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).