Utilising Positive Psychology for the Transition Into University Life

This book uses a positive psychology approach to the assist freshmen/first year students in the transition to University life. New University are faced with varied adjustment challenges on the transition from secondary school to higher education because there are vast differences between secondary schooling and university environment including learning and teaching styles, expectation to manage themselves. Positive psychology involves reflecting on one’s weaknesses and strengths and how to capitalize on the latter and so, using case studies from South African universities, this book details how knowledge of ones strengths and weaknesses can help new University students engage in the learning process. As such, this pioneering work will be of interest to students, educators and therapy practitioners alike.

Peter JO Aloka is Senior Lecturer at the Wits School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He holds PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of the Western Cape. He has published widely and supervised several postgraduate students. He has research interests in positive psychology, adjustment among students, students’ problem behaviours and resilience. He has published many articles in peer reviewed journals, edited three books, and authored over 10 book chapters. He is a member of several professional organizations in Psychology and Education. He is an Editor of Frontiers in Psychology Journal.