Capturing virtue (Grades 4-12 version)
Is character development a key element of your school?
Our Virtuous Motivation Survey offers a robust tool for assessing students' character development. Utilizing a pre- and post-test model, we track character growth over time, providing valuable insights.
Leveraging Results
The results give parents valuable insights into the school's impact beyond academics. They also help evaluate the effectiveness of your character education initiatives. Use this data to strengthen grant applications, support accreditation, and enhance renewal efforts.
The Virtuous Motivation Survey
The Virtuous Motivation Survey is the product of a two-year collaboration between Steven Bourgeois, PhD, of Ahart Solutions, and Matthew Post, PhD, of the University of Tulsa. Below is a brief overview of the origins of this innovative research tool.
Human behavior is complex, often driven by conflicting motivations. For instance, someone might donate to charity to help others and/or to gain recognition, just as a student might study calculus out of passion and/or for a good grade. We're focused on understanding children's motivation to act virtuously in and out of school, aiming to help educators integrate character and virtue into academic programs.
Rooted in self-determination theory (SDT), which identifies autonomy, competence, and relatedness as fundamental needs that foster quality motivation, our research introduces the concept of virtuous motivation. This construct involves actions taken not only for enjoyment but also for self-development toward increasing excellence and the benefit of others.
We explore the roots of moral action and how virtues become internalized in children. Drawing on the framework adopted by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues and previous SDT research on self-regulation and prosocial behavior, we seek to determine the antecedents of children’s moral behaviors and how cultural factors, including parenting and schooling, foster or impede the internalization of virtue.
Our new survey assess for dimensions of virtue, including intellectual, moral, civic, and performance. In addition, we include items on incentivized environment and school culture, allowing us to leverage the research in a pre-test post-test intervention model.
Sample items and visualizations
Partnership with Grand Canyon University
Starting in 2023, Ahart and the Canyon Center for Character Education have formed a 3-year partnership to deploy the Ahart Virtuous Motivation Survey as a pre- and post-test to assess the efficacy of their character education program. Dr. Bourgeois and Dr. Post serve as Advisory Board Members at the Canyon Center.
The Kern Family Foundation has awarded a $2.27 million grant to Grand Canyon University to launch the Canyon Center for Character Education. The three-year grant will be used to elevate character formation among Pre-K -12th grade students and support current and aspiring educators to advance character education. The GCU center will enhance the curriculum and deepen the emphasis on virtue and character education in GCU’s master’s programs in educational leadership. A virtual professional learning lab will be launched for students, alumni and partner schools as well as character education conferences and summits on campus.