Overview of the study
Survey Development
We have invited NINE universities to participate in the validation of a new research instrument that assesses student motivation for virtuous action—a collaboration informed by self-determination theory (SDT) and character education.
Purpose of the Study
This research seeks to close the moral–knowledge action gap—the phenomenon in which students may know the right thing but lack motivation to act on it. By understanding how autonomy, relatedness, and competence drive virtuous behavior, we aim to identify educational strategies that promote human flourishing and moral development during undergraduate years.
We are seeking two small actions from university partners:
- Distribute a short AI-moderated interview survey (April)
Undergraduates will evaluate and suggest realistic scenarios used in our Virtuous Motivation Survey. - Share the final version of the scaled Virtuous Motivation Survey (early May)
This final survey assesses student motivation across four virtue domains: Intellectual, Moral, Civic, and Performance.
Survey Highlights
- Developed from established SDT frameworks and character education research
- Measures motivation across six key categories: Amotivation, External Regulation, Introjected Regulation Identified Regulation, Intrinsic Motivation, and a new construct—Virtuous Motivation
- Designed for undergraduate settings
- Each survey takes approximately 5 minutes to complete
Why Participate?
- Advance educational research in motivation and character development
- Receive a summary of high-level findings from your institution
- Be part of a nationally collaborative effort to shape future best practices in liberal arts and virtue education
Project Leads
Steven Bourgeois, PhD
Founder & CEO
Ahart Solutions
Dissertation Pathway
Ahart Education
Southlake, TX
Matthew Post, PhD
Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs and Applied Associate Professor of Philosophy
University of Tulsa
Tulsa, OK