Lecturer, Chartered Psychologist
I joined the Psychology Department of the University of Bedfordshire in 2005 and currently co-ordinate and teach undergraduate psychology modules as well as supervise undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation students. My supervision covers the areas of social psychology, personal relationships, culture and the psychology of socio-economic development. If you are interested in pursuing a PhD related to these areas, feel free to contact me for a discussion towards a possible supervision in our department.
As a brief historical sketch of my educational path, after 5 years of study in Automotive Engineering at St. Paul Technical Institute and Ho Polytechnic in Ghana, I refocused my intellectual pursuit to the social sciences. I entered the University of Ghana in 1993 and graduated with a First-Class Honours degree in Psychology in 1997. After serving as teaching/research assistant in the Department of Psychology of University of Ghana for two years, I began an MPhil (later upgraded to PhD.) social psychology programme at Brunel University, London in 2000. I completed my PhD in 2005 under the supervision of Professor Robin Goodwin.
My PhD project addressed the question of "Psychosocial predictors of marital satisfaction in British and Ghanaian Cultural Settings." During my PhD programme I continued to develop my teaching and research by serving again as graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Human Sciences at Brunel, as well as part-time lecturer (FE) at University of West London until July 2005.
I also attained a postgraduate qualification in academic practice (PgCAP) from the University of Bedfordshire in 2008 and subsequently achieved the status of Fellow of The Higher Education Academy (FHEA) of England and Wales. I am currently a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) with the British Psychological Society.
Other References
Qualifications
- MVT II - St. Paul Technical Institute
- BA (First-Class Honours) - University of Ghana
- PhD.- Brunel University, London
- PgCAP - University of Bedfordshire
Teaching Role
- Social Processes and Lifespan Development (Lecturer/Tutor)
- Critical Social Psychology (Lecturer/Tutor))
- Psychology of Individual Differences (Lecturer)
- Introduction to Psychological Research Methods and Data Analysis (Lecturer)
- Counselling and Interpersonal Psychology (Co-ordinator/Lecturer)
- Foundations to Psychology (Lecturer)
- Psychology In Everyday Life (Lecturer)
- Undergraduate Dissertation Supervision
- MSc. Dissertation Supervision
- PhD. Supervision
Research Interests
- Social psychology and culture; particularly, personal relationships across Euro-American and African cultural settings.
- The psychology of culture and socio-economic development.
- The psychology of personal development and strategic achievement.
- Epistemology and ontology (empiricism, rationalism and existentialism).
Current Research Projects
- The psychology of culture and innovation.This collaboration (on the evolution of cultural models for development and achievement) involves colleagues from Volda University College in Norway and Flowers School of Technology and Management, Germany.
- Project Research on Digitally Enhanced Patch Text Assessment (DePTA) with Dr. Alfredo Gaitan: Funded by JISC; led by University of Cumbria and the Centre for Recording Achievement, in partnership with the universities of Derby, Exeter and Kent (completed in 2011; publications in progress).
- Collaborative research projects with Professor Glenn Adams of University of Kansas, and Professor Robin Goodwin of Brunel University, London. Our research explores the cultural grounding of personal relationships, particularly addressing the construction of friendship, enemyship and marriage in the USA, UK and Ghana.
Service to the Academic/Professional community
- Facilitator/trainer for the Consultancy and Training Unit of the Psychology Department.
- Academic mentor for the Social Psychology Network.
- Fellow of The Higher Education Academy of England and Wales.
- Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society
- Reviewer for Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
- Speaking engagements with professionals and student groups on subjects such as purpose, personal development and strategic achievement. My recent product in this area is a book titled How To Excel And Have Fun At University. Undergraduates (as well as postgraduates and tutors) in many countries have been pursuing this material with excitement and testimony. Preview here
Recent Conference Presentations
- Adonu, J. K. (2010) Educating Yourself for Strategic Achievement: Workshop for DAFI Scholars delivered in Accra, Ghana under the auspices of UNHCR, Flowers School of Technology and Management and The Christian Council of Ghana, 4th November 2010.
- Adonu, J. K. (2009) The Cultural Grounding of Innovation: Presentation given at a Meeting on Culture and Entrepreneurship. Volda University College, Norway, 18th May, 2009.
- Adonu, J. K. (2007) The Cultural Grounding of Personal Relationships Across 7 European Settings: Research Workshop delivered at the European Summer School of Cross-Cultural Psychology in Leie, Estonia, July-August 2007 under the auspices of the European Federation of Psychology Students’ Associations (EFPSA).
- Adonu, J. K. (2007) The Cultural Grounding of Psyche: Implications for Development in African Settings. Paper presented at the African Studies Center of The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA, January, 2007.
- Adonu, J. K. (2007) The Cultural Grounding of Marriage: Evidence from Ghana and the UK. Paper presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology 2007 Annual Conference (25th - 27th January, 2007), Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
- Adonu, J. K. (2004) The Cultural Grounding of Marital Relationship Beliefs. Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Department of Human Sciences, Brunel University, Runnymede Campus, Egham.
- Adonu, J. K. (2002). Collective representation of Marriage: A comparative study of British and Ghanaian couples. Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Department of Human Sciences, Brunel University, Runnymede Campus, Egham.
- Goodwin, R., Costa, P. & Adonu, J. K. (2001). Social support, values and self-esteem in four cultures. Poster presented at the Regional Congress of the International Association of Cross Cultural Psychology (IACCP). King Alfred’s College, Winchester, England.
- Adams, G., Adonu, J. K., Ofusuhene, K., Debrah, L., & Awalu, B. (1999). The Collective Construction of Friendship and Enemyship in Ghana and the USA: Interview Evidence and Implications for Development. Paper presented at a conference held by the Tamale Institute of Cross-Cultural Studies (TICCS), Ghana.
Recent Publications
Journal Articles
- Goodwin, R., Marshall, T., Fülöp, M., Adonu, J., Spiewak, S. Neto, F., & Hernandez Plaza, S. (2012) Mate value and self-esteem: Evidence from eight cultural groups. PLoS Online (Impact Factor of 4.41). Click here to access this article.
- Gaines, S. O., Hardin, D. P., Goodwin, R., Williams, L., Robertson, T., Morley, H., Pouli, N., & Adonu, J. K. (submitted). Cultural Values, Gender and Love Styles in Young Adults’ Heterosexual Relationships: An Existentialist Perspective. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
- Goodwin, R., Costa, P. & Adonu, J. (2004). Social support and its consequences: ‘Positive’ and ‘deficiency’ values and their implications for support and self-esteem. British Journal of Social Psychology, 43(3), 465-474.
Book(s)
- Adonu, J. (2011). How to Excel and Have Fun at University: Powerful Tips for Breaking Through at University. Germany: Flowers Books.
Book Chapters
- Adonu, J. K. (2009). The Effects of Cultural Grounding of Psyche on Innovation. In M. Flowers (Ed.), The Moneymaking Code. Germany: Flowers Books.
- Adonu, J. K. (2009). Psychology of Personal Development: Educating and Re-inventing Yourself For Business. In M. Flowers (Ed.), The Moneymaking Code. Germany: Flowers Books.
- Adams, G., Anderson, S. L. & Adonu, J. K. (2004). The Cultural Grounding of Closeness and Intimacy. In D. Mashek & A. Aron (Eds.), The Handbook of Closeness and Intimacy. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Contact Details
Dr Joseph Adonu
Department of Psychology
University of Bedfordshire
Park Square
Luton, LU1 3JU
UK
E: joseph.adonu@beds.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)1582 489276
F: +44 (0)1582 489212
