Cognitive Dissonance among Health Educators Due to Gap in Knowledge and Practice of Teaching Skills in Kathmandu

The improved way of communication and even the use of technologies in education have replaced the traditional roles of health educators.Several modern teaching skills are applied at the college level.Skill of set induction, skill of stimulus variation, skill of questioning, skill of explanation and skill of closure are some of the common skills to be used in every class.However, several factors may lead health educators to not practice the learnt teaching skills in the classrooms.Cognitive dissonance can occur in many areas of life, but it is particularly evident in situations where an individual's behavior conflicts with beliefs that are integral to their self-identity.An Education graduate after completing their studies may have strong conviction to use proper skills of teaching in classroom, but later could not transform that into the practice.This may result in cognitive dissonance.This article highlights the factors responsible for the creation of the gap between knowledge and practice in applying modern teaching skills among Nepalese health educators and explains how the health educators cope with the problem created by the difference in knowledge and practice of teaching skills.