social cognitive theory essay
The choice of the social cognitive theory as the best theory to be used in the promotion of oral and dental awareness among students in the elementary, middle school and high school level is reliant on the baseline of the theory. The theory advocates that while learners must gain knowledge from the external influence that they are exposed to, it is best processed when it is self-driven. It suggests that while the learners need exposure on the importance and advantages of oral and dental hygiene, the earners benefit more from the knowledge when the learning process invokes the knowledge that the learners already have. In essence, the actions for making the necessary changes with regards to oral and dental hygiene have to be self-directed. Through this, the learners benefit better from the knowledge that they acquire.
The anticipated behavioural factors of the target population include tat the individuals within this population bracket are at a stage where they possess an eagerness to learn. At this stage, the target population channels a high amount of their energy towards learning the acquisition of new information. The predictable way through which this Behavior will be influenced includes the utilization of the eagerness to introduce new useful concepts on the subject of oral hygiene to the learners. The school would engage in this process by devising exciting ways to convey information on dental health to the learners. The result will be that the learners will be more eager to explore this information, a factor that will promote the information sharing process. Another behavioural element of the target population is the eagerness to experiment on new concepts. This factor will be influenced by providing practical aspects that the target population could explore in the promotion of oral and dental hygiene. Among the factors that could be introduced include dental flossing and eating of healthy foods and fruits that provide oral and dental benefits. The eagerness of the target population would be utilized in enabling the population to engage in the proposed activities for the promotion of healthy oral and dental behaviours.
According to the illustration of the social cognitive theory, it has three points that correlate with each other. These include personal factors, Behaviour and environmental influences. These factors correlate with bringing about the ultimate human Behavior.
The following is an illustration of the social cognitive theory.
The key points in the theory include Personal factors, Behavior and environmental influence. With regards to the promotion of dental health in learners in the elementary school, middle school and high school levels, these factors go into play to ensure that personal health and awareness is created. The behaviours entail the general attributes associated with the demographic population. The personal factor entails the likely aspects of this target population that would affect their oral and dental health. The environmental factors could be attributed to the influences channelled to this demographic population by the school system to influence their attitude towards oral and dental hygiene.