Developing a gender-based participatory training model for improvement of cadres’ competences in maternal and child health

Pages: 1013-1016
Merry Wijaya (Department of Nonformal and Continuing Education, School of Postgraduate Studies, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Dr. Setiabudhi No. 229 Bandung, Indonesia)

There was a case of maternal death in Pataruman Administrative Village due to late medical aids and low competences of the cadres. The phenomenon has to be taken under research in order to find solutions as inputs for the government. The research aimed to improve cadres’ competences in maternal and child health. The method used was research and development, while sampling was done purposively, with a number of 30 respondents, using Guillford’s measurement scale. The outcomes of the research showed that: 1) Empirically, the process of health cadres’ training did not use participatory method and was not appropriate to the characteristics of adult teaching and learning; in addition, the content of the training was not based on the local needs; 2) Improvement in the competence of maternal and child health of the cadres was observable after they joined gender-based participatory training; 3) The cadres experienced improvement in their understanding on the influence of gender on maternal and child health after joining the gender-based participatory training; 4) The instructional model was developed based on philosophical and psychological principles, linked to the problems of maternal and child health appropriate to the community’s needs; 5) In the implementation, the model could be accepted by the training participants; 6) The effectiveness test of the model using Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test demonstrated a significant difference. The development of participatory training materials using andragogy principles in the dimensions of health and gender, applied in an integrative way in the whole training program, was an innovative and effective model in improving health cadres’ competences. The training should be supported by the government to be experimented in some regions, ultimately remote areas. The training method can be an added value for other training programs, especially those in the field of health.