Whole-School 
Learning Needs Scale

Adults

To develop our adult surveys, we drew on research from a multi-year project in Washington State with two schools that had high teacher retention rates. Interviews, surveys, and document reviews painted a picture of teachers and staff who felt engaged within a school culture that helped them feel connected to one another and to students; administrators who gave them autonomy in their roles, with appropriate support; and evaluation procedures, training, and curriculum that helped them feel successful in their roles.

 

Our Whole-School Learning Needs Scale identifies rates of well-being (defined as positive affect, subjective well-being, and purpose) and the extent to which the school environment promotes relatedness, competency, and autonomy, aligning with Self-Determination Theory. The survey has additional items to capture perception of burnout and intent to remain at the organization.

 

The adult survey is designed to be administered to the entire school community – teachers, administrators, and non-instructional staff. 

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The survey consists of validated sub-scales (Renshaw et al., 2015; Viac & Fraser, 2020). We use OECD's recommended measure for subjective well-being (OECD, 2013) and the Teacher Job Satisfaction Scale for measuring psychological well-being.