Personal Portfolio Assessment

Guidelines for the Personal Portfolio Assessment

Portfolio Guidance
For this assignment, you are required to try out two pairs of interventions and questionnaires from the list provided to you on the next page “Interventions and Questionnaires for the Assessment”.
It is recommended that you use the questionnaires to measure the effects of the interventions by conducting pre-and-post intervention measurements. However, this is not mandatory, and some questionnaires may not be appropriate for this type of usage (e.g. VIA):
1. (Positive psychology questionnaire ->) Positive psychology intervention -> positive psychology questionnaire
2. (Positive psychology questionnaire ->) Positive psychology intervention -> positive psychology questionnaire
All the interventions listed in the assessment block are trialled by researchers and reported in academic papers. You can choose any two interventions, but it is recommended that you plan your implementation carefully as some of the interventions do take longer to do. You can choose whether to apply them in parallel or one after the other. The positive psychology questionnaires listed in the assessment block have also been validated by researchers and reported in academic papers.
Please read the instructions below carefully. There will also be additional support sessions for the assessment over the course of the module.

Guide for writing the portfolio assessment:

Publications in the area psychology follow APA guidelines. APA is both a referencing style as well as a set of guidelines on how to format your papers. Please visit the official APA site to learn more before embarking on the write up:

https://apastyle.apa.org/

The main purpose of this assignment is to gain skills that help you to separate “self-help” advice from scientifically recognised interventions and questionnaires. Furthermore, this process will develop your analytical skills so that you can critically evaluate the usefulness of these interventions and questionnaires. For a coach, it is important to develop criticality towards the tools that you are potentially using with clients. You might notice that the interventions do not create the outcomes that you expected them to do.
TIP: embrace all the feelings honestly, whether pleasurable or uncomfortable, reflect about them and if required take them to coaching supervision. Self-awareness is another essential skill for a coach which you can develop throughout this assignment. Please pay attention to the marking criteria for the assessment, to ensure you understand the detail of what is required to gain good marks.
Please pay attention to the marking criteria for the assessment, to ensure you understand the detail of what is required to gain good marks.

The portfolio paper reporting on these self-experiments should contain the following five sections.
1. A short introduction (Approx 500 words)
In this section, please set the scene for the portfolio and provide a brief, yet clear, evidence-based rationale for selecting the interventions and measures for your portfolio. Provide a description of your previous experience in the context of positive psychology, focusing on your prior use of positive psychological assessment and interventions (if none, simply state this and reflect). Set the scene for the portfolio by describing what self-assessment and interventions you intend to undertake and what you hope to learn from this experience.
The important part is that you clearly state which interventions you have selected and why. The same applies to the measures.
2. A summary and reflection on the personal use of two interventions (Approx 1375 words).
In the second section of the paper, please outline the interventions you applied for your portfolio, and critically review literature relating to the chosen interventions, in the context of the situation you find yourself in. Then provide details on how you applied these interventions and reflect on your experience of applying these interventions. Please consider the immediate effects or longer-term outcomes that you have experienced. This section expands on the brief rationale you provided in the introduction section and delves into each one of the interventions and its relevance in your portfolio.
3. A description and reflection of the personal use of two positive psychology questionnaires (Approx 1375 words)
In this section please provide a short description of the questionnaires that you have used and critically review the literature relating to the theories and models associated with the questionnaires. Provide an evidence-based rationale for selecting the questionnaires in relation to your situation and the interventions you applied. You can mention the validity and reliability of the questionnaire from past studies, if applicable. Provide a critical evaluation of your own use of these questionnaires and reflect on the implications for practice.
4. A critical analysis and evaluation of the positive psychology questionnaires and interventions used, drawing on both personal experiential learning and review of research. Review of learning (Approx 1250 words)
Report on the combined experience of using the questionnaires and the interventions and consider the wider implications for practice and research. Use your experience described in the previous parts (2 and 3) together with existing research evidence to critically evaluate interventions and questionnaires developed within the field of positive psychology.
5. A review of learning (Approx 500 words)
Construct a reflective evaluation of your own learning and development during the assignment. Please include reflections for practice.

Portfolio marking criteria
Portfolio marking criteria Distinction (70+) Merit (60-69%) Pass (50-59%) Re-sit required (<50%) Introduction 10 Marks Highly focused description of previous experiences of positive psychology (theory, questionnaires, or interventions). Clear, focused rationale and set up of the portfolio and the chosen interventions and questionnaires. Good description of previous experiences of positive psychology (theory, questionnaires or interventions). Good background, rationale, and set up of the portfolio. Fairly focused description of previous experiences of positive psychology (theory, questionnaires or interventions). Some rationale and some attempt to set up the portfolio. Unfocused, with little to no description of previous experiences of positive psychology (theory, questionnaires or interventions). No rationale limited or poor attempt to set up the portfolio. Review of the interventions, and justification for their usage 10 Marks Clear rationale and evidence base for the use of specific interventions and method of implementation. Well focused and detailed outline of the interventions used, covering all key features. Detailed inclusion of appendices (where applicable). Some rationale and evidence base for the use of specific interventions and method of implementation. Fairly detailed outline of the interventions used, covering most key features Some inclusion of appendices (where applicable). Limited rationale and evidence base for the use of specific interventions and method of implementation. Partial outline of the interventions used, covering some of the key features. Limited inclusion of appendices (where applicable). Missing or sketchy rationale and evidence base for the use of specific interventions and method implementation. Very limited, or no outline of the interventions used. No appendices or irrelevant material (where appendices applicable). Description, reflection, evaluation, and critical analysis of the interventions 20 Marks Highly detailed and perceptive reflection on the use and feasibility of interventions. Clear and rigorous analysis and evaluation of the chosen interventions in relation to both personal experience and the research literature. High levels of precision and criticality, showing well developed analysis and evaluation of information, logical reasoning, and well-constructed arguments. Some perceptive reflection on the use and feasibility of interventions. Good analysis and evaluation of the chosen interventions in relation to both personal experience and the research literature. Some criticality, with evidence of analysis and evaluation of information. Some precision and building of logical arguments, alongside vaguer or more descriptive text and/or emotional reasoning. Limited perceptive reflection on the use and feasibility of interventions. Some analysis and evaluation of the chosen interventions in relation to both personal experience and the research literature. Clearly organised section with attempts at analysis of information, and construction of arguments, but overall weight is on descriptive text and/or emotional reasoning. Little to no perceptive reflection on the use and feasibility of interventions. Limited analysis and evaluation of the chosen interventions in relation to both personal experience and the original research Text is vague, very ‘broad brush’ or hard to follow. Text is descriptive with very few or no examples of criticality. Very limited evidence of engaging with the research literature. Review of the questionnaires and justification of their usage 10 Marks Clear rationale for the use of specific questionnaires. Well focused and detailed outline of the questionnaires used. Detailed inclusion of appendices (where applicable). Some rationale for the use of specific questionnaires. Some detailed outline of the questionnaires used. Limited rationale for the use of specific questionnaires. Outline of the questionnaires used covers most points but is hard to follow or misses key information. Very sketchy or no rationale for the use of specific questionnaires. Very imprecise of totally lacking outline of the questionnaires used. Critical analysis and evaluation of questionnaires 20 Marks Clearly described, and well developed, reflection on the experience of using the positive psychology questionnaires. High levels of critical evaluation of the questionnaires Good description and reflection of the personal use of the chosen positive psychology questionnaires. Some levels of critical evaluation of the questionnaires. Adequate description and reflection of the personal use of positive psychology questionnaires. Limited levels of critical evaluation of the questionnaires. Unfocused description and reflection of the personal use of positive psychology questionnaires. Little to no critical evaluation of the questionnaires. A critical analysis and evaluation of the combined experience of the questionnaires and interventions used 15 Marks Excellent presentation of wider implications for practice and research of chosen interventions and questionnaires, including review of the effectiveness of the pairing of interventions and questionnaires. Good presentation of wider implications for practice and research of chosen interventions and questionnaires, with some review of the effectiveness of the pairing of the interventions and questionnaires. Some suggestions of implications for practice and research of chosen interventions and questionnaires, with limited review of the effectiveness of the pairing of the interventions and questionnaires. Very limited or no suggestions of wider implications for practice and research of chosen interventions and questionnaires. Very limited or absent review of the effectiveness of the pairing of the interventions and questionnaires. Review and application of learning 5 Marks Excellent reflective evaluation of own learning and development during the module. Well-described plan for future development, with several goals, clearly outlined, with steps to achieve them Good reflective evaluation of own learning and development during the module. Several ideas for future development mentioned, with some link to goal planning Adequate reflective evaluation of own learning and development during the module. A few ideas for future development identified with limited description of steps to achieve them Limited reflective evaluation of own learning and development during the module. Very sketchy identification of next steps for future development. Originality / insight 5 Marks Understanding of the deeper issues in a wider context. Linking together different ideas. Confident in presenting own, reasoned perspective. Some originality and insight demonstrated in putting arguments together. Limited originality and insight, with some examples of presentation of reasoned own perspective. Reliance on descriptive text. Little originality and insight conveyed beyond the cited texts. Presentation / style Typography spelling, grammar and punctuation. Presentation of references 5 Marks Easy to read, clear, fluent and engaging. No spelling and grammatical errors. References are full, accurate, and adhere to APA guidelines. Good clear writing style. Largely free from errors. References are mostly accurate. Largely clear. Adequate for understanding. References have many inaccuracies, with some failures to cite. Difficult to understand, language or structure too vague or too complex, or using different styles. Inaccuracies become intrusive. Very inaccurate referencing and/or plagiarism Interventions and Questionnaires for the Assessment Interventions Please choose any two from the following list of empirically tested positive psychology interventions. 1. Three good things in life (Seligman, Steen, Park & Peterson, 2005) 2. Gratitude letter (Seligman, Steen, Park & Peterson, 2005) 3. Using signature strengths in a new way (Seligman, Steen, Park and Peterson, 2005) 4. Using lesser strengths in a new way (Proyer et al., 2015) 5. Acts of kindness (Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, & Schkade, 2005) 6. Best possible self (King, 2001) - Note that although the King paper outlines two different interventions, the one we want you to choose for your assessment is the Best Possible Self, not writing about a traumatic event. 7. Three funny things (Gander et al., 2013) 8. Engaging with beauty (Diessner et al., 2006) 9. Meaningful photos (Steger et. al., 2014) 10. Yoga (Bansal et al., 2013) (note that this is a very intense 30 day - everyday intervention) You are required to implement each intervention you choose as described in an empirical study. Pay particular attention to the duration and frequency for each intervention - some of them can be done quickly, whereas others take days up to many weeks. For example, the Acts of Kindness intervention takes place over 8 weeks, and the Engaging with Beauty intervention takes place over 12 weeks, so you will need to get started in plenty of time if you choose to do these interventions. Note that in your assessment you are expected to research and discuss the literature around each of your chosen interventions in depth, referring to other studies, papers and/or scholarly book articles discussing these interventions and variations of them. You are also expected to set your critical analysis of the interventions in the context of this broad base of literature. Questionnaires Please select two scales to use for your assessment from the following list: 1. Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS: Watson, Clark & Tellegen, 1988) 2. Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE: Diener et al., 2009) 3. Body Appreciation Scale- 2 (Tylka & Wood-Barcalow, 2015) 4. Self-Compassion Scale (SCS: Neff, 2003) 5. Self-Compassion Scale - Short Form (SCS-SF: Raes et al., 2011) 6. COPE (Carver et al., 1989) 7. The Gratitude Questionnaire (McCullough et al., 2002) 8. Adult Trait Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1991) 9. Adult State Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1996) 10. Situational Humour Response Questionnaire (SHRQ: Martin & Lefcourt, 1984) 11. Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ: Steger et al., 2006) 12. Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI: Walach et al., 2006) 13. Life Orientation Test - Revised (LOT-R: Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 1994) 14. Savouring Beliefs Inventory (SBI: Bryant, 2003) 15. VIA Survey for Adults (The Website will ask for your email address to create an account, the test is free) 16. PERMA Profiler (Butler & Kern, 2013) 17. Psychological Well-being Scale (PWB: Ryff, 1989) 18. Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS: Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1984) 19. AWE-S Scale (Yaden et al., 2018) Note that these questionnaires and scales have been created for differing purposes: at times for research and often for clinical practitioners. Please reflect on that and how it impacts the use of these measurements. You are expected to explore the literature around your chosen measurements in-depth.