A multidimensional approach to measuring well-being in students: Application of the PERMA framework

By Margaret L. Kern, L. Waters, A. Adler, M. White. Journal of Positive Psychology, 2014

632 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Seligman recently introduced the PERMA model with five core elements of psychological well-being: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. We empirically tested this multidimensional theory with 516 Australian male students (age 13–18). From an extensive well-being assessment, we selected a subset of items theoretically relevant to PERMA. Factor analyses recovered four of the five PERMA elements, and two ill-being factors (depression and anxiety). We then explored the nomological net surrounding each factor by examining cross-sectional associations with life satisfaction, hope, gratitude, school engagement, growth mindset, spirituality, physical vitality, physical activity, somatic symptoms, and stressful life events. Factors differentially related to these correlates, offering support for the multidimensional approach to measuring well-being. Directly assessing subjective well-being across multiple domains offers the potential for schools to more systematically understand and promote well-being.

Subfields: Clinical Psychology, Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/3dba1b156072f70e98488c51bfea00d2ba720ad9

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Clinical Psychology

1. Sarah Mercer
2. A. L. Heffner
3. Deborah Turnbull
4. Susan Antaramian
5. Margaret L. Kern
6. Martin E. P. Seligman
7. Benjamin Dreer

In Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

1. Sarah Mercer
2. A. L. Heffner
3. Susan Antaramian
4. Margaret L. Kern
5. P. Macintyre
6. Martin E. P. Seligman
7. Benjamin Dreer

In Social Psychology

1. Sarah Mercer
2. A. L. Heffner
3. Deborah Turnbull
4. Susan Antaramian
5. Margaret L. Kern
6. Martin E. P. Seligman
7. Jean–Marc Dewaele
8. Benjamin Dreer

Citations in the corpus

• The wellbeing of language teachers in the private sector: An ecological perspective (2020, methodology): “’ One example of a eudemonic approach is the PERMA model of flourishing proposed by Seligman (2011), which has been employed in a number of studies in respect to teachers (e.g. Goodman et al., 2018; Kern et al. 2015; MacIntyre et al., 2019).”
• The student voice in well-being: a case study of participatory action research in positive education (2019, background): “Positive education has been implemented and documented in several well-resourced schools that have benefited from expert consultants, extensive teacher training and collaboration with universities to inform, assess, and motivate their efforts (e.g. Kern et al. 2014; Norrish 2015).”
• The Role of Life Satisfaction in Predicting Student Engagement and Achievement (2015, background): “A dearth of research has investigated multiple components of well-being simultaneously, which is important considering the moderate correlations that often exist between well-being variables (Kern et al. 2015).”