to what degree English is spoken and understood by the
learner. Most hospitals have printed and audiovisual materials available for non-English
speaking patients.
7-9.
PRINCIPLES FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING-LEARNING
a. These basic principles are effective guidelines when applied in situations in
which the teaching-learning process is used by nurses to meet the needs of clients.
NOTE:Clients may be patients, family members, or support persons.
MD0906
7-14