Understanding the Design and Validation of a Scale to Measure Emotional Wellbeing Outcomes During Primary-Secondary Transitions

TY - CHAP

T1 - Understanding the Design and Validation of a Scale to Measure Emotional Wellbeing Outcomes During Primary-Secondary Transitions

AU - Bagnall, Charlotte L.

AU - Jindal-Snape, Divya

N1 - Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

PY - 2026/6/3

Y1 - 2026/6/3

N2 - This chapter will discuss the process and procedures required to develop a robust scale that can measure the emotional wellbeing of children in the context of primary-secondary school transitions. The aim is to enable other transitions researchers to create scales that are fit-for-purpose for their own context. The scale developed by Bagnall and her research team, is called the Primary-Secondary School Transitions Emotional Wellbeing Scale (#P-S WELLS), and is based on Jindal-Snape’s (The A–Z of Transitions. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52827-8, 2016, Multiple and multi-dimensional educational and life transitions: Conceptualization, theorization and XII pillars of transitions. In International Encyclopedia of Education (Fourth Edition) (pp. 530–543). Elsevier, 2023) Multiple and Multi-dimensional Transitions Theory. Using multiple systematic literature reviews and empirical studies, this chapter will critically discuss how children's experiences of emotional wellbeing in the context of primary-secondary school transitions have been conceptualised and operationalised within the field to date, emerging research, and future directions in overcoming these limitations. Further, the chapter will discuss the limitations of the corpus of scales used to assess primary-secondary school transitions and emotional wellbeing during this time. Critically there is no existing scale which comprehensively measures children’s emotional wellbeing in the context of primary-secondary school transitions. This contextual measure is needed to holistically assess children’s emotional experiences during this critical juncture and has significant consequences for identifying and supporting children, and has important implications for data collection and analysis, implementation, and evaluation of interventions within transitions research. We argue that #P-S WELLS will not only make an important contribution to the field (especially in providing conceptual and methodological novelty) but will also have practical utility for children, families, and professionals supporting multiple and multi-dimensional transitions. This chapter will end with a critique of MMT Theory in the context of the development of #P-S WELLS.

AB - This chapter will discuss the process and procedures required to develop a robust scale that can measure the emotional wellbeing of children in the context of primary-secondary school transitions. The aim is to enable other transitions researchers to create scales that are fit-for-purpose for their own context. The scale developed by Bagnall and her research team, is called the Primary-Secondary School Transitions Emotional Wellbeing Scale (#P-S WELLS), and is based on Jindal-Snape’s (The A–Z of Transitions. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52827-8, 2016, Multiple and multi-dimensional educational and life transitions: Conceptualization, theorization and XII pillars of transitions. In International Encyclopedia of Education (Fourth Edition) (pp. 530–543). Elsevier, 2023) Multiple and Multi-dimensional Transitions Theory. Using multiple systematic literature reviews and empirical studies, this chapter will critically discuss how children's experiences of emotional wellbeing in the context of primary-secondary school transitions have been conceptualised and operationalised within the field to date, emerging research, and future directions in overcoming these limitations. Further, the chapter will discuss the limitations of the corpus of scales used to assess primary-secondary school transitions and emotional wellbeing during this time. Critically there is no existing scale which comprehensively measures children’s emotional wellbeing in the context of primary-secondary school transitions. This contextual measure is needed to holistically assess children’s emotional experiences during this critical juncture and has significant consequences for identifying and supporting children, and has important implications for data collection and analysis, implementation, and evaluation of interventions within transitions research. We argue that #P-S WELLS will not only make an important contribution to the field (especially in providing conceptual and methodological novelty) but will also have practical utility for children, families, and professionals supporting multiple and multi-dimensional transitions. This chapter will end with a critique of MMT Theory in the context of the development of #P-S WELLS.

U2 - 10.1007/978-3-032-11145-6_24

DO - 10.1007/978-3-032-11145-6_24

M3 - Chapter (peer-reviewed)

SN - 9783032111449 (hbk)

SN - 9783032111470 (pbk)

SP - 489

EP - 508

BT - The Palgrave International Handbook of Multiple and Multi-dimensional Educational and Life Transitions

A2 - Jindal-Snape, Divya

PB - Palgrave Macmillan

CY - Switzerland

ER -