Learners’ Attributes that Influences Nursing Education

Gender, Socioeconomic, and Cultural Attributes of the Learner

    Gender, socioeconomic level, and cultural background are
significant influences on a learner’s willingness and ability to respond to and
make use of the teaching learning situation. These three factors also play a
role in how people interpret their experiences, react to health and illness,
and formulate their expectations of the nurse (Core, 2008).

Least Affecting Attributes

    Two of these
factors gender and socioeconomic status (SES) have been given very little
attention to date by nurse educators. In contrast, the third factor cultural
and ethnic diversity has been the focus of considerable study in recent years
with respect to its effects on learning. Understanding diversity, those
variations among learners related to particularly gender, socio-economics, and
culture, is of major importance when designing and implementing education
programs to meet the needs of an increasingly unique population of learners.

How Learners Attributes Affects Nursing and Nursing Students

    Although focuses primarily on patients as learners,
much of the information on gender, socio-economics, and culture can be applied
to the teaching and learning of staff nurses and nursing students who come from
diverse backgrounds and experiences. This chapter explores how individuals
respond differently to healthcare interventions through examination of
gender-related variations resulting from heredity or social conditioning that
affects how the brain functions for learning. 

    In addition, the influence of
environment on the learner from a socioeconomic viewpoint is examined. Also,
consideration is given to the significant effects that cultural norms have on
the behaviors of learners from the perspective of the predominant four
sub cultural ethnic groups in the United States. Models for cultural assessment
and the planning of care are highlighted as well. Finally, this chapter
outlines ways to prepare nurses for diversity care and to deal with the issue
of stereotyping.