Measures of Child Wellbeing at School
Measures are listed from short to long in length of administration (based on the shortest form). Each title is hyperlinked to a corresponding section with more information. All measures are reliable and valid.
Free Measures of Child Wellbeing in a School Setting


Name of Measure |
Intended Participants |
Length |
Pros |
Cons |
8-16 year olds |
6 items |
Based on Snyder’s Hope Theory |
Available only in English |
|
Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) (Long & Brief Form) |
8-18 year olds |
6 items 40 items |
Provides specific measures regarding family, friends, living environment, and school |
|
8-18 year olds |
7 items |
Can be combined with hope and gratitude measures to provide a 3- pronged chronological view of wellbeing |
Provides little specific information about school-specific variables. |
|
8-15 year olds |
12 items |
Provides short and holistic overview of wellbeing |
Few, if any, available translations |
|
8+ year olds |
16 items |
No available translations |
||
8+ year olds |
16 items |
Provides an overview of emotional and behavioral aspects of wellbeing |
No available translations |
|
11-14 year olds |
16 items |
Provides a short holistic overview of wellbeing |
Few, if any, available translations |
|
The Psychological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) (Adapted) |
8+ year olds |
18 items |
Widely used |
|
5-8 graders (and possible younger) |
20 items |
CoVitality Screener associated through Mosaic Network Inc. Secondary form can allow for continuity across grades (SEHS-S) |
CoVitality Screener typically costs $500 (set up with custom configuration and training fee) and $1.25 per student
|
|
Children (specifically tested with 11-13 year-olds) |
22 items |
Provides a general overview of students’ attitude with the option to pinpoint specific school strengths |
Can be difficult to isolate each specific variable’s effect |
|
2-18 year olds |
23 items |
Has a parent proxy report option |
Translations may not have ”undergone a full linguistic validation process” (ePROVIDE, 2019) |
|
7-12 graders |
36 items |
Widely tested |
The CoVitality Screener typically costs $500 (set up with custom configuration and training fee) and $1.25 per student |
|
7+ year olds |
47 items |
Widely tested in England |
Available only in English |
Priced Measures of Child Wellbeing in a School Setting


Name of Measure |
Intended Participants |
Length |
Pros |
Cons/Price |
3rd-12the graders |
30 items or 10 min 61 items or 20 min |
Available in 14 languages (more provided upon request) |
Fee charged by the developer for use. |
|
Students and staff |
62 questions or 30 minutes |
Valid and reliable |
Approximately $2500 base rate (includes 50 faculty accounts), $5 per student, and $50 for every additional faculty account |

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