SEMI FINAL MODULE: MANAGING AND

CARING FOR SELF

UNIT 1: INTELLIGENT BEHAVIORS: LEARNING TO BE A BETTER

LEARNER

Knowing the "self "is not enough. Since "you are" is partly made up of your
choices you must also have the ability to choose especially to be better "you".

There are several techniques that you can adapt depending on your situation
and preferences to make you a better learner. Learning should not just mean
studying for your quizzes and exams in school. Learning could also acquire outside
classroom or even outside school. A certain hobby or skills, your favorite sports are
some examples that you want to enhance and acquire techniques. However some
techniques or new ways on how to study better will be discovered and rediscovered.
What important is you learn how to learn these things at this moment.

At the end of this unit, you will be able to:

1. Explain how learning occurs

2. Enumerate various metacognition and studying techniques
3. Identify the metacognitive techniques that you find most appropriate for yourself
Lesson proper

We are Homo sapiens or "wise man". We think more complex. But being called
wise man not only about how we think, how you process information and how you
utilize techniques while you are studying. By this you have higher chance of
improving your learning process than those who do not reflect on their methods. This
idea falls under metacognition. Metacognition is defined as "thinking about thinking"
(Livingston 1997, Papaleontioulouca 2003).

It is the awareness and limitations of your current knowledge and skills

(Meichenbaum 1985 in American Institute Research 2010). By this metacognition
enables the person to adapt their existing knowledge and skills to a learning task,
seeking for the optimum result of the learning experience.

Metacognition is not limited to thinking process of the individual. It includes :

keeping ones emotion and motivations while learning .

Some people learn better because:

• They like the topic.

• They challenge by the topic.

• They have reward system after finished task.

The emotional and motivation state is the ideal state for that person in order to
further facilitate his learning.

Two aspects of metacognition:

1. SELF-APPRAISAL means is your personal reflection on your knowledge

and capabilities .

2. SELF-MANAGEMENT is the mental process you employ using what have

in planning adapting in a successfully learn to or accomplished a certain task .

METACOGNITION elements:

1. METACOGNITIVE KNOWLEDGE what you know about how you think.

Variables that affect how you know as a thinker:

A) First the personal variables which is your evaluation to your strength

and weaknesses in learning

B) Secondly the task variables this is what you know and what you think
about the nature of the task and the task requires.

C) Lastly refers to what strategies or skills you already have in dealing

with certain task

2. METACOGNITIVE REGULATION means on how you adjust your thinking

process to help you learn better.

According to Waterloo Student Success Office here are Metacognitive skills:

1. KNOWING YOUR LIMITS - it is very important here to be honest and accurate

evaluation of what you know and what you do not know.

2. MODIFYING YOUR APPROACH - It begins with recognition that your strategy is

not appropriate with the task or that you do not comprehend the learning experience
successfully.

3. SKIMMING - This is basically browsing over the material and keeping an eye on
keywords, phrase or sentence. It is also about knowing where to search for such key
terms.

4. REHEARSING - This is not just all about repeatedly talking ,writing or doing what
you have learn but trying also to make a personal interpretation or summary of your
learning experience.

5. SELF-TEST - This is to test your comprehension of your learning experience or

skill you have acquired during learning.

Other strategies:

• asking questions about your methods

• Self-reflection
• finding a mentor or support if necessary

• thinking out loud

• "welcoming errors" for clarification

• Having more positive towards mistakes

You can identify four types of metacognitive learners such as:

1. "tacit" learners who are unaware of their metacognitive process although

they know the extent of their knowledge .

2. "aware" those who learners know some of their metacognitive strategies but
do not plan on how to use these techniques .

3. " strategic" those who strategize and plan their course of action toward a
learning experience .

4. "reflective" learners reflect on their thinking while they are using the strategies
and adapt metacognitive skills depending on their situation .

The goal of metacognition is for the student to be a self-regulated learning ie, the
education should not be limited by the capabilities of the teachers, in short, you
should have the capability to study things on your own as well as accurately
evaluate our progress.

14 Intelligent Behaviors

Performance can be greatly influenced by one‟s behavior. Behavior is defined as

the manner in which a person conducts himself in different circumstances.

Here are the following 14 intelligent behaviors indicative of an efficient and effective
problem-solver, many of w/c were originally compiled by Costa [2000]:

1. Persistence – not giving up

2. Overcoming impulsiveness –involves planning, clarifying, exploring, and
considering

3. Listening to other – listen to another person

4. Flexibility in thinking

5. Metacognition – awareness of how one is thinking

6. Checking for accuracy and precision

7. Questioning and problem-posing

8. Applying past knowledge to new situation

9. Precision of language and thought – provide criteria for value judgments

10. Using all the senses

11. Creativity – applying ingenuity, originality and insight

12. Living w/ a sense of wonderment –behave in an inquisitiveness,

curiosity, openness to beauty, intricacy, complexity and simplicity

13. Cooperation

14. Sense of Humor

Possessing many of these intelligent behaviors is an advantage in the corporate

world. Business firms looks not for knowledge and experience, but also for efficiency
and effectiveness.

Other tips that you can use in studying are the following:

1. Make an outline of things you want to learn

2. Break down the task in smaller and more manageable details

3. Integrate variation in your schedule and learning experience.

4. Try to inculcate your ideas.

 5. Revise, summarize and take down notes the reread them to help you
minimize cramming in the last minute

6. Engage what you have learned.

Important reminder: "Utilize and adapt the appropriate techniques in whatever learning
experiences you are about to accomplish and find enjoyment and success in learning
..."Constant practice makes things perfect.”

ACTIVITY 1

Create a diagram or schedule using at least 5 of the metacognitive strategies, skills and
studying techniques mentioned in this lesson on how you would prepare for the nest
days before the final examinations
 UNIT 2: EMOTIONAL SELF: ACHIEVING MY EMOTIONAL
COMPETENCIES

The American Psychological Association (2017) has these statements about stress:

“Stress is often described as a feeling of being overwhelmed, worried, or

run-down. Stress can affect people of all ages, genders, and circumstances and
can lead to both physical and psychological health issues. By definition, stress is
any uncomfortable „emotional experience accompanied by predictable
biochemical, physiological, and behavioral changes.‟ Some stress can be
beneficial at times, producing a boost that provides the drive and energy to help
people get through situations like exams or work deadlines. However, an
extreme amount of stress can have health consequences and adversely affect
the immune, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and central nervous systems.”
Since stress is inevitable to life, we have to learn how to handle and cope up with it.
More so, we have to be familiar with other approach to a healthy lifestyle, which is self-
care.

At the end of this unit, you will be able to:

1. Explain the effects of stress to one‟s health;

2. Examine cultural dimension of stress and coping; and
3. Design a self-care plan

LESSON PROPER

Stress and Human Response

The American Institute of Stress (AIS) has distinguished different types of stress
and the human response to it.

Hans Selye defined stress as the body‟s nonspecific response to any demand,
whether it is caused by or results in pleasant or unpleasant stimuli. It is essential to
differentiate between the unpleasant or harmful variety of stress termed distress,
which often connotes disease, and eustress, which often connotes euphoria.
Eustress is stress in daily life that has positive connotations, such as marriage,
promotion, baby, winning, money, new friends and graduation. Distress is stress in
daily life that has negative connotations such as divorce, punishment, injury,
negative feelings, financial problems, and work difficulties.

However, eustress causes much less damage than distress. This demonstrates
conclusively that it is how an individual accepts stress that determines ultimately
whether the person can adapt successfully to change (AIS 2017).

Selye hypothesized a general adaption or stress syndrome. This general stress

syndrome affects the whole body. Stress always manifests itself by a syndrome, a
sum of changes, and not by simply one change (AIS 2017).

The general stress syndrome has three components:

1. The alarm stage - represents a mobilization of the body‟s defensive forces. The
body is preparing for the entire “fight or flight” syndrome. This involves a number of
hormones and chemicals excreted at high levels, as well as an increase in heart
rate, blood pressure, perspiration, and respiration rate, among others.

2. The stage of resistance – the body becomes adaptive to the challenge and even
begins to resist it. The length of this stage of resistance is dependent upon the
body‟s innate and stored adaptation energy reserves and upon the intensity of the
stressor. The acquired adaption is lost if the individual is subject to still greater
exposure to the stressor.

3. The exhaustion stage – the body dies because it has used up its resources of
adaptation energy.

Stress diseases are maladies caused principally by errors in the body‟s general
adaptation process. They will not occur when all the body‟s regulatory processes are
properly checked and balanced. The biggest problems with derailing the general
stress and causing disease is an absolute excess, deficiency, or disequilibrium in the
amount of adaptive hormones. For example: Corticoids, Adrenocorticotropic
Hormone (ACTH ), Growth Hormones are produced during stress. Unfortunately, if
stress is induced chronically, our defense response lowers its resistance since fewer
antibodies are produced and an inflammatory response dwindles (AIS 2017).

In the article “Understanding Stress Response” of the Health Harvard Journal

(2017), it further discussed chronic stress and human body response:

“Chronic stress is unpleasant, even when it is transient. A stressful situation ---

whether something environmental, such as a looming work deadline, or
psychological, such as persistent worry about losing a job can trigger a cascade
of stress hormones that produce well-orchestrated physiological changes. A
stressful incident can make the heart pound and breathing quicken. Muscles tense
and beads of sweat appear.”

This combination of reactions to stress is also known as the “fight-or-flight”

response because it evolved as a survival mechanism, enabling people and other
mammals to react quickly to life-threatening situations.

Unfortunately, the body can also overreact to stressors that are not life-
threatening, such as traffic jams, work pressure, and family difficulties.

Research suggests that chronic stress contributes to high blood pressure,

promotes the formation of artery – clogging deposits, and causes brain changes that
may contribute to anxiety, depression and addiction.

More preliminary research suggests that chronic stress may also contribute to
obesity, both through direct mechanisms (causing people to eat more) or indirectly
(decrease sleep and exercise) (Health Harvard 2017).

The stress response begins in the brain. When someone confronts an oncoming
car or other danger, the eyes or ears (or both) send the information to the amygdala,
an area of the brain that contributes to emotional processing. The amygdala
interprets the images and sounds. When it perceives danger, it instantly sends a
distress signal to the hypothalamus (Health Harvard 2017).

Functions of Hypothalamus
 When someone experience a stressful event, the amygdala, an area of the brain
that contributes to emotional processing, sends a distress signal to the
hypothalamus. This area of the brain functions like a command center,
communicating with the rest of the body through the nervous system so that the
person has the energy to fight or flee (Health Harvard 2017).

The hypothalamus is a bit like a command center. This area of the brain
communicates with the rest of the body through the autonomic nervous system,
which controls involuntary body functions like breathing, blood pressure, heartbeat,
and the dilation or constriction of key blood vessels and small airways in the lungs
called bronchioles. The autonomic nervous system has two components the
sympathetic nervous system and the parasym-pathetic nervous system. The
sympathetic nervous system functions like a gas pedal in a car. It triggers the fight-
or-flee response, providing the body with a burst of energy so that it can respond to
perceived dangers.

The parasympathetic nervous system acts like a brake. It promotes the “rest and
digest” response that calms the body down after the danger has passed (Health
Harvard 2017).

After the amygdala sends a distress signal, the hypothalamus activates the
sympathetic nervous system by sending signals through the autonomic nerves to the
adrenal glands . These glands respond by pumping the hormone epinephrine (also
known as adrenaline) into the bloodstream. As epinephrine circulates through the
body, it brings on a number of physiological changes. The heart beats faster than
normal, pushing blood to the muscles, heart, and other vital organs. Pulse rate and
blood pressure go up. The person undergoing these changes also starts to breathe
more rapidly. Small airways in the lungs open wide. This way, the lungs can take in
as much oxygen as possible with each breath. Extra oxygen is sent to the brain,
increasing alertness. Sight, hearing, and other senses become sharper. Meanwhile,
epinephrine triggers the release of blood sugar (glucose) and fats from temporary
storage sites in the body. These nutrients flood into the bloodstream, supplying
energy to all parts of the body (Health Harvard 2017).
 All of these changes happen so quickly that people aware of them. In fact, the
wiring is so efficient that the amygdala and hypothalamus start this cascade even
before the brain‟s visual centers have had a chance to fully process what is
happening. That is why people are able to jump out of the path of an incoming car
even before they think about what they are doing. As the initial surge of epinephrine
subsides, the hypothalamus activates the second component of the stress response
system known as the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis glands. The HPA
axis relies on a series of hormonal signals to keep the sympathetic nervous system–
the “gas pedal” –pressed down. If the brain continues to perceive something as
dangerous, the hypothalamus releases corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH),
which travels to the adrenal glands, prompting them to release cortisol. The body
thus stays revved up and on high alert. When the threat passes, cortisol levels fall.
The parasympathetic nervous system– the “brake”– then dampens the stress
response (Health Harvard 2017).

Persistent epinephrine surges can damage blood vessels and arteries,

increasing blood pressure and raising risk of heart attacks or strokes. Elevates
cortisol levels create physiological changes that help to replenish the body‟s energy
stores that are depleted during the stress response. But they inadvertently contribute
to the buildup of fat issue and to weight gain. For example, cortisol increases
appetite, so that people will want to eat more to obtain extra energy. It also
increases storage of unused nutrients as fat. Chronic low – level stress keeps the
HPA axis activated, much like a motor that is idling too high for too long. After a
while, this has an effect on the body that contributes to the health problems
associated with chronic stress (Health Harvard 2017).

Techniques to Counter Chronic Stress

Several techniques to counter chronic stress were presented in the same article
(Health Harvard 2017):

1. Relaxation response. Dr. Herbert Benson, director emeritus of the Benson-Henry

Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, has devoted
much of his career to learning how people can counter the stress response by using
a combination of approaches that elicit the relaxation response. These include deep
abdominal breathing, focus on a soothing word (such as peace or calm),
visualization of tranquil scenes, repetitive prayer, yoga, and tai chi.

2. Physical activity. People can use exercise to stifle the buildup of stress in several
ways. Exercise, such as taking a brisk walk shortly after feeling stressed, not only
deepens breathing but also helps relieve muscle tension. Movement therapies such
as yoga, tai chi, and qi gong combined with fluid movements, with deep breathing,
and mental focus, all of which can induce calm.

3. Social support. Confidants, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, relatives,

spouses, and companions all provide a life-enhancing social net, and may increase
longevity. It is not clear why, but the buffering theory holds that people who enjoy
close relationships with family and friends receive emotional support that indirectly
helps to sustain them at times of chronic stress and crisis.

Self-care therapy

Nancy Apperson [2008] of Northern Illinois University has provided steps for self-
care:

1. Stop, breathe and tell yourself: “This is hard and I will get through this one step
at a time.”

2. Acknowledge to yourself what you are feeling. All feelings are normal so
accept whatever you are feeling.

3. Find someone who listens and is accepting. You do not need advice. You
need to be heard.

4. Maintain your normal routine as much as possible.

5. Allow plenty of time for a task.

6. Take good care of yourself. Remember to:

a. Get enough rest and sleep.

b. Eat regularly and make healthy choices

c. Know your limits and when you need to let go

d. Identify or create a nurturing place in your home.

e. Practice relaxation or mediation

f. Escape for a while through reading books, watching movies, or short trip.

Self-compassion theory

It is another counter stress by Kristin Neff [2012] in her article “science of self-
compassion]

“Self-compassion entails being warm and understanding toward ourselves when

we suffer, fail, or feel inadequate, rather than flagellating ourselves w/ self-criticism.
It recognizes that being imperfect and experiencing life difficulties is inevitable. So
we soothe ourselves when confronting pain rather than getting angry when life fails
short of our ideals…self compassion recognizes that life challenges and personal
failures are part of being human, an experience we all share. In this way, it helps us
to feel less desolate and isolated when we are in pain.

Self-compassion phrases according to Neff

3 components: 1] helps to mindfully open to the sting of emotional pain. [ex. It

hurts!]; 2] reminds us that suffering unites all living beings and reduces the tendency
to feel ashamed and isolated when things go wrong in our lives; and 3] begins the
process of responding w/ self-kindness rather than self-criticism. The final phrase
reinforces the idea that you both need and deserve compassion in difficult moments.

Self- compassion and emotional well-being

One of the most consistent findings in the research literature is that self-
compassion is linked to less anxiety and depression. The key feature of self
compassion is the lack of self-criticism, and self-criticism is known to be an important
predictor of anxiety and depression. Self-compassion is not merely a matter of
looking on the bright side of things or avoiding negative feelings. Self-compassionate
 people recognize when they are suffering, but are kind toward themselves in these
moments, acknowledging their connectedness with the rest of humanity. Self-
compassion is associated with greater wisdom and emotional intelligence,
suggesting that self-compassion represents a wise way of dealing with difficult
emotions.

Self compassionate letter

An example of self-compassion exercise is the self-compassionate letter.

This exercise has been used in therapeutic programs. Below are the following
steps in doing the self-compassionate letter exercise as provided by Neff (2012).

1. Candidly describe problem that tends to make you feel bad about yourself, such
as a physical flaw, a relationship problem, or failure at work or school. Note what
emotions come up – shame, anger, sadness, fear – as you write.
2. Think of an imaginary friend who is unconditionally accepting and
compassionate; someone who knows all your strengths and weakness,
understands your life history, your current circumstances, and understands the
limits of human nature.
3. Finally, write a letter to yourself from that perspective. What would you friend say
about your perceived problem? What words would s/he use to convey deep
compassion? How would your friend remind you that you are only human? If your
friend were to make any suggestions, how would they reflect unconditional
understanding?
4. When you are done writing, put the letter down for a while and come back to it
latter. Then read the letter again, letting the words sink in, allowing yourself to be
soothed and comforted.
Less stress, more care

You should be in control of the stress that confronts us every day. Self-care and
self-compassion are two ways to positively confront stress. We should love and care for
our self-more and more each day.
ACTIVITY 1

Make Self – care plan. Design for your self-care plan for the whole school year.
Unit 3: RESPONSIBLE SELF: MY COMMITMENT TO LIFELONG
GROWTH

This module presented the critical factors in developing oneself to function

effectively as a responsible contributing member to his/her family, community, and
society. These variables include intelligence, emotional quotient, motivation, and
decision-making ability. This unit will explain Gardner‟s theory that intelligence is not a
general ability, but rather, it is comprised of several areas of intelligences. The role of
two broad contributory factors, namely nature and nurture, on intelligence will be
illustrated. Emotional quotient will be cited as critical to developing responsibility
because it affects social relationships. Motivational level serves as underlying drive to
produce n output or perform a task. Decision making is a key factor in developing one‟s
responsibility, in which inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning are differentiated in
this unit to arrive at a good and better decision.

At the end of this unit, you will be able to:

1. Identify the specific intelligences that one can develop to be successful

2. Determine the critical factors that contribute to growth and personality
development
3. Explain the principles in making critical decisions in one‟s life
4. Fully use your talents, abilities and decision- making to become
responsible citizens
5. Explain the role of motivation in facilitating academic success

LESSON PROPER

Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

 In an early lesson, it was said that general mental or cognitive abilities contribute
to the kind of person one is and one can be. Charles Spearman [1904] believed that
intelligence consists of the general mental abilities or intelligence quotient [IQ/ g
factor] and domain-specific abilities. IQ is a standardized measure that represents a
person‟s reasoning skills.

In psychology, intelligence is not a single characteristic but rather it comprises of

different particular traits. Consequently, researchers have attempted to identify and
measure further the different components of intelligence. One of the famous works
for this is Howard Gardner‟s theory of eight intelligences. Following are the specific
intelligences espoused by Gardner [1983]:

1. Verbal-linguistic intelligence – characterized by ability to think and use language

to express meaning [word smart]

2. Logical –mathematical intelligence – ability to carry out mathematical operations

and handle long chains of reasoning [number/reasoning smart]

3. Spatial visual intelligence – ability to think in images, pictures, or three-

dimensional figures [picture smart]

4. Bodily kinesthetic intelligence – ability to be physically adept at manipulating

objects skillfully and controlling one‟s bodily movement [body smart]

5. Musical rhythmic intelligence – sensibility to pitch, melody, rhythm and tone

[music smart]

6. Interpersonal intelligence – ability to understand and interact effectively w/ others

as well as the capacity to discern, motivate, etc. [people smart]

7. Intrapersonal intelligence – ability to understand oneself, knowledge to one‟s

strength and weaknesses, desires, and feelings [self smart]

8. Naturalist intelligence – ability to observe patters in nature and understand

natural and human-made systems, sensitivity to the differences among diverse
species and ability to interact w/ living creatures [nature smart]
9. Existentialist intelligence – it concerned w/ ultimate issues, and is next to be
possibility considered by Gardner as he argues that scores reasonably well on the
criteria. Although a 9th intelligence might be attractive, Gardner is not disposed to
add it to the list. He said that he finds the phenomenon perplexing enough and the
distance from the other intelligence vast enough to dictate prudence-at least for now
[philosopher theories].

Contributors to intelligence

Two factors: heredity [nature] – refers to genes one inherits from his/ her
parents, w/c provide the upper and lower limits of his/her intelligence quotient; and
environment [nurture] – involves the experiences and psychological and physical
exposure of the individual to the various influences around him/her. It been resolved
that heredity and environment both interact to contribute in intelligence and
personality.

While you may be low on certain skill, there might be other capabilities that you
are. Just discover and develop them further.

Motivation

It is a stimulation of action toward a particular objective where previously there

was little or no attraction toward that goal. Thus, it is a process of arousing,
maintaining, energizing, directing, sustaining and controlling interest. Motivation is
also a significant influence in personality development aside from heredity and
environment. Here are some level f motivations of individuals:

a. Evolutionary theory – according to this theory, the motivation for sex,

achievement, aggression and other behaviors is rooted in the organism‟s
evolutionary pass [Buss, 2000]. So, if a species is highly competitive, it is because
such competitiveness has been improved its chances of survival, and it is then
passed down through genes from generation to generation.

b. Drive reduction theory – this theory explains that organisms are driven by
physiological needs. A need energizes one‟s drive to eliminate or reduce the
deprivation, ex. If one feels hunger, hunger is the motivator in order to satisfy the
need.

c. Optimum arousal theory – Yerkes-Dodson Law states that performance is at its

highest under conditions of moderate arousal rather than high or low arousal. Ex. W/
a low arousal, one might be too lazy or willing to perform the task. At times, the level
of arousal depends on the kind of task on hand.

Personal characteristics of an individual may also influence the level of

motivation. Sensation –seeking is the motivation to experience varied novel,
complex, and intense feelings of experience. This seeking has various forms,
namely: 1] motivated to engage in sports; 2] attracted to vocations/ occupations; 3]
drink heavily, smoke, use illicit drugs; and 4] short term hedonistic attitude towards
intimate partners.

d. Cognitive approach – there are two aspects of this approach, namely: intrinsic
motivation [refers to inherent or internal stimulus of an individual to satisfy his/ her
drive w/o the need for reward and punishment]; and extrinsic motivation [based on
incentives w/c are artificial devices w/c are employed to evoke conducive
satisfaction]. Therefore, the former refers to internal factors like self-determination,
curiosity, challenge and effort. The latter involves outside factors such as rewards
and punishment.

Emotional intelligence (EI)

EI, measured by emotional quotient [EQ], is a type of intelligence that refers to

the abilities to perceive, appraise, understand, and express emotions accurately and
appropriately. This is also the counterpart of IQ. EQ has an intellectual component,
especially in using emotions to facilitate thinking or logical reasoning. Ex. In a class,
the teacher asks the question, “In which geographical region is the Philippines
located?” Paul sees Jane raising her hand but he blurts out, “Southeast Asia!” one
will readily think that Jane might be angry because Paul gets the credit.it may thus
be said that paaul has a high IQ but low EQ.

Reasoning
 People make decisions every day. Making a decision involves picking or
selecting the best option that will give the best consequences. Reasoning is a
cognitive or intellectual skill. It is a way to determine if a choice is the best from
among several options. It is a mental process that involves using and applying
knowledge to solve problems.

Reasoning is of two types: deductive [begins w/ making general assumption and

then drawing specific conclusions based on this assumption] and inductive [a
process in w/c a conclusion is determined based on a number of true facts or
premises]. Researchers used inductive reasoning when they use past experiences
to form a general hypothesis. A hypothesis is a statement that must be tested by
gathering date. It is an expectation of what is going to happen.

Biased reasoning refers to the act of jumping to conclusion before even

knowing all the facts. Confirmation bias is the tendency to look for information that
supports one‟s decisions and beliefs while ignoring disconfirming information.

Both intellectual and emotional abilities are necessary tapped in decision making.
ACTIVITY 1

Write a journal describing a situation in which you have encountered difficulty in

making decision. What were the choices or alternatives available to you? What
enabled you to come up with a decision in favor of one option? What course of
action or processes did you undertake?
Unit 4: DO NOT JUST DREAM, MAKE IT HAPPEN

Jack Canfield is an epitome of success. He had authored seven books listed in

the Guinness Book of World Records as New York Times bestseller, beating Stephen
King (Macmillan 2017)

One of Canfield‟s featured quotes about success is “by taking the time to stop
and what you have achieved – and perhaps learned through a few mistakes, stumbles
and losses you actually can enhance everything about you. “Self-acknowledgment and
appreciation are what give you the insight and awareness to move forward higher goals
and accomplishments” (Brown 2016)

At the end of this unit, you will be able to:

1. Use Bandura‟s self-efficacy theory for self-assessment

2. Differentiate growth and fixed mindset by Dweck
3. Design personal goals adapting Locke‟s goal setting theory

LESSON PROPER
The Bobo Doll Experiment was studied by Dr. Bandura in 1950‟s. In this
experiment, the sample children were presented with new social models of violent and
nonviolent behavior towards an inflatable redounding Bobo doll. The result were: the
group of children who saw the violent behavior model became violent to the doll, while
the control group who was presented with the nonviolent behavior model was rarely
violent to the doll. Dr. Bandura introduced the social learning theory that focuses on
what people learn from observing and interacting with other people.

Bandura’s social cognitive theory

It states that people are active participants in their environment and are not
simply shaped by that environment. Dr. Bandura continues to do research such as self-
efficacy, stress reactions, and effects of modeling on human behavior, emotion, and
thought.

Summary of Self-efficacy Theory

Weibell (2011) summarized Albert Bandura‟s self-efficacy theory:

Self-efficacy theory – is based on the assumption that psychological procedures

as a means of creating and strengthening expectations of personal efficacy.

Outcome expectancy - is a person‟s estimate that a given behaviour will lead to

certain outcomes.

Efficacy Expectation - is the conviction that one can successfully execute the
behavior required to produce the outcomes.

Weibell (2011) stated that Dr. Bandura defined self-efficacy as “people‟s beliefs
about their capabilities to produce designed levels of performance that exercise
influence over events that effects their lives.” He identified acts of people with high
assurance in their capabilities such as:

1. Approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered.

2. Set challenging goals and maintain strong commitment to them;
3. Heighten or sustain efforts in the face of failures or setbacks;
4. Attributed failure to insufficient effort or deficient knowledge and skills which
are acquirable;
5. Approach threatening situations with assurance that they can exercise
control over them.
In contrast, people “who doubt their capabilities”:

1. Shy away from tasks they view as personal threats;

2. Have low aspirations and weak commitment to goals they choose to pursue;
3. Dwell on personal deficiencies, obstacles they will encounter, and all kinds of
adverse outcomes, rather than concentrating on how to perform successfully;
4. Slacken their efforts and give up quickly in the face of difficulties;
5. Are slow to recover their sense of efficacy following failure or setbacks;
 6. Fall easy victim to stress and depression
Dr. Bandura described four main sources of influence by which a person‟s self-
efficacy is developed and maintained. These are:

1. Performance accomplishments or mastery experiences;

2. Vicarious experiences;
3. Verbal or social persuasion; and
4. Physiological (somatic and emotional) states.
Dr. Bandura identified that “mastery experiences‟‟ or personal performance
accomplishments‟‟ are most effective ways to create a strong sense of efficacy. Verbal
or Social persuasion also effects one‟s perception of self-efficacy. It is “a way of
strengthening people‟s beliefs that they have what it takes to succeed.

Dr. Albert Bandura‟s quotes about self- efficacy (Kendra 2017) are as follows:

“Self efficacy is the belief in one‟s capabilities to organize and execute the
sources of action required to manage prospective situation.”
“If efficacy beliefs always reflected only what people can do routinely, they
would rarely fail but they would not set aspirations beyond their immediate reach
nor mount the extra effort needed to surpass their ordinary performances.” (from
Encyclopedia of Human behavior, 1994)
“Self-belief does not necessarily ensure success, but self-disbelief assuredly
spawns failure.”(From Self- efficacy: The exercise of control, 1997)
“By sticking it out through tough times, people emerge from adversity with the
stronger sense of efficacy.”(From Encyclopedia of Human Behavior, 1994)
CAROL S. DWECK’S FIXED AND GROWTH MINDSET THEORY

Author of Mindset: The New Psychology of

Success. Born on October 17, 1946

Graduated from Bernard College in 1967 and earned her PhD from Yale University in
1972. She taught at Colombia University, Harvard University, and University of Illinois
before joining Stanford University in 2004(Up closed 2017) Her research focuses on
why people succeed and how to foster success.
Fixed and growth mindset

Dr. Dweck described people with two types of mindset. People who believe that
success is based in their innate abilities have a “fixed” theory of intelligence, which goes
under fixed mindset. People who believe that success is based on hard work, learning,
training, and perseverance have growth theory of intelligence, which goes under Growth
mindset. According to Dr. Dweck, individuals may not necessarily be aware of their own
mindset, but their mindset can still be discerned based on their behavior.

Fixed mindset individuals dread failure because it is a negative statement on

their basic abilities, while growth mindset individuals do not mind or fear failure as much
because they realize their performance can be improved and learning comes from
failure. These two mindsets play an important role in all aspects of a person‟s life. Dr.
Dweck argues that the growth mindset will allow a person to live a less stressful and
more successful life (Upclosed 2017)

For example, children given praise such as “good job”, and you like “good job,
you worked very hard” are likely to develop a growth mindset. In other words, it is
possible to encourage students to persist despite failure by encouraging them to think
about learning in a certain way.

Edwin A. Locke’s Goal Setting Theory

Edwin A. Locke is internationally known for his research on goal setting. He was
born on January 5, 1938. He is a Dean‟s Professor (Emeritus) of leadership and
motivation at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland,
College Park.

GOAL SETTING THEORY

This theory was first studied by Dr. Locke in the middle of 1960s. In 1996, he
published another article entitled “Motivation through Conscious Goal Setting.” Locke
(1996) first described that the approach of goal setting theory is based on what Aristotle
called final causality; that is, action caused by a purpose.

Goal Attributes
 Goals have both an internal and an external aspect. Internally, they are ideas
(desired ends), externally, they refer to the object or condition ought (e.g., a job, a sale,
a certain performance level). The ideas guide action to attain the object. Two broad
attributes of goal are content (the actual object sought) and the intensity (the scope,
focus, and complexity, among others of the choice process). Qualitatively, the content
of a goal is whatever the person is seeking. Quantitatively, two attributes of content,
difficulty, and specificity, have been studied (Locke 2017).

14 research findings:

A research was made by Locke (2017) under the article “Motivation through
Conscious Goal Setting”. The research has the following findings:

1. The more difficult the goal, the greater the achievement.

2. The more specific or explicit the goal, the more precisely performance
is regulated.
3. Goals that are both specific and difficult lead to the highest performance.
4. Commitment to goals is most critical when goals are specific and difficult.
5. High commitment to goals is attained when:
a) the individual is convinced that the goal is important;
b) the individual is convinced that the goal is attainable (or that, at least,
progress can be made toward it)
Commitment can be enhanced by effective leadership. Relevant leadership
techniques include:

o Providing and communicating an inspiring vision;

o Acting as role model for the employees;
o Expecting outstanding performance;
o Promoting employees who embrace the vision and dismissing those
who reject it;
o Delegating responsibility (“ownership”) for key tasks;
o Goal setting itself can be delegated for capable, responsible employees;
o Expressing (genuine) confidence in employee capabilities;
o Enhancing capabilities through training; and
 o Asking for commitment in public.
6. In addition to having a direct effect on performance, self-efficacy influences:
a) the difficulty level of the goal chosen or accepted;
b) commitment to goals;
c) the response to negative feedback or failure; and
d) the choice of task strategies
7. Goal setting is most effective when there is feedback that shows progress
in relation to the goal.
8. Goal setting (along with self- efficacy) mediates the effect of knowledge of
past performance on subsequent performance.
9. Goals affect performance by affecting the direction of the action, the degree
of effort exerted, and the persistence of action overtime.
10. Goals stimulate planning in general. Often, the planning quality is higher
than that which occurs without goals.
11. When people strive for goals on complex tasks, they are least effective
in discovering suitable task strategies if:
a) They have no prior experience or training on the task;
b) There is high pressure t perform well; and
c) There is high time pressure (to perform well immediately).
12. Goals (including goal commitment) in combination with self-efficacy mediate or
partially mediate the effects of several personality traits and incentives on performance.

13. Goal setting and goal-related mechanisms can be trained and/or adopted in
the absence of training for the purpose of self-regulation.

14. Goals serve as standards of self- satisfaction, with harder goals

demanding higher accomplishment in order to attain self-satisfaction than easy
goals.

People with growth mindset, where there is room for improvement of

performance, with a positive perceived self-efficacy, where s/he has high confidence on
his/her capabilities, and set specific achievable goals, have high possibility to attain
success in life.
ACTIVITY 1
Make a collage of your own perceived self-efficacy using Bandura‟s four sources of
influence for the development and maintenance of self –efficacy.
Unit 5: ASSESSING FOR SELF-IMPROVEMENT: DIRECTING MY
DESTINY

This lesson emphasized the role of assessment in understanding oneself. An

individual goes through assessment for various reasons and purposes. Irrespective of
the tool used or purpose of assessment, the assessment should result in a more
objective way of looking at oneself. The end goal of assessment thus is self-
improvement.

The lesson further explained the various tools available. However, you are
encouraged to do research on other tests or measures relevant to your needs. In the
use of tools, two general approaches to measurement namely formal and informal, were
presented.

At the end of this unit, you will be able to:

1. Identify the tools or measures used for the assessment process

2. Discuss the ways of assessing the various aspects of personality
3. Differentiate a formal assessment from an informal one
4. Explain how the results of assessments help improve one‟s personality
Assessment

One of the closest experiences you have w/ assessments is taking a writing test
and going through interviews w/ academic officials before enrolling in a school of your
choice.

Assessment is a process that determines the presence or absence, as well as

the extent or level, of a characteristic or behavior in a person. In doing this, tools are
used. They are also called measures or data-gathering tools. Tests are type of tools.
The data derived from a tool provides the basis for knowing the presence of a behavior
or characteristics.
 Measurement deals only w/ the administration of the tool and determining the
numerical values of the data gathered from a tool. Psychological assessment refers to
use of specified testing procedures to evaluate the abilities, behaviors, and personal
qualities of people. It describes the extent to which a person is similar to or different
from others.

Assessment tools are important in gathering information about the behaviors of

people. Feedback, reports, or narratives from others are not enough to determine
someone‟s behavior. Assessment contributes to building profiles, determining,
interventions, developing programs and making personal and professional decisions.

Kinds of assessment

The following are the kinds of test according to purpose, ie. in terms of
characteristic they intend to measure:

a. Achievement test – this test measures what has been learned w/n a specific
period of time.

b. Mental ability test – measures one‟s level of mental ability, such tests are known
as IQ tests.

c. Aptitude test – measures the inclination of individual towards certain specific

areas. It determines what particular work an individual would most possibly be
successful at.

d. Personality test –measures facets of personality, some of w/c are attitudes,

perceptions, interests, psychological aberrations, personality disorders and the like.

The kind of test to use or apply is determined by its purpose. Using inappropriate
assessment tools invalidates the results.

General methods of assessment

There are two methods: formal assessment [standardized and generally carried
out in professional settings by experts in the behavior being measured; the bases for
the assessment of a person are his/her responses or scores on a test]; and informal
assessment [do not observed formal process; the bases for assessing a person are
unstructured or simple observations of his/her behaviors in informal settings and
occasions]. Informal assessment gives a clue to what might be happening w/ the
behavior being studied for described.

Application of assessment

Assessment provides many advantages; foremost of w/c is to gain a better

understanding of oneself. Thus, one will know exactly what areas are to be improved
or enhanced and more importantly, what to do to overcome his/her weakness and
turn into strength.

ACTIVITY 1

Make a portfolio by compiling all the reaction papers, activities, analysis,

reflection papers, journal, and essay. Lastly include one reflection paper regarding
your personal discoveries in the subject in relation to yourself.
 Stress as the body's nonspecific response to any demand, whether it is
caused by or results in pleasant or unpleasant stimuli. It is essential to differentiate
between the unpleasant or harmful variety of stress termed distress, which often
connotes disease, and eustress, which often connotes euphoria. Eustress is stress in
daily life that has positive connotations, such as marriage, promotion, baby, winning,
money, new friends and graduation. Distress is stress in daily life that has negative
connotations such as divorce, punishment, injury, negative feelings, financial
problems, and work difficulties. Personal development consists of activities that
develop a person's capabilities and potential, build human capital, facilitate
employability, and enhance quality of life and the realization of dreams and
aspirations. Self-improvement is a way for you to make yourself better or more
knowledgeable. It's a way to challenge yourself in new ways while working on your
personal growth. Learning a new language, working toward advancing your rank,
and volunteering are all examples of self-improvement Lesson emphasized the role
of assessment in understanding oneself. An individual goes through assessment for
various reasons and purposes. Irrespective of the tool used or purpose of
assessment, the assessment should result in a more objective way of looking at
oneself. The end goal of assessment thus is self- improvement.

Effective decision making is an art which obviously cannot be earned

overnight, hence, needs to be nurtured in time. However, even an effective leader
cannot remain oblivious to certain hurdles which chronicle his decision-making
capacity. An effective decision has positive effects on all the departments, and equal
damage is caused by an ineffective decision. Hence, he has to remain vigilant about
the repercussions caused by his decisions.