Chelsie Ram
April 10th 2018
LBST Tutorial 390 — Reflection

All of the prospective learning outcomes defined within the course outline for this tutorial were completed. The first learning outcome of self directed learning was done by finding literature regarding the concept of happiness on my own, and coming up with questions regarding the topic to discuss during the bi-weekly meetings with Professor Danielle Labossiere. The second learning outcome was to synthesise which was completed by locating a variety of research on the topic and creating a reading list, which was analysed and evaluated, in order to identify recurring themes which were shared with the tutorial instructor during the scheduled times.The third learning outcome was knowledge. Knowledge gained was demonstrated through the integration and analysation of various scholarly literature in four response papers and a final report. The completion of the final report additionally completed the fourth learning outcome of application. Within the final paper foundational learning with holistic problem solving was exemplified. Limits of knowledge, such as the limit of only being able to gain access to certain articles due to fees, are acknowledged.
Some additional learning outcomes which I unexpectedly gained through the completion of this tutorial is a newfound understanding and appreciation of the power of a positive mindset. As outlined within my final report it seems to be a reoccurring trend in psychological research on happiness that an individual’s level of happiness is extremely dependant on their perspective. When one maintains a positive perspective happiness is increased, which is an idea that I did not know was shown through psychological studies. My recently discovered appreciation for perspective has aided in shaping my ideas for my following tutorial.
The present tutorial has provided me with a foundational knowledge on the concept of happiness on which I can build upon within my next tutorials. Through the completion of this first tutorial I have gained an understanding of what research exists and what studies have been completed on the topic of happiness.
As I now have a psychological understanding I would like to build upon my understanding of happiness in a completely different way. I plan on doing my next tutorial again on the broad topic of happiness but I would like to research it within the context of English or Linguistics. My hopes for my next tutorial is to find out what words individuals correlate with various feelings, such as being happy, sad, angry, etc. and research into where the words originate from and why the use of certain words can influence one’s emotions.
Unfortunately I am still uncertain on what exactly I would like to focus on within my graduating project; although, this tutorial has solidified my interests in how to achieve happiness and I am certain my graduating project will have something pertaining to this.
Overall this first tutorial was successful in giving me a general idea of what research has been conducted regarding happiness within the realm of psychology and has led me to realize what I would like to research within my upcoming tutorial.