Specifying Affective Behavioral Indicators in Nursing

Abstract

It is becoming increasingly common to find teaching and learning objectives classified in cognitive (knowing) and performance domains. The knowledge, comprehension and application levels of the cognitive domain appear with great frequency in nursing curriculum objectives. With the introduction of a behavioral emphasis, motor skills are being analyzed and specific behaviors identified for many skills. This kind of specification has greatly facilitated the measurement of learning achievement in both of these general learning domains. However, in the affective (feelings, emotions) domain this same specification and rigor in the measurement of learning does not usually occur. Measurement of the behaviors in this domain is complicated since both verbal and non-verbal learning are involved. In the past we were satisfied with using rather global phrases for affective objectives such as "assists patient to cope with stress", "uses therapeutic touch in nursing care", and "develops a nursing ethic". In a few cases elaborate attempts have been made to measure some aspects of affective learning, such as values consistent with nursing behavior. In one instance nursing students were shown the film "Mrs. Reynolds Needs a Nurse" while their galvanic skin responses were simultaneously measured. Though such a technique does measure individual variations of learning in the affective domain it is not practical other than in experimental settings.