Holy Angel University

School of Nursing and Allied Medical Sciences

NCM-102 (Health Education)

Individual Assignment Number 4

(Case Study: Developmental Stages of the Learner)

Ocampo, Kiana Shane R. NU-102

Case Scenario:

You are part of the team that will develop a new program that focuses on a family-centered
approach to diabetes management. There will be four teaching sessions grouping participants according to
developmental stages and the final session grouping families together. Participants range from 6 to 75
years of age.

Questions:

1. Describe how you will determine the different age range groupings of the participants for the first
four sessions. Explain the different age ranges, cognitive and psychosocial stages, and general
characteristics of each group.

I will be grouping the participants based on their current developmental stages as learners. This
allows us to design and implement a specific teaching strategy suitable for each learner, because
each developmental stage tells us about the cognitive, psychosocial, and the salient characteristics
of the learners. I will divide the groups into the following: School-aged children (6 to 11 years
old), adolescents (12 to 19 years old), young adults (20 to 40 years old), middle-aged adults (41 to
64 years old), and older adults (65 to 75 years old).

The first group, which are the school-aged children, is composed of learners that have already
began formal schooling in structured systems. They are curious and enthusiastic when it comes to
learning. Cognitively, these learners start to develop logic and reasoning. They are also able to
draw conclusions on their own and understand the concept of cause and effect. Psychosocially,
they are more susceptible to other social forces outside of their families. They also start to fear
being left out in groups and fear illnesses or disabilities.

The second group, which are the adolescents, are marked by great physical changes and sexual
maturation, known as puberty. Cognitively, adolescents experience changes as they begin to think
and dive deeper to abstract concepts such as love, fear, and freedom. Their logical reasoning also
become more complex. Psychosocially, adolescents seek independence. They also feel
preoccupied with their own lives and experiences. They also have a sense of invincibility from
natural laws that makes them more prone to dangers.
 Young adults are marked by their focus on relationships and work. Their cognitive capacity is
fully developed, carrying on abstract thought from adolescence, but new knowledge and skills are
continuously being added. Psychosocially, young adults are independent. They are also occupied
and stressed about making decisions for their relationship and careers, which may include
marriage, parenthood and higher education.

Middle-aged adulthood is a period where aging becomes more noticeable. Middle-aged adults also
mostly peak at their relationships and productivity during this stage. Cognitively, their ability to
learn is steady, wherein most opt to gain expertise in certain fields. Psychosocially, most deal with
problems regarding their health, their grown children, and their responsibility for their parents.

The last group, which are the older adults, are characterized by their wisdom, but also their
deteriorating health. Cognitively, their capacity to perceive relationships, to reason, and to think
abstractly declines because of aging. However, their crystallized intelligence is at its peak because
of their long experience. Psychosocially, older adults are challenged to cope with aging and adjust
their lifestyles.

2. Choose two different developmental stage groupings and give examples of teaching strategies you
will use with each group for the specific teaching sessions. Explain why you chose these strategies
for the individuals with diabetes and their families.

Adolescence: I will first establish trust between myself and this group. It is important for
adolescents to relate to who they are talking to in order for them to truly digest what the other
person says. Therefore, I will be introducing myself as a professional who knows and wants what
is best for them, but also as a former adolescent or a friend that understands their situation and
their feelings. Next, I will be making the information I will be presenting meaningful to life.
Appealing to their own little worlds will make them much more interested because it directly
correlates to their experiences. I can also use their peers and support for influence by putting them
into groups and allowing them to share their own thoughts and experiences living with diabetes or
living with a family member who has diabetes. Lastly, I will be using audiovisuals, role play,
contracts and reading materials to ensure the attention of the learners.

Older Adulthood: In teaching older adults, I will first make sure that I speak slowly and clearly. I
will also use visual aids that use large letters and are well-spaced, partnered with verbal
instructions. Since they are aging, their physical capacities may be starting to decline and must
adjust for that. It is first most important that they are able to understand me. Next, I will make use
of concrete examples. Since older adults’ ability for reasoning and abstract thinking are declining,
I must be the one who provides specific examples. Lastly, I will allow them to build on their past
experiences and give them time to reminisce. After providing specific facts and examples, I should
give them time to look back on their experiences regarding diabetes. This allows them to draw
significant conclusions and learnings from their past experiences.

3. What are some advantages to grouping participants by developmental stages? What are some
disadvantages?
 Advantages: Grouping participants by developmental stages allows us to design and implement a
specific teaching strategy suitable for the whole learner. Therefore, the teaching strategy is
standardized and is the same for each learner in the group because it is assumed that it is effective
for all. There is no need to create different strategies for each learner in the group. Moreover, this
allows the learners to be able to relate to one another because of their similar cognitive and
psychosocial experiences. They can also relate to each other through their similar learning needs.
All learners in the group will most likely have the same learnings at the end of the teaching session
because they all have the same rate and capacity for learning.

Disadvantages: Grouping participants by developmental stages may limit their view to learning
and even the real world. Since the learners are all surrounded by people similar to them, they risk
receiving less knowledge from other people in different developmental stages. What they learn has
the potential to become superficial because they only know how to apply it to the people in the
same developmental stage as them. They may not know how it applies to all the different people
of the world and may limit their way of thinking.

4. How are you going to address confidentiality and data privacy issues concerning the proposed
family-centered health education program for diabetes?

In order to maintain the confidentiality and privacy of the clients’ data in this health education
program, our team will first have to develop a comprehensive client privacy and confidentiality
policy. This lets us and our clients know the boundaries of what data we collect and how we are
allowed to use them. This way, it is easier for us to detect whether this policy has been violated or
not. This policy must be discussed to all those who are part of the team and also to the clients.
Letting the clients know of this policy allows them to practice their rights with their privacy. I will
then make sure that all collected information from the clients are stored within a secure system.
This limits the access to client information to only those authorized.