SpringerLink
Log in

Modifying the PERMA profiler to assess student well-being

  • Published:
Current Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Student well-being is inexorably bound to modern educational systems and schools have an inherent responsibility to examine student well-being. It is vital that schools have at their disposal a valid and reliable measurement tool to assess student well-being. A popular conceptual framework of well-being is the PERMA model (positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and a sense of accomplishment). The PERMA-Profiler is a scale that focuses exclusively on measuring these factors. However, results from previous validation studies have been mixed with issues arising from items on engagement and its model structure. Thus, the aims of the present study were to (1) modify the PERMA-Profiler to assess student well-being in secondary schools, and (2) evaluate the psychometric properties of the modified PERMA-Profiler. Study one included focus group discussions with 5 teachers and 20 students, followed by a preliminary trial to 387 secondary one (year 7 equivalent) students (194 boys, 193 girls). Several items were modified after analysing the results from study one. Study 2 aimed to validate the amended questionnaire by extending its administration to 3788 secondary one students (2202 boys, 1586 girls) over 17 schools. Results indicated that the questionnaire exhibited good psychometric properties, namely (a) it had excellent reliability indices of coefficient omega, (b) convergent validity was established with school satisfaction and test anxiety and (c) it demonstrated excellent fit with a five-factor model. Furthermore, there was measurement invariance between gender. The modified PERMA-Profiler shows promise as a valid and reliable measurement of student well-being in secondary schools.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Germany)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

References

  • Ayse, E. B. (2018). Adaptation of the PERMA well-being scale into turkish: Validity and reliability studies. Educational Research and Reviews, 13(4), 129–135. https://doi.org/10.5897/err2017.3435

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartholomaeus, J. D., Iasiello, M. P., Jarden, A., Burke, K. J., & van Agteren, J. (2020). Evaluating the psychometric properties of the PERMA profiler. Journal of Well-Being Assessment, 4(2), 163–180. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41543-020-00031-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burke, J., & Minton, S. J. (2019). Well-being in post-primary schools in Ireland: The assessment and contribution of character strengths. Irish Educational Studies, 38(2), 177–192. https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2018.1512887

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, J., & Kern, M. L. (2016). The PERMA-Profiler: A brief multidimensional measure of flourishing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 6(3), https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v6i3.526

  • Casas, F., Bălţătescu, S., Bertran, I., González, M., & Hatos, A. (2013). School satisfaction among adolescents: Testing different indicators for its measurement and its relationship with overall life satisfaction and subjective well-being in Romania and Spain. Social Indicators Research, 111(3), 665–681. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-012-0025-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cassady, J. C., & Finch, W. H. (2014). Confirming the factor structure of the cognitive test anxiety scale: Comparing the utility of three solutions. Educational Assessment, 19(3), 229–242. https://doi.org/10.1080/10627197.2014.934604

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, F. F. (2007). Sensitivity of goodness of fit indexes to lack of measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 14(3), 464–504. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705510701301834

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Choi, S. P., Suh, C., Yang, J. W., Ye, B. J., Lee, C. K., Son, B. C., & Choi, M. (2019). Korean translation and validation of the workplace positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment (PERMA)-profiler. Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 31(1), https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2019.31.e17

  • Chue, K. L. (in press). Cultural Issues in Measuring Flourishing in Adolescents. In R. B. King, I. S. Caleon & A. B. I. Bernardo (Eds.), Positive Psychology and Positive Education in Asia. Springer.

  • de Carvalho, T. F., de Aquino, S. D., & Natividade, J. C. (2021). Flourishing in the brazilian context: Evidence of the validity of the PERMA-profiler scale. Current Psychology, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01587-w

  • Elfida, D., Milla, M. N., Mansoer, W. W. D., & Takwin, B. (2021). Adaptasi dan uji properti psikometrik the PERMA-Profiler pada orang Indonesia. Persona: Jurnal Psikologi Indonesia, 10(1), 81–103. https://doi.org/10.30996/persona.v10i1.4986

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Faran, M., & Malik, F. (2021). Translation of linguistic validation of PERMA profiler in music engagers context. PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 18(3), 4102–4120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flora, D. B. (2020). Your coefficient alpha is probably wrong, but which coefficient omega is right? A tutorial on using R to obtain better reliability estimates. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 3(4), 484–501. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515245920951747

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giangrasso, B. (2021). Psychometric properties of the PERMA-Profiler as hedonic and eudaimonic well-being measure in an italian context. Current Psychology, 40(3), 1175–1184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-0040-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, F. R., Disabato, D. J., Kashdan, T. B., & Kauffman, S. B. (2018). Measuring well-being: A comparison of subjective well-being and PERMA. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(4), 321–332. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2017.1388434

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Govorova, E., Benítez, I., & Muñiz, J. (2020). How schools affect student well-being: A cross-cultural approach in 35 OECD countries. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 431. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00431

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Grenawalt, T. A., Umucu, E., Reyes, A., Baylin, A., Strauser, D. R., Tansey, T. N., & Wagner, S. (2021). Psychometric validation of the PERMA-profiler as a well-being measure for young adult survivors of pediatric central nervous system tumor. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 00343552211025509. https://doi.org/10.1177/00343552211025509

  • Hidayat, R., Habibi, A., Mohd Saad, M. R., Mukminin, A., & Wan Idris, W. I. B. (2018). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of PERMA for Indonesian students in mathematics education programmes. Pedagogika, 2018, t. 132, nr. 4, p. 147–165. https://doi.org/10.15823/p.2018.132.9

  • Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iasiello, M., Bartholomaeus, J., Jarden, A., & Kelly, G. (2017). Measuring PERMA + in South Australia, the state of wellbeing: A comparison with national and international norms. Journal of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, 1(2), 53–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jimenez, W. P., Hu, X., Garden, R., & **e, X. (2021). Toward a more PERMA (nent) conceptualization of worker well-being? A cross-cultural study of the workplace PERMA profiler. Journal of Personnel Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1027/1866-5888/a000288

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khaw, D., & Kern, M. (2014). A cross-cultural comparison of the PERMA model of well-being. Undergraduate Journal of Psychology at Berkeley University of California, 8(1), 10–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaya, M., & Erdem, C. (2021). Students’ well-being and academic achievement: A meta-analysis study. Child Indicators Research, 14(5), 1743–1767.

  • Kotera, Y., & Ting, S. H. (2021). Positive psychology of malaysian university students: Impacts of engagement, motivation, self-compassion, and well-being on mental health. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 19(1), 227–239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-019-00169-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng, P. T. (2020). The paradoxes of student well-being in Singapore. ECNU Review of Education, 3(3), 437–451. https://doi.org/10.1177/2096531120935127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nie, Y., & Lau, S. (2009). Complementary roles of care and behavioral control in classroom management: The self-determination theory perspective. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 34(3), 185–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2009.03.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Payoun, M., Fadayevatan, R., Lotfi, M. S., & Foroughan, M. (2020). Psychometric properties of the Persian version of PERMA-Profiler: A tool to assess flourishing in iranian older adults. Advances in Gerontology, 33(3), 576–584. https://doi.org/10.34922/ae.2020.33.3.021

  • Pezirkianidis, C., Stalikas, A., Lakioti, A., & Yotsidi, V. (2021). Validating a multidimensional measure of wellbeing in Greece: Translation, factor structure, and measurement invariance of the PERMA Profiler. Current Psychology, 40(6), 3030–3047.

  • Reid, K. L., & Smith, K. (2018). Secondary students’ self-perceptions of school climate and subjective well-being: Invitational education meets positive psychology. Journal of Invitational Theory and Practice, 24, 45–69. https://doi.org/10.26522/jitp.v24i.3488

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roffey, S. (2015). Becoming an agent of change for school and student well-being. Educational & Child Psychology, 32(1), 21–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, J., Curtis, R., Olds, T., Edney, S., Vandelanotte, C., Plotnikoff, R., & Maher, C. (2019). Psychometric properties of the PERMA profiler for measuring wellbeing in australian adults. PloS One, 14(12), e0225932. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225932

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Schueller, S. M., & Seligman, M. E. (2010). Pursuit of pleasure, engagement, and meaning: Relationships to subjective and objective measures of well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(4), 253–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439761003794130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, M. E. (2012). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Simon and Schuster.

  • Seligman, M. (2018). PERMA and the building blocks of well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(4), 333–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2018.1437466

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steinmayr, R., Crede, J., McElvany, N., & Wirthwein, L. (2016). Subjective well-being, test anxiety, academic achievement: Testing for reciprocal effects. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1994. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01994

  • Umucu, E. (2021). Examining the structure of the PERMA theory of well-being in veterans with mental illnesses. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 64(4), 244–247. https://doi.org/10.1177/0034355220957093

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Umucu, E., Wu, J. R., Sanchez, J., Brooks, J. M., Chiu, C. Y., Tu, W. M., & Chan, F. (2020). Psychometric validation of the PERMA-profiler as a well-being measure for student veterans. Journal of American College Health, 68(3), 271–277. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2018.1546182

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wammerl, M., Jaunig, J., Mairunteregger, T., & Streit, P. (2019). The german version of the PERMA-Profiler: Evidence for construct and convergent validity of the PERMA theory of well-being in german speaking countries. Journal of Well-Being Assessment, 3(2), 75–96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41543-019-00021-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watanabe, K., Kawakami, N., Shiotani, T., Adachi, H., Matsumoto, K., Imamura, K., & Kern, M. L. (2018). The japanese workplace PERMA-Profiler: A validation study among japanese workers. Journal of Occupational Health. https://doi.org/10.1539/joh.2018-0050-oa

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Watkins, M. W. (2017). The reliability of multidimensional neuropsychological measures: From alpha to omega. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 31(6–7), 1113–1126. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2017.1317364

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, L., & Mohd, R. B. S. (2021). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of PERMA for chinese university EFL students in higher education. International Journal of Language Education, 5(2), 51–62. https://doi.org/10.26858/ijole.v5i2.16837

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology and Child & Human Development Academic Group, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang, Singapore

    Kah Loong Chue, Amelia Yeo, Youyan Nie & Lee Chin Chew

Authors
  1. Kah Loong Chue
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Amelia Yeo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Youyan Nie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lee Chin Chew
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kah Loong Chue.

Ethics declarations

Compliance with ethics

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest. This study is funded by NIE Education Research Funding Programme (ERFP), OER 06/20 GADL. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chue, K.L., Yeo, A., Nie, Y. et al. Modifying the PERMA profiler to assess student well-being. Curr Psychol 43, 3749–3760 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04550-z

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04550-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation