W04 OC Project: Introduction, Target Audience, Audience Needs Assessment & Learning Outcomes Notes

Introduction

• Many young people are delaying marriage compared to previous generations.
• The median age at marriage in 2018 was 29.8 for men and 27.8 for women, with a steady increase (Cherlin, 2020, p. 74).
• Reasons for delaying marriage:
  • Gaining an education
  • Becoming economically stable
  • Lack of desire to get married
• These reasons can be linked to a fear of commitment due to the personal changes that come with marriage.
• Fear of commitment is associated with:
  • Negative dating performance
  • Low agreeableness
  • Poor relationship quality (Apostolou 2023, p. 15)
• If young people can't overcome their fear of commitment, they may not succeed in finding a long-lasting marriage, regardless of economic or other factors.
• A family life education program was developed as an online curriculum to address this issue.
• The curriculum consists of four lessons focused on overcoming the fear of commitment.
• The program aims to help people see past economic and social challenges related to dating and marriage.
• The family life education program was taught in conjunction with an upper-division course at BYU-Idaho.
• The purpose of the portfolio (presumably the document being summarized) is to summarize the development and teaching of the program.

Target Audience

• The target audience consists of individuals interested in building healthy, fulfilling relationships that can lead to marriage.
• The program is designed to assist those navigating the difficulties of modern dating and delayed marriage.
• It is not intended for those already in committed relationships.
• The program is tailored to specific struggles, demographics, and characteristics of the target audience.

Struggles of the Target Audience

• Those who have delayed marriage or dating to focus on education or career.
• Those who fear commitments related to dating and marriage.
• Those who are currently dating and seeking marriage but still face struggles.

Demographics of the Target Audience

• Age: 18-40
• Geographical Location: Urban and suburban areas with online access
• Socio-economic Status: Middle class
• Race: Diverse, with various racial and ethnic backgrounds
• Marital Status: Never married
• General Family Characteristics: Single individuals who may or may not have dated but desire to date and marry.

Unique Characteristics of the Target Audience

• Awareness of the implications of delayed marriage on personal expectations and relationship dynamics (Allison & Risman, 2017, p. 473).
• Interest in strategies to overcome the fear of commitment (Apostolou & Tekes, 2023, pp. 1-2).
• Desire for guidance on navigating modern dating, especially online platforms (Sharabi & Dorrance-Hall, 2024, pp. 2-4; Almond & Mallette, 2022, pp. 39-46).
• Openness to insights into affection, intimacy, and building companionship (Konrad, 2015, p. 160).
• Willingness to develop skills for setting companionable goals with a partner (Li et al., 2024, p. 686).

Audience Needs Assessment

• Many young adults delay marriage to focus on education and career paths (Allison & Risman, 2017, p. 474).
• First Need: Understand how delaying marriage impacts their views and expectations about dating and marriage.
• Singles face many struggles related to their fear of commitment, preventing them from seeking marriage (Apostolou & Tekes, 2023, p. 2).
• Fears stem from the overwhelming idea of a lifelong commitment to another person economically and socially.
• Second Need: Address their fear of commitment in all aspects and build confidence in forming a lasting relationship.
• Modern dating is significantly different from what it was just 10 years ago. More people meet online than in person.
• Where a couple meets (online vs. in-person) can predict the longevity of a marriage (Sharabi & Dorrance-Hall, 2024, p. 3).
• People adjust how they present themselves online, impacting whether a date will occur (Almond & Mallette, 2022, p. 38-44).
• It’s important to navigate the online dating world effectively.
• Third Need: Help the audience navigate modern and traditional tools of the dating world to find a good relationship.
• Beliefs and perspectives of young adults affect whether intimacy can be achieved.
• Beliefs about co-habitation (Bagley et al., 2020, p. 285), feelings about being single (Kislev, 2024, p. 1159-1163), and the desire for intimacy (Konrad, 2015, p. 160) need to be addressed.
• Final Need: The audience needs to know how to best achieve intimacy with their significant other to develop a satisfying and lasting relationship.

Overarching Learning Outcome/Goal

• Assist single adults with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to build and maintain healthy, fulfilling marital relationships.

Learning Outcomes/Goals

• Participants will be able to understand the impact of delaying marriage on personal expectations and relationship dynamics (Allison & Risman, 2017, p. 474).
• Participants will identify and address their personal fears and anxieties related to being committed, utilizing strategies to encourage confidence in building a lasting relationship (Apostolou & Tekes, 2023, p. 2).
• Participants will be able to show critical evaluation skills when approaching the complexities of modern dating, including online platforms (Sharabi & Dorrance-Hall, 2024, p. 4; Almond & Mallette, 2022, pp. 38-46), to make better-informed decisions.
• Participants can learn to cultivate skills to better understand how to show intimacy and companionship in relationships, leading to more affection (Konrad, 2015, p. 160).