Behavioural Objectives Dr. Belal M. Hijji, RN, PhD May 1 & 8, 2012

Learning Outcomes After successful completion of this lecture, students will be able to: Identify the difference between goals and objectives Recognise the opposing viewpoints regarding the use of behavioural objectives in education Describe the right format of writing behavioural objectives using the right components Distinguish between the three domains of learning and explain the methods appropriate for teaching in each

Characteristics of Goals And Objectives Definitions Educational or instructional objectives: Identify the intended outcomes of the educational process, whether in reference to an aspect of a programme or a total programme of study Behavioural or learning objectives: These make use of the modifier behavioural or learning to denote that they are action oriented rather than content-oriented and learner-centred rather than teacher-centred. Behavioral objectives describe what the learner will be able to do after a learning situation

A goal is the final outcome of what is achieved at the end of a teaching-learning process. Goals are global and broad; they serve as long-term targets for the learner and the teacher. An objective is a specific, single, unidimensional behaviour. Objectives are short-term in nature and should be achievable at the conclusion of one teaching session or within a few days following teaching sessions. An objective describes a performance that learners should be able to exhibit before becoming competent. A behavioural objective is the intended result of instruction, not the process or means of instruction.

Objectives must be observable, measurable and achieved before the goal can be reached. For example, learning self-management of diabetes is a goal. Specific objectives must be outlined to address changes in behaviour such as the need to learn diet therapy, insulin administration, exercise regimen, stress management, and glucose monitoring. Successful achievement of predetermined objectives is, in part, the result of appropriate instruction. Successful learning-teaching process is dependent on mutual setting of goals and objectives.

The Debate About Using Behavioural Objectives Educators have made strong arguments for and against the use of behavioural objectives for teaching and learning. There is a need to realise that behavioural objectives are not a panacea for all problems encountered in the educational process. Some of the arguments against using behavioural objectives are that they: Are superfluous. Are reductionist – a format that reduces behavioural processes into equivalents that do not reflect the sum total of the parts. Take a lot of time to write. Force the teacher and student to attend only to specific areas, which stifles [يعيق] creativity and interfere with the freedom to learn and teach.

However, the rationale for using behavioural objectives outweighs the arguments for not using them. Those who support their use believe that they: Help to keep educators’ thinking on target and learner-centred. Communicate what is planned for teaching and learning. Help students understand what is expected of them so that they can keep track of their progress Tailor teaching to the learner’s particular circumstances and needs. Focus attention on what the learner will, eventually, come up with.

Writing Behavioural Objectives A well-written behavioural objectives give learners very clear statements about what is expected of them and enable teachers to measure learner progress toward achieving the outcomes of learning A concise and useful behavioural objectives format has the following characteristics: Performance Condition Criterion

An example of well-written objective is: Following a teaching session of behavioural objectives (condition), students will be able to list (performance) the arguments for and against using them (criterion) An example of poorly-written objective is: To demonstrate crutch walking postoperatively to the patient (teacher-centred)

Taxonomy of Objectives According to Learning Domains A taxonomy [تصنيف] is a mechanism used to categorise things according to their relationships to one another. In education, a taxonomy refers to a system for defining and ordering levels of behaviour according to their type and complexity. Of relevance, Bloom et al (1956) developed the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives as a tool for systematically classifying behavioural objectives. The taxonomy is composed of three broad domains: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. These domains are interdependent and can be experienced simultaneously.

The objectives in each domain are ordered in a taxonomic form of hierarchy, and are classified into low, medium, and high levels. Simple behaviours are listed first (designated by numbers 1.0 or 2.0) and the more complex behaviours listed last (designated by numbers 5.0 or 6.0).

The Cognitive Domain Known as the thinking domain where learning involves the acquisition of information and refers to the learner’s intellectual and mental abilities and thinking processes. Objectives in this domain are divided into six levels, each specifying cognitive processes ranging from the simple (knowledge) to the complex (evaluation). Knowledge: ability of the student to memorise, define, recognise, recall, or identify specific information. Comprehension: ability of student to demonstrate an understanding of what is being communicated. Application: ability of the student to use ideas, principles, or theories in particular and concrete situations.

Analysis: ability of the student to recognise and structure information by breaking it into its constituent parts and specifying the relationship between parts. An example is: “After attending a lecture on medication calculation, the student will be able to calculate the correct number of milligrams of a drug to be taken by a patient over a week”. Synthesis: ability of the student to put together parts and elements into a unified whole by creating a unique product that is written, oral, and pictorial. An example is: “Given a sample list of foods, the patient will prepare a menu to include foods from the four food groups (dairy, meat, vegetables & fruits, and grains) in the recommended amounts for daily intake.

Teaching in the Cognitive Domain The methods used to stimulate learning in this domain include lectures, one-to-one instruction, and computer-assisted instruction. An example of this latter method is accessing the website [http://www.learnbloodtransfusion.org.uk/elearning.htm] to learn about blood transfusion. Verbal, written, and visual tools are also successful in teaching cognitive content. Cognitive domain learning is the traditional focus of most teaching. Less attention is given to the development of psychomotor skills and learning of affective behaviour.

The Affective Domain This is known as the “feeling” domain where learning involves increasing internalisation or commitment to feelings expressed as emotions, interests, attitudes, values, and appreciations. This domain is divided into categories that specify the degree of a person’s depth of emotional responses to tasks. Learners and students should be aware of the difficulties in writing and measuring specific objectives in the affective domain.

Levels of the Affective Behaviour Receiving: ability of student to show awareness of an idea or fact or a consciousness of a situation or event in the environment. An example is: “During a lecture, the student will express feeling of fears he may have about understanding complex terminology”. Responding: ability of the student to respond to an experience, at first obediently and later willingly and with satisfaction. An example is: “At the end of a lecture, students will verbalise feelings of confidence about writing behavioural objectives”.

Valuing: ability of the student to regard or accept the worth of a theory, idea, or event. Organisation: ability of the student to organise, classify, and prioritise values by integrating a new value into a general set of values. An example is: “Care, help, support, cause no harm”. Characterisation: ability of the student to integrate values into a total philosophy or world views, showing firm commitment and consistency of responses to the values by generalising certain experiences into a value system. An example is: “Following a series of training sessions on blood transfusion practice, nurses will show consistent interest in carrying out the patient identification procedure precisely to prevent incorrect transfusions.

Teaching in the Affective Domain A variety of reliable teaching methods are available to support learners acquire elements of the affective domain. These include: Questioning. Case study. Role-playing. Simulation gaming. Group discussion.

The Psychomotor Domain It is known as the “skills” domain where learning involves acquiring fine and gross motor abilities with increasing complexity of neuromuscular coordination to carry out physical movement such as walking, handwriting, manipulation of equipment, or carrying out a procedure. Objectives in this domain are divided into seven levels as listed and described next.

Levels of Psychomotor Behaviour Perception: ability of the student to show sensory awareness of objects or cues associated with some task to be performed. This level involves reading directions or observing a process with attention to steps or techniques inherent in a process. Set: ability of the student to show readiness to take a particular kind of action, such as following directions, through expressions of willingness, sensory attending, or body language. Guided response: ability of the student to exert effort via overt actions under the guidance of an instructor to imitate an observed behaviour.

Mechanism: ability of the student to repeatedly perform steps of a desired skill with certain degree of confidence, indicating mastery to the extent that some or all aspects of the process become habitual (CPR). Complex overt response: ability of the student to automatically perform a complex motor act with independence and a high degree of skill, without hesitation and with minimum expenditure of time and energy. Adaptation: ability of the student to modify or adapt a motor process to suit the individual or various situations, indicating mastery of highly developed movements that can be suited to a variety of conditions. (CPR for infant versus adult).

Origination: ability of the student to create new motor acts , such as novel ways of manipulating objects or materials, as a result of understanding of a skill and developed ability to perform skills.

Teaching in the Psychomotor Domain When teaching psychomotor skills, an educator needs to keep skill instruction separate from a discussion of principles underlying the skill (cognitive component), or a discussion of how the student feels about performing the skill (affective component). Nurse educators need to realise that posing knowledge questions (cognitive) while the student is trying to focus on the performance (psychomotor) will interfere with the psychomotor learning of a skill. In such circumstances, the educator is asking the student to demonstrate at least two different behaviours at the same time, and this is inappropriate, frustrating, confusing, and would result in failure to achieve any behaviours successfully.

The amount of practice required to learn a new skill depends on the following factors: Readiness to learn. Past experience: Is the student familiar with equipment or techniques similar to those needed to learn the new skill? Health status: Illness, physical or emotional impairment. Environmental stimuli: Distraction in the immediate surroundings may interfere with skill acquisition. Anxiety level: High levels of anxiety represent an interference. Developmental stage. Practice session length: Initially these should be short and carefully planned to help increase rate and success of learning.