Keywords:
Positive Psychology, positive learning emotions, Enabling programs, Pre-tertiary programs, adult learners, positive affect, positive psychology interventions, wellbeing
Abstract
The significance of psychological wellbeing for student success is under-investigated, particularly for pre-tertiary Enabling students (those traditionally under-represented in higher education). Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) have proven effective in enhancing wellbeing but are rarely integrated into university courses. This study explored a PPI, Be Positive, a 12-week program, designed to teach students strategies and techniques to help them re-frame their thinking about themselves and their academic pursuits. The program was evaluated with 37 Enabling students who completed weekly wellbeing questionnaires alongside self-reports about their study-related wellbeing. Results indicated fluctuating but generally positive levels of wellbeing throughout the program, with the highest levels recorded in the final weeks. A significant number of participants (79%) reported positive wellbeing by the program end, contrasting typical declines in student wellbeing during university terms. Thematic analysis of student reflections on how the program supported their wellbeing identified four key areas: affective balance, adaptive psychological resources, self-regulation, and positive implications for both academic and personal life. The findings suggest that PPIs like Be Positive can offer a proactive approach to mental health, equipping students with tools for resilience and emotional regulation, thereby enhancing wellbeing and potentially subsequent academic performance.
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Author Biographies
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Ruth O'Neill, Central Queensland University, Australia
Ruth O’Neill is an Associate Lecturer for the Academic Learning Centre within the School of Access Education at CQUniversity. Ruth has a Master of Management degree, a Master of Arts degree and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. She has completed two units of psychology at undergraduate level. Ruth’s role is to provide academic literacy support to a diverse group of students. Her mission is to remove or reduce the unique challenges that these students face, so that they can meet the demands of their disciplines and succeed academically. The desire to improve student performance has informed her research activities. She is the chief investigator in a research project which investigated a solution to students’ language proficiency issues by using the Automated Feedback Program ‘Grammarly’. This research culminated in a CQUniversity Scholarship of Learning and Teaching grant award, two journal articles (including one in a Q1 journal) and dissemination in diverse, internal platforms. She is also the lead author in a research project evaluating the effectiveness of an embedded academic literacy approach in international student transition to university. This research culminated in a Vice-Chancellor's Commendation for Outstanding Practice in Learning and Teaching (Tier 2 award), an article publication in the Journal of Academic Language and Learning and presentations at the AARE (2021) conference and CQU research symposiums. More recently, she has utilized her research experience and psychology studies to explore the positive psychology intervention ‘Be Positive’. A publication investigating the impacts of this program on student wellbeing is pending in the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice.
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Trixie James, Central Queensland University, Australia
Trixie James is a lecturer within the STEPS enabling program at CQUniversity and completed her PhD through the University of Tasmania. She is also accredited with a Masters of Learning Management (Executive Leadership), Graduate Diploma of Learning Management and a Bachelor of Learning Management as well as certification on Positive Psychology. Trixie’s research interests centre on the support and engagement of under-represented and disadvantaged adults in the tertiary sector through sharing advancements in quality teaching practices and ways to further engage students within the enabling arena and how positive psychology can improve students’ wellbeing. Trixie is highly active in research and is a member of the Centre for Research in Equity and Advancement of Teaching and Education (CREATE), is an executive member of the National Association of Enabling Educators of Australia (NAEEA) and leads the Social Innovation working party within the School of Access Education, and co-leads the NAEEA Special Interest Group into Generative Artificial Intelligence.
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Sara Hof, Central Queensland University, Australia
Sara Smalley is an Associate Lecturer within the Academic Learning Centre at CQUniversity and has completed a Bachelor of Learning Management, a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) and a Master of Education (Guidance and Counselling). Sara’s research interests lie in student empowerment, inclusive practices and embracing strategies for educators to enhance their teaching practice for under-represented adults. Sara’s career goal is to connect with students so that she can promote both learning and wellness. Her mission is to remove or reduce the unique challenges that these students face, so that they can meet the demands of their disciplines and succeed academically.
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Katrina Johnston, Central Queensland University, Australia
Katrina Johnston is an Associate Lecturer in the School of Access Education, teaching computing skills in the STEPS enabling course and providing computing support to undergraduate students in the Academic Learning Centre and teaches in the Digital Media program at CQUniversity. She has completed a Bachelor of Informatics (Distinction); Majoring in Multimedia, a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary and Adult Education and a Master of Information Technology; Majoring in Mobile Application Development. She worked in the Digital Media industry for 10 years as a Graphic Designer before commencing her teaching career at CQU. Through her studies, Katrina gained entry into the Golden Key International Honour Society at CQUniversity in recognition of outstanding scholastic achievement and excellence. She also gained an Advanced HE Fellowship recognising the breadth and depth of her pedagogical teaching practices. Katrina is involved in a number of research projects with the main focus being the support and engagement of under-represented adults in the tertiary sector alongside investigating how digital literacies can be incorporated in higher education.
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Michael Dzator, Central Queensland University, Australia
Dr. Michael Dzator is a Lecturer in Mathematics at the School of Access Education, CQUniversity. He is also a Mathematics and Statistics learning adviser at the Academic Learning Centre (ALC). His research interests are mathematics education and operations research. Michael's research, spanning Operations Research, Optimisation, Applied Mathematics and Economics, and Mathematics Education, has been published in various 'A and B' ranked journals. These include Teaching Mathematics and its Applications, Health Policy and Technology, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Journal of Developing Areas, Opsearch, Lecture Notes of Management and Industrial Engineering, The International Congress on Modelling and Simulation (MODSIM), and the Australian Society for Operations Research (ASOR) conference proceedings. He has independently and collaboratively conducted research, which has led to constant conference presentations and journal publications. Michael is an emerging scholar who has impact in to sole-authored and co-authored peer-reviewed research-based publications.
Section
Educational Psychology
How to Cite
Thriving, not just surviving: Using positive psychology to build psychological wellbeing in pre-tertiary students. (2024).
Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice.
https://doi.org/10.53761/vzg13r44
