Literature Search: How are you…really? Measuring wellbeing
Word limit: 500 words maximum
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 6 & 7.
Background to the topic of this assignment
In this assessment you will start to critically evaluate the way in which the psychological construct ‘wellbeing’ is conceptualised and measured. Historically, there has been considerable debate over how to operationalise the construct of wellbeing, as it is often conceptualised within two perspectives; hedonism and eudaimonism.
Hedonism focuses on happiness, situating wellbeing within the context of pleasure and the absence of negative affect or pain. Alternatively, eudaimonism suggests that wellbeing is about personal growth and an individual’s ability to discover their true potential in life.
How researchers define ‘wellbeing’ can directly influence their research outcomes. This makes it difficult to compare and contrast studies on wellbeing, as researchers may be measuring markedly different concepts.
You should start to think not only about the theoretical side of this topic, but also about the research methodology and practical application of research in the area of wellbeing. You can consider any practical / research application of this topic. One pertinent example is wellbeing amongst university students. A national survey of higher education students indicated that common reasons for leaving university included health problems, stress, and low wellbeing. Consequently, it is necessary for tertiary institutes to evaluate their student’s wellbeing. This is the example we will focus on in lectorials, but not the one you have to focus on for your literature search or literature review assessments.[unique_solution]
What is the aim of this literature search?
The aim of this literature search assignment is to provide you with the initial skills to conduct a literature review and for you to receive qualitative feedback. This is a formative assignment, which means it is intended to provide you with the opportunity to develop your skills in this area and receive feedback on a lower-stakes (10%) assignment before completing a more substantial related (summative) assignment (Assignment 2.2: Literature Review).
You will be assessed on your ability to:
- Search for and identify high quality literature.
- Provide a written summary of the identified literature which demonstrates critical thinking.
What you need to do:
- Download the provided Article 1 (Ryan & Deci, 2001) from the library via Canvas. Read from pages 141-148.
- Search for, locate and download Article two (Kashdan, Biswas-Diener & King, 2008) from a database as demonstrated in Lectorial 2.
- Search for and download a third peer reviewed article of your choosing on this topic. It must be relevant to the topic and must be a study on wellbeing.
- You have the optionto complete the academic integrity awareness micro-credential and claim your personalised badge, Please note, although it is encouraged completing this micro-credential is an entirely optional
- Write a 500 words summary of the three articles as described in lectorial 2 (see rubric).
- Ensure your submission is formatted in APA style throughout, including title page, in-text referencing and reference list (see lectorials).
- Submit your APA style formatted summary via the link on Canvas prior to the due date (11:59 pm).Note: both starting references are either reviews or opinion pieces. You are required to find a peer-reviewed study completed by researchers.
Starting references:
Article 1:
Read from pages 141-148.
Article 2:
Kashdan , T. B., Biswas-Diener, R., & King, L. A. (2008) Reconsidering happiness: the costs of distinguishing between hedonics and eudaimonia. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 3(4), 219-233. DOI: 10.1080/17439760802303044