Australian Journal of Adult Learning - Volume 60 - Number 2 - July 2020 - How positive is positive psychology in an enabling program?

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Marglet

The paper examines how positive psychology functions within an enabling program for university entry students. It evaluates a unit introduced to foster proactive strategies and strengthen students’ psychological well-being through Positive Learning for University (PLU). Rather than relying on only anecdotal outcomes, the study uses Appreciative Inquiry principles to guide the research design and survey questions, treating past students as change actors whose experiences inform the data and assess effectiveness.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Literature review

Background

Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 60, Number 2, July 2020 How positive is positive psychology in an enabling program? Investigating the transformative power of positive psychology for enabling students Trixie James Vikki Walters CQUniversity Australia Positive psychology is one of the newest branches of psychology toemerge, and there is a growing research base of scientific study to validate the significance of this psychological approach in people’s lives. This research investigates a unit of study that was developed for students entering university through an enabling program in order to introduce them to proactive solutions and strategies to develop their strengths, capacity and virtues rather than focusing on past weaknesses. Currently, only anecdotal evidence exists indicating that this unit is having a positive impact on the students who have completed the unit. As this research wants to identify the effectiveness of this unit in facilitating change in a student’s life, the core tenets of Appreciative Inquiry guided the overall process offormulating the research approach and designing the questions for the survey. Past students became the change actors and their voice and experiences became the data. How positive is positive psychology in an enabling program? 171 Keywords: positive psychology, positive learning, enabling programs, tertiary access, first year, transitioning to university, mature age students, support networks Introduction Enabling programs within the Australian higher education system focus on developing student’s study skills and applicable knowledge to assist with the transition into a degree-based program.However, for many of the students who enter university via an enabling pathway, they come with disparate expectations of their ability to undertake such a program and often have to counter-balance low self-confidence alongside a sense of uncertainty and fear.Skills for Tertiary Education Preparatory Studies (STEPS) offers a unique and innovative unit which introduces students to Positive Psychology through the unit Positive Learning for University (PLU).The underlying core purpose when designing this unit was to improve student’s psychological well-being which can often inhibit learning if allowed to continue in the negative.Therefore, PLU was specifically designed to take students on a personal learning journey where they learn about the theories that underpin positive psychology and are encouraged to apply these concepts to their role as students and further into their personal life.For the students who undertake this unit, the goal is to develop their psychological wellbeing, which may impact positively on their personal, social and academic performance and assist them to perform at optimal capacity in their role as a tertiary student.The unit looks at proactive solutions and strategies which assist in breaking the mould of the victim paradigm and guides students with examples, strategies and concepts that can be implemented into their lives in order to make their educational journey more meaningful.The concepts taught should assist students to gain valuable skills that are transferable to life and thereby, may contribute to significant improvement in their mental health, well-being and self-efficacy whilst studying. Since 2012, PLU has undertaken a few changes due, in part, to student feedback, review of curriculum and keeping abreast with the growth of research in this field. This paper reports on the findings from a research project that strove to determine whether the unit was effective in its aims of increasing student’s psychological wellbeing and mitigating distress. 172 Trixie James, Vikki Walters Literature review Background The advent of positive psychology can be traced back to Martin E.P. Seligman’s 1998 Presidential Address to the American Psychological Association (Seligman, 1999).His emergence into this position was instigated through a couple of s

FAQs

What purpose does the PLU unit serve in the enabling program?

PLU is designed to improve students’ psychological well-being by teaching positive psychology theories and encouraging students to apply them to their study roles and personal life.

How does the study approach the investigation of effectiveness?

The research is guided by Appreciative Inquiry to shape the research approach and survey questions, with past students acting as change actors and providing data through their voices and experiences.

What does the literature review trace about positive psychology?

It traces positive psychology back to Martin E. P. Seligman’s 1998 Presidential Address and summarizes how key advocates shaped the field and established its research focus and framing.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Marglet