Satisfaction Maintenance and Motivation of Learner In Nursing Education
What is Learner Satisfaction/Success In Nursing Education
The learner is motivated by success. Success is self satisfying and feeds the learner’s self esteem. In a cyclical process, success and self esteem escalate, moving the learner toward accomplishment of additional goals. When a learner feels good about step-by-step accomplishments, motivation is enhanced. For example, in the instructor student relationship, evaluations can be a valuable method of promoting learner success.
Clinical evaluations, when focused on demonstration of positive behaviors. can encourage movement toward performance goals. Focusing on successes as a means of positive reinforcement promotes learner satisfaction and instills a sense of accomplishment. Conversely, focusing on weak clinical performance can reduce students’ self esteem.
Uncertainty Reduction or Maintenance In Nursing Education
Uncertainty is a common experience in the healthcare arena. Healthcare consumers and health professionals alike are often asked to make decisions about treatments and care options whose outcomes are unclear. An individual’s response to this type of uncertainty may vary depending on the individual’s characteristics (Politi, Han, & Col, 2007). Uncertainty (as well as certainty) can be a motivating factor in the learning situation.
Individuals may have ongoing internal dialogues that can either reduce or maintain un- certainty. Individuals carry on self-talk; they think things through. When a person wants to change a state of health, behaviors often follow a dialogue that examines uncertainty, such as “If I stop smoking, then my chances of getting lung cancer will be reduced.”
When the probable outcome of health behaviors is more uncertain, behaviors may maintain uncertainty. The person might say, “I am not sure that I need this surgery because the survival rates are no different for those who had this surgery and those who did not.” Some learners may maintain current behaviors, given probabilities of treatment outcomes, thereby maintaining uncertainty
Mishel (1990) reconceptualizes the concept of uncertainty in illness. She views uncertainty as a necessary and natural rhythm of life rather than an adverse experience. Uncertainty in sufficient concentration influences choices and decision making, and it can capitalize on receptivity or readiness for change.
Premature uncertainty reduction can be counterproductive to the learner who has not sufficiently explored alternatives. For example, when a staff nurse is uncertain about positions for catheterizing a female patient who is debilitated and is presented with alternatives, then a thinking dialogue is carried out. If the decision to use a specific position is not premature, then uncertainty will promote exploration of alternative positions.
Assessment of Motivation In Nursing Education
How does the nurse know when the learner is motivated? Redman (2001) views motivational assessment as a part of general health assessment and states that it includes such areas as level of knowledge, client skills, decision-making capacity of the individual, and screening of target populations for educational programs.
The educator can pose several questions of the learner, such as those focusing on previous at tempts, curiosity, goal setting, self care ability, stress factors, survival issues, and life situations.
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. BOX 6-1 shows parameters for a comprehensive motivational assessment of the learner.
These multi theorybased parameters incorporate several perspectives, including Bandura’s (1986) construction of incentive motivators; Ajzen and Fishbein’s (1980) intent and attitude; Becker, Drachman, and Kirscht’s (1974) notion of likelihood of engaging in action; Pender’s (1996) commitment to a plan of action; and Barofsky’s (1978) focus on alliance in the learning situation.
Additionally, the presence of cognition in the form of facilitation beliefs proposed by Wright, Watson, and Bell (1996) provides a comprehensive and multidimensional assessment. This multidimensional guide allows for assessment of the level of learner motivation. If responses to dimensions are positive, the learner is likely to be motivated.
Assessment of learner motivation involves the judgment of the educator because teaching- learning is a two-way process. Motivation can be assessed through both subjective and objective means. A subjective means of assessing level of motivation is through dialogue.
By being present and using therapeutic communication skills, the nurse can obtain verbal information from the patient, such as “I really want to maintain my weight” or “I want to be able to take care of myself.” Both statements indicate an energized desire with direction of movement toward a positive health outcome. Nonverbal cues also can indicate motivation, such as when the nurse sees the patient reading about healthy diets.
Likewise, a staff member or student may express a verbal desire to know more about a specific advanced procedure. A nonverbal motivational cue might be expressed by the staff member or student carefully observing a senior nurse or clinical specialist performing an advanced technique, for example.
Measurement of motivation is another aspect to be considered. Subjective self reports indicate the level of motivation from the learner’s perspective. If desired, self report measurements could be developed for educational programs. Objective measurement of motivation an indirect measurement can be quantified through observation of expected behaviors, which are the consequence of motivation.
Behaviors that can be observed as the learner moves toward achieving preset realistic goals can serve as objective measures of motivation.
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