Assignment Brief.
As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a
Positive Psychology assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of
the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting
assignments.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing the module, you should be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of, and evaluate positive psychology theories, concepts, and
research
2. Critically evaluate positive psychology interventions and related research
3. Reflect upon the use and implications of positive psychology across a range of real-life contexts
Graduate attribute
4. Reflective Practitioner: Undertake critical analysis and reach reasoned and evidenced decisions,
contribute problem-solving skills to find and innovate in solutions.
All learning outcomes must be met to pass the module.
Guidance
Your assignment should include: a title page containing your student number, the module
name, the submission deadline and the exact word count of your submitted document; the
appendices if relevant; and a reference list in (see referencing section for more information).
You should address all the elements of the assignment task listed below. Please note that
tutors will use the assessment criteria set out below in assessing your work.
You must not include your name in your submission because Arden University operates
anonymous marking, which means that markers should not be aware of the identity of the
student. However, please do not forget to include your STU number.
Maximum word count: 4000 words
Please refer to the full word count policy which can be found in the Student Policies section
here: Arden University | Regulatory Framework.
Please note the following: Students are required to indicate the exact word count on the
title page of the assessment.
The word count includes everything in the main body of the assessment (including in text
citations and references). The word count excludes numerical data in tables, figures,
diagrams, footnotes, reference list and appendices. ALL other printed words ARE
included in the word count.
Please note that exceeding the word count by over 10% will result in a 10-percentage point
deduction.
Assignment Task
The assignment is a report written by you about a single participant case study.
You are required to write a report aimed at considering, describing, and evaluating the
characteristics and effectiveness of a positive psychology intervention (PPI) using the
following case study. You are encouraged to read widely around the subject.
Jack works long hours for a bank. The participant goes to the gym three times a week and
enjoys walking dog walking. Jack has been feeling mildly stressed recently and decides to
implement a positive psychological intervention, using a gratitude journal, writing and
reflecting on 3-5 things to be thankful each night at 9pm. Prior to the intervention Jack uses
the Authentic Happiness Inventory and the Satisfaction with Life Scale and repeats after.
The results are available on the assessment page. Jack’s demographics can be chosen
according to your own interests. You may wish to use the demographics to explore the
WEIRD element of Positive Psychology.
You can view the Authentic Happiness Inventory and the Satisfaction with Life
Questionnaire at https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/testcenter.
IMPORTANT: Check the EXAMPLAR ASSIGNMENT ESSAY – It shows exactly how the final essay should look like.
For both tasks:
Your discussion section should include a short reflection as a practitioner about your
experience of using the positive psychological intervention.
The contents of your report must be structured as follows and include the correct
information in each section:
1. Abstract (200 words)
Short description of your report’s aims, including the primary theories and tools used, as
well a short summary of the main results and discussion points.
2. Introduction and rationale (including theoretical frameworks) (1300 words)
In this section, provide an overview of positive psychology (this should be short) and focus
primarily on the theoretical underpinnings that are relevant for your specific intervention.
You should ensure that this section offers support for the intervention’s rationale and
purpose via critical analysis and evaluation of relevant and recent studies that support the
use of the chosen intervention in this context. Finish this section with a summary of your
intervention’s aims and hypotheses.
3. Methods (700 words)
In the methods section you must specify and describe all the steps, tools, and procedure of
your intervention, and include the questionnaires that have been used before and after the
intervention. You should structure this with subsections of Participants, Design, Materials
and Procedure.
4. Results & Discussion (1800 words)
At this stage you must describe the results obtained during your intervention and discuss
them – in other words, interpret what the findings mean within the scope of positive
psychology interventions. You must – at a minimum – report the results from the
questionnaires that were used before and after the intervention. Please note, you will not be
expected to run inferential statistical analysis, due to a sample size of N=1. You must offer a
critical reflection regarding what your results tell us about the effect of the positive
psychology intervention on the dependent variable(s).
The discussion section should include research and theory to help explain your findings as
well as to act as support to your interpretation – whether it is because the results obtained
were as expected, or because your results were in some way unexpected or surprising.
Note: the word count per section is meant as a guideline and can be adjusted as needed.
(4000 Words)
(100 Marks)
(LOs:1,2,3 & 4)
