Development and psychometric validation of a Tri Hita Karana happiness instrument for higher education

Student happiness and well-being have become strategic concerns in higher education, given their direct implications for academic resilience, mental health, and sustainable human functioning. However, widely used happiness instruments remain predominantly grounded in Western conceptual frameworks, which may limit cultural sensitivity to local values and practices. This study aimed to develop and validate a Tri Hita Karana (THK)–based student happiness instrument using the Rasch measurement model. Within the THK framework, happiness is conceptualised as relational harmony across three domains: spiritual (Parahyangan), social (Pawongan), and ecological (Palemahan). Employing a quantitative instrument development and validation design, the study involved 381 undergraduate students from two higher education institutions in Bali and Flores. The proposed instrument comprises 48 items rated on a seven-point Likert scale and was analysed using the Rasch Rating Scale Model. The results indicate that the instrument satisfies the assumptions of unidimensionality and local independence, demonstrates excellent reliability and separation indices at both person and item levels, and exhibits well-functioning response categories. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analyses revealed no substantively meaningful item bias across demographic characteristics. Furthermore, the Wright Map indicated an adequate alignment between the distribution of person ability and item difficulty. Overall, the findings support the THK-based instrument as a psychometrically robust, culturally grounded, and relationally oriented measure of student happiness suitable for early-stage application and further validation in higher education contexts.