Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2022 - PSYC 391 D100

Selected Topics in Psychology (3)

Wellbeing Measures/Models

Class Number: 7358

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 7 – Dec 6, 2022: Thu, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    PSYC 201. Other prerequisites vary by topic offering.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Course can be repeated for credit. Students may not take this course for further credit if similar topics are covered. See Psychology department website for course description.

COURSE DETAILS:

Questionnaires are used throughout society and psychology.

The course uses the topic of well-being to advance student knowledge/skills for the construction and evaluation of survey scales/questionnaires of the types which are widely in society as well as in basic and applied psychological research. As there are multiple ways to conceptualize well-being, there are many measurement strategies to match. This course will explore different conceptual constructions of well-being as well as its subdomains (such as psychological well-being and physical well-being). This course will investigate a variety of survey scales/questionnaires designed to evaluate well-being, and then critically evaluate the quality and utility of these tools.


Topics:
Throughout this course, students will be
(a) discussing and defining well-being;
(b) considering existing scales for measuring well-being;
(c) learning the processes of developing and evaluating survey scales/questionnaires.
Note, however, students are not expected to develop their own scale.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

This course will help students (a) broaden research/writing skills including use of online research databases, literature review, and synthesis; (b) deepen understanding of essential principles for the conduct of empirical research using questionnaires

In this course, students will be introduced to diverse well-being measurement and psychometric research literature, gain knowledge on survey scale design and evaluation with respect to quality and utility. After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
(a) describe and explain the role of theoretical frameworks in measurement and modeling
(b) describe strategies to increase relevance of questionnaires to a diversity of individuals/groups (e.g., cultural, linguistic)
(c) detail strategies for quality questionnaire design and systematic critique/evaluation
(d) provide a systematic review/critique of existing questionnaires

Grading

  • In class activities: 10%
  • Thought papers/ Assignments: 40%
  • Quizzes/ Tests: 30%
  • Term Paper: 20%
  • This is a tentative breakdown and may change
  • There is no final exam in this section of PSYC 391.

NOTES:

Note: This course has been previously offered under the title: "Psyc 391: Wellbeing: Issues in Measurement and Modeling"; students who have taken  "Wellbeing: Issues in Measurement and Modeling" cannot register in this section of Psyc 391 for credit.

For this offering:

Pre-requisites: Psyc 201 (HSCI 230 may be considered as a substitute from HSCI majors)
Co or prerequisite: Psyc 210, equivalent, or other introduction to  statistics class (e.g., STAT 302, 305)
CGPA of 3.0


Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

Required Material:
Hand or on-line calculator

REQUIRED READING:

Johnson, Robert L., & Morgan, Grant B. (2016). Survey scales: A guide to development, analysis, and reporting. New York, NY: Guilford Press. ISBN: 978-1-4625-2696-3 Paperback; (available as e-book as well as paperback): ISBN-13: 978-1462526963
ISBN-10: 1462526969

Cummins, Robert, A. (2018). Measuring and interpreting subjective wellbeing in different cultural contexts. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 978-1-108-46169-6 Paperback; ISSN: 2515-3986 (Online); ISSN: 2515-3943 (Print). This publication is from Cambridge University Press’s Cambridge Elements: Psychology and Culture Series.

Assigned readings: (journal articles, book chapters) - Students will need to access the internet for online research using the University Library system as well as other open-access resources to retrieve, download, and print journal articles and chapters, in accordance with fair use copyright regulations


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html