Development and psychometric validation of a PERMA-based flourishing scale for university students

Abstract

This study developed and validated a flourishing scale grounded in the PERMA model, specifically designed for education students. The instrument comprises five core dimensions: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment, using a Likert scale format. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 305 students aged 18 to 25, and the Rasch Model was applied to assess the scale’s validity and reliability. Results indicated that the scale achieved unidimensionality, demonstrating its effectiveness in measuring the flourishing construct. Item-fit and demographic bias analyses confirmed the validity of most items, while high person and item reliability scores, along with strong internal consistency, supported the instrument's robustness. Analysis of item difficulty revealed that the scale is accessible and suitable for the target student population. The findings emphasize the scale’s applicability for assessing multidimensional well-being in higher education contexts. The study also highlights opportunities for further refinement, including the integration of resilience and cross-cultural adaptation dimensions to enhance its comprehensiveness. Overall, the research establishes the PERMA-based flourishing scale as a valid and reliable tool for evaluating student well-being and provides a foundation for interventions aimed at promoting mental health and holistic development in educational settings.

Keywords: Assessment tool; higher education; PERMA model; student well-being; validation study.