Theme 1: How was their learning process like?

How was their learning process like?
SDL is a process as viewed by Caffarella. In the context of breast cancer, a survivor goes through a typical process consists of the followings:
-Coping with the results
-Seeking information about treatments
-Preparing for personal life changes

-Coping with the results
After getting much suspicion about some signs of lump in their breasts, they start to seek information. Their sources of informations are family members, relatives, friends, doctors and internet. After the signs that they have match with what are suggested by the sources of information, they take the initiative to see doctors in order to confirm their suspicion.

Seven of the participants were mentally prepared to face the news that they were diagnosed with breast cancer. Examples of their reactions:
1. Hanim said she did not break down because she had knowledge about it before and prepare to accept the news.
2. Karima was told that the result was positive on one breast, but that does not mean she was going to die. She was prepared to accept the news.
3. Nora was told to get her partner to accompany her to the doctor's visit but she did not think that it is necessary. She said that she would still be okay to hear the result.

Some emotional moments were experienced by two participants, Rina and Thanam.
1. Rina cried in doctor's room when the doctor broke the news.
2. Thanam went 'blank' when she was told of the result. She was thinking about how her situation was going to affect her two children, she kept asking "Why me?".

-Seeking information about treatments
Seeking for information is the first thing that they did in order to learn more about their disease. For example,
1. Swee Lan did not wait any longer, she asked her doctor what she should do.
2. Nora went to the bookshop and start buying relevant books on cancer.
3. Hanim, having her third month of pregnancy, browsed internet to get information on how her situation affect her yet to be born baby.


-Preparing for personal life changes

THEME SUMMARISED

How was their learning process like?
Coping with the results
Seeking information about treatments
Preparing for personal life changes

Why did they learn?
The need to ascertain information
The need to understand how to cope with the disease
The need to help other patients and survivors to learn

How did they learn?
-What were their learning activities?
- What sources did they draw upon?
Reading (books, other printed materials, and internet articles)
Talking to others (consulting doctors and asking other survivors)

What challenges did they face?
Emotional effect of exposure to information
Concern about reliability of information

What were the learning outcomes?
Being able to make informed decisions
Gaining personal understanding of the situation
Spiritually inspired
Concern about other patients and survivors