From start to finish: Examining the interplay of reasoned action theory and constructivism as they mutually inform an instructional development effort

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Date
2010-06-01
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[Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University
Abstract
This effort examined the interplay of reasoned action theory and constructivist epistemology as they mutually inform an instructional development effort to decrease the prevalence of pressure ulcers and their associated sequelae in home health care. The effort is framed by the point of view, drawn from health behavior theory, that, barring external barriers, behavior occurs when people know what to do, know how to do it, and, in fact, want to do it. Moreover, in terms of wanting to do something, behavior can be predicted from people's intentions to engage in the behavior, attitudes toward the behavior, perceived norms regarding the behavior, and perceived control over the behavior. This framework becomes richer when behavior and behavioral change are considered from an epistemological perspective that views individuals as active makers of meaning, as creators of personal stories. These dynamic personal narratives are influenced by experience and in turn influence interpretation of experience; they guide behavior, and they provide an explanation for it. From this perspective, for behavior to be understood, and behavior change to be fostered, researchers and developers need to find ways to understand, connect with, and influence personal narratives. Guided by reasoned action theory, beliefs and associated psychosocial constructs regarding pressure ulcer preventive care were determined through elicitation and survey studies among home healthcare providers. This data, along with factual and procedural objectives identified in conjunction with subject matter experts, was used within a constructivist framework to inform the design of an instructional video. The video was evaluated in a between-within design with multiple dependent variables. Significant differences in learning were observed, with those viewing the video demonstrating greater gains on measures of knowledge, on multivariate composite of psychosocial variables, and on perceived control. No differences in intentions, attitudes, or perceived norms were observed. Those viewing the video rated it highly on measures of consumer satisfaction. The results of each stage of the effort are discussed individually and overall. The roles of reasoned action theory and the constructivist epistemological framework are discussed individually and as they mutually affect one another. Implications for other instructional intervention efforts are drawn.
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Thesis (PhD) - Indiana University, School of Education, 2007
Keywords
intervention development, reasoned action theory, constructivism, instructional design
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This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
Type
Doctoral Dissertation