Overview
This unit will introduce you to key research interests in the positive psychology domain, and the various methodological approaches to research as they relate to positive psychology. You will develop a critical understanding of the research process and its application within positive psychology research and assessment. The unit will help you to become familiar with research processes that are robust and ethical, the importance of evidence-based decision making, and the importance of measuring the impact of interventions using positive psychology research methods. You will be encouraged to consider how research evidence contributes to best practice. You will learn skills in interpreting and critically evaluating the quality of published research evidence, and consider the ways research knowledge can be used to guide intervention design and procedures. There will be an overarching focus on becoming a critical consumer and user of this scientific research literature to inform the development of future research questions, intervention strategies, and professional practice.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2021
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student Unit and Teacher Evaluation responses.
Many students valued the full availability of the unit content from the beginning of term, and the downloadable resources provided, which enabled them to work through the content at their own pace.
The Unit Coordinator will continue to make unit content and downloadable resources available from the start of term.
Feedback from Student Unit and Teacher Evaluation responses and student emails.
Many students appreciated the constructive and thorough feedback received on their assessment pieces, and the opportunities given to obtain formative feedback that supported future learning.
The Unit Coordinator will continue to provide constructive and thorough assessment feedback, and formative feedback opportunities.
Feedback from Student Unit and Teacher Evaluation responses.
Many students praised the nested structure of the assessment pieces, with each assessment building on the previous one and leading to a final challenging assessment that required use of the learning gained from earlier assessments.
The Unit will continue to use this nested structure to the assessment pieces, where each assessment builds on the previous ones.
Feedback from Student Unit and Teacher Evaluation responses and in tutorials.
Several students indicated that they found the zoom tutorials and drop-in sessions helpful, with a few students suggesting that these be increased in length/frequency to allow for more interactive discussion and guidance.
The course team will consider additional opportunities to foster greater online interaction (e.g., longer tutorials with breakout room activities, more drop-in sessions).
- Locate, interpret, and synthesise appropriate peer-reviewed empirical research relevant to positive psychology
- Investigate and appraise research paradigms and ethical research requirements relevant to positive psychology
- Analyse research concepts through the critical appraisal of peer-reviewed empirical research relevant to positive psychology
- Develop a research question based on identified research gaps to enhance the body of knowledge in positive psychology
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Research Assignment - 25% | ||||
| 2 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | ||||
| 3 - Critical Review - 55% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | ||||
| 2 - Communication | ||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||
| 4 - Research | ||||
| 5 - Self-management | ||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||
| 7 - Leadership | ||||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Research Assignment - 25% | ||||||||
| 2 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | ||||||||
| 3 - Critical Review - 55% | ||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
l.miller-lewis@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
What is research, and what is a researcher?
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Ethical considerations in research
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Tutorial 1: Week 2 Wednesday 21 July 2021, 6:30-8pm AEST.
Module/Topic
Finding and navigating research articles
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
From research interests to research questions
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Quiz A for -
Assessment 2: Research quizzes
Due: Week 4 Monday (2 Aug 2021) 5:00pm AEST
Module/Topic
From research questions to research design
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Tutorial 2: Week 5 Wednesday 11 August 2021, 6:30-8pm AEST.
Module/Topic
No modules/topic this week
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Quantitative and qualitative research
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Quantitative and qualitative research (continued)
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Critically appraising research
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Tutorial 3: Week 8 Wednesday 8 September 2021, 6:30-8pm AEST.
Module/Topic
Critically appraising research (continued)
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
From critical appraisal to future research recommendations
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Quiz B for -
Assessment 2: Research quizzes Due: Week 10 Monday (20 Sept 2021) 5:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Communicating research
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Please see selected readings and activities on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
There are no examinations for this unit.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
There are no examinations for this unit.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Research Assignment
In this assessment task, you will begin the process of engaging with peer-reviewed empirical literature in an area that interests you within the domain of Positive Psychology/wellbeing/resilience.
You will:
- Identify a research area of strong interest for you in the field of Positive Psychology/wellbeing/resilience.
- Conduct a peer-reviewed literature search through the CQUniversity library for published empirical research studies relevant to your area of research interest.
- Write a brief (100-word) description of the literature searching methods used to find the peer-reviewed empirical journal articles.
- Based on the literature found, provide a brief (200-word) description of your chosen topic of research interest, which reflects the importance of the topic to the field of positive psychology.
- From the literature found, choose two peer-reviewed empirical research articles highly relevant to your area of research interest which have closely-aligned research aims, and write a brief (100-word) justification for why you specifically chose each of the final two articles.
- For each research article, complete the research summary table (provided on Moodle) outlining the study aims/research questions, study research methods and ethical considerations, study findings, and study strengths/limitations, and future directions (maximum of 2 pages per study)
- Write a 300-word synthesis summarising and integrating what knowledge was gained overall from the findings of the studies in relation to your stated area of research interest, and the significance of these findings for contributing to our understanding about the area. This synthesis should lead into a critical appraisal statement outlining what could be the next logical step for future research to take to further build knowledge in the area.
The maximum word count for this assessment task is 700 words (+/- 10%). This word limit includes in-text citations but excludes the reference section and the words in the summary tables. The study tables must not exceed 2 pages per study. Meeting the word count is included as a part of the marking criteria in your marking rubric on Moodle. See the Psychology Word Count Information document on Moodle for a rationale for using this type of word limit restriction.
Further information will be provided in the Unit and Assessment Guide on the unit Moodle site.
Week 6 Monday (23 Aug 2021) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 8 Monday (6 Sept 2021)
Feedback and mark for this assessment will be provided within 2 weeks of submission.
This assessment task will be assessed via a marking rubric, which will be available on the unit Moodle site.
You will be assessed on:
- The quality of the rationale for the choice of research topic
- Detailing of the methodology used to source appropriate peer-reviewed research articles
- The relevance of the chosen peer-reviewed research articles to the identified area of interest
- The quality and accuracy of the reporting of aims/research questions, research methods, and key findings of each of the chosen research articles
- Ability to synthesize and integrate the reported research findings, and critically appraise knowledge gaps/areas for further research based on the chosen research articles
- The quality and clarity of written communication, including appropriate APA referencing for in-text citations and the reference list, and adherence to word-limit.
Detailed information regarding assessment requirements and criteria for assessment can be found in the Unit and Assessment Guide on Moodle.
- Locate, interpret, and synthesise appropriate peer-reviewed empirical research relevant to positive psychology
- Investigate and appraise research paradigms and ethical research requirements relevant to positive psychology
- Analyse research concepts through the critical appraisal of peer-reviewed empirical research relevant to positive psychology
- Knowledge
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
2 Online Quiz(zes)
This assessment will require you to complete two online quizzes designed to assess your understanding of the unit Moodle workbook content related to fundamental ethical principles and research methods relevant to positive psychology (e.g., identifying research paradigms and research question development). The online quizzes will be completed via the Moodle website. The quizzes overall will be comprised of 40 questions, some of which will be multiple-choice, and others will be short-answer. The quizzes will be available from Week 2 until Week 10.
- Online Quiz A will cover the first 3 weeks of unit content, and must be completed via Moodle by Week 4 Monday (2 August 2021, 5pm AEST).
- Online Quiz B will cover unit content from week 4 to week 9, and must be completed via Moodle by Week 10 Monday (20 September 2021, 5pm AEST).
You may complete these quizzes at any time up until their due date. You will only be given one opportunity to complete each quiz. The quizzes will not be timed, but must be completed in one sitting. Further information will be provided in the Unit and Assessment Guide on the unit Moodle site.
In order to pass the unit, you will need to score at least 50% overall in these quizzes.
2
Other
Week 10 Monday (20 Sept 2021) 5:00 pm AEST
Online Quiz A must be completed via Moodle by Week 4 Monday (2 August 2021, 5pm AEST). Online Quiz B must be completed via Moodle by Week 10 Monday (20 September 2021, 5pm AEST).
Week 11 Monday (27 Sept 2021)
Marks will be made available within two weeks of each quiz submission due date.
The online quizzes will include multiple-choice and short-answer questions. All information relevant to the quizzes will be covered in the unit content. Questions will be drawn from content in the unit Moodle workbooks, set readings, and online tutorials. Each quiz is not timed, but you will only be given one opportunity to complete each quiz.
Across the 2 online quizzes there will be a total of 40 questions, which will be worth 20% of the overall grade for the unit.
Detailed information regarding quiz requirements and scope can be found in the Unit and Assessment Guide on Moodle.
In order to pass the unit, you will need to score at least 50% in this assessment.
- Investigate and appraise research paradigms and ethical research requirements relevant to positive psychology
- Develop a research question based on identified research gaps to enhance the body of knowledge in positive psychology
- Knowledge
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
3 Critical Review
In this final assessment, you will source and critically evaluate two published research articles, and develop a future research question based on your critical evaluation of these articles. The two articles included will be your choice, but must be:
- Peer-reviewed primary source journal articles (i.e., articles reporting new research findings from an original study) that are published in reputable journals.
- Relevant to one specific area of interest in the Positive Psychology/wellbeing/resilience domain, but this must be a different area of focus than the choice in Assessment 1. You will source two journal articles each reporting an empirical study relevant to the chosen area of interest, ensuring that you have not previously critiqued these journal articles in this unit or other units in this course.
The assessment piece will include consideration of the following:
- What is the predominant area of interest for the researcher/s, and why is the area considered important? (This will be the basis for the introduction.)
- What are the main research questions in each article?
- Compare and contrast the methodologies used by the researchers in each article
- What are the key findings in each of the publications, and do they appear to be justified? (Are the conclusions drawn justified based on the evidence gained in the study?)
- What are the strengths and limitations of each of the research publications? (This should be more than a repetition of the limitations that the article authors report themselves.)
- A critical evaluation of the suggestions made by the researcher(s) for future research
- Identification of an important ‘gap’ in the research literature (based on the 2 chosen publications) that you propose could be further explored in research, and a justification for why this proposed future research would be worthwhile. The justification will include how addressing this ‘gap’ links to the publications you have reviewed, and is a logical next-step for developing the publication authors’ line of inquiry further.
- Formulation of at least one future research question that would meaningfully address the identified ‘gap’ in knowledge (using the guiding principles of the PICO/PEO [Population, Intervention/Exposure, Comparison, Outcomes] framework).
The maximum word count for this assessment task is 2000 words (+/- 10%). This word limit includes in-text citations but excludes any reference section. Meeting the word count is included as a part of the marking criteria in your marking rubric on Moodle. See the Psychology Word Count Information document on Moodle for a rationale for using this type of word limit restriction.
In order to pass the unit, you will need to score at least 50% in this assessment.
Further information will be provided in the Unit and Assessment Guide on the unit Moodle site.
Week 12 Tuesday (5 Oct 2021) 5:00 pm AEST
Exam Week Tuesday (19 Oct 2021)
Feedback and mark for this assessment will be provided within 2 weeks of submission.
This assessment task will be assessed via a marking rubric, which will be available on the unit Moodle site.
You will be assessed on:
- Identification of the predominant research area of interest in the studies, and their research questions
- Quality of comparing and contrasting of the research methodologies used in the studies
- Ability to interpret, critique and summarise the reported research findings
- Quality and comprehensiveness of the identification of the strengths, weaknesses, and future research directions
- Critical analysis of key gaps/areas for further research based on the chosen literature
- Rationale as to why the identified gap would be of benefit to address in future research
- Development of a meaningful research question using the principles of the PICO/PEO (Population, Intervention/Exposure, Comparison, and Outcomes) style framework.
- Clarity, conciseness and quality of written communication and critical thinking in the assessment, and adherence to the word-limit.
- Correct use of APA referencing style for in-text citations and the Reference list.
Detailed information regarding assessment requirements and criteria for assessment can be found in the Unit and Assessment Guide on Moodle.
In order to pass the unit, you will need to score at least 50% in this assessment.
- Locate, interpret, and synthesise appropriate peer-reviewed empirical research relevant to positive psychology
- Analyse research concepts through the critical appraisal of peer-reviewed empirical research relevant to positive psychology
- Develop a research question based on identified research gaps to enhance the body of knowledge in positive psychology
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
