Development and Validation of the G-STEP Well-being Scale for Japanese Adolescents

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a well-being scale specifically optimized for adolescents across Japanese junior high schools and universities. While promoting multidimensional well-being—encompassing happiness and health—is an educational policy priority, validated scales applicable across different developmental stages remain scarce. Utilizing the 72 items from the “Well-being Circle” (Happitech Inc., n.d.; Maeno & Ota, 2023), this study sought to develop an assessment tool optimized for diverse educational settings. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded a 28-item instrument, the G-STEP Well-being Scale, comprising five factors: Growth, Socioeconomic Security, Trust, Euphoria, and Positivity. The structural validity and reliability of this model are empirically supported, highlighting the interaction between internal psychological mindset and external environmental infrastructure. In particular, the scale is envisioned to capture how experiential learning—such as collaborative hands-on activities in home economics (e.g., cooking and textile crafting)—fosters not only practical knowledge and skills but also a profound sense of shared achievement, resilience, and personal growth through interpersonal engagement. By incorporating data from both secondary and higher education contexts, the G-STEP scale demonstrates high versatility, providing a robust instrument for enhancing educational assessment and quantitatively evaluating the psychosocial impact of the learning process itself. Although limited by the omission of high school students from the sample, this study provides a new foundation for integrating well-being into the design and philosophy of modern education.