Page 246 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

understand, so I had better pretend I do understand.” Each of these feelings raises barriers to learning that
must be recognized, reduced, or eliminated before teaching.13–15

In more formal situations, a preassessment questionnaire or test may be developed and administered to
measure the knowledge gap. Pretest results are compared with posttest results after instruction has been
completed. Preassessment is most necessary when the educator is unfamiliar with the knowledge, ability, and
values of the learner. A survey questionnaire, a focus group, or a telephone interview survey may also be
used.16–19

In the workplace, training and development programs are planned to meet current and future benchmarks
of the organization. Training provides specific skills under the guidance of established personnel so that
employees meet quality standards acceptable to the organization or as mandated by accreditation. Training is
required on a continuous basis for both new and current employees accepting new assignments such as after a
promotion or transfer.

Training needs assessment is the gap between current and desired performance: “What are the knowledge,
skills, abilities, and attitudes that employees need to perform their jobs successfully?” Assessment data can be
collected by directly observing the work, by structured interviewing of managers or employees about needs and
problems, by seeing what is done correctly and especially what is not, by examining reports (accidents,
incidents, grievances, turnover, productivity, and quality control and assurance), and by administering
employee attitude surveys. This assessment deals with ends, not the means to the ends, which are determined
later in the planning process.12

CASE ANALYSIS 2

What approaches can he consider to assess the reasons why high-school students are not eating
nutritiously? What information should he collect?

Developing Performance Objectives

Developing performance objectives means writing precise statements about what will be learned. They define
the purpose of instruction and are helpful tools in planning, implementing, and evaluating learning. The
educator needs to decide what is to be learned before selecting the optimal methods, techniques, and tools to
accomplish it. The term “performance objectives” is used in this chapter, but the educational literature also
interchangeably uses the terms “behavioral” and “measurable” objectives.

A well-stated performance objective communicates the intended outcome of instruction for the learner. It
specifies the desired behavior or level of competence to be attained after instruction is complete. Writing
performance objectives has many advantages. It results in less ambiguity regarding what is to be learned. Also,
clear performance objectives make it possible to design and implement instruction, select appropriate
instructional materials, and assess or evaluate whether or not the objectives are achieved. Both the teacher and
the learner benefit from clearer instructions. When people know what they are supposed to learn, it does not
come as a surprise. They should not be kept guessing about what should be learned or about what is
important.

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