Status update at ResearchGate.net
The Virtues Mirror: a new online self-evaluation questionnaire to support moral development.
The Virtues Mirror (in Dutch: Deugdenspiegel) is fully operational. Data-collection for validation and reliability tests is running in a convenience sample of people joining the MyVirtues website (in Dutch: MijnDeugden.nl).
The questionnaire is created based on a scientific literature search and an online-search for virtues. From the resulting 14 scientific and five popular virtues lists, 353 virtue descriptions were drawn. Virtues descriptions were clustered in a process of convergencing and divergencing, following a Grounded theory approach. Using the classifications of Dahlsgaard et al. (2005) and Chun (2005) as a starting point, in the end 17 behavior clusters were identified. Next, these clusters were grouped in the so called ‘Virtues Characters’, reflecting the person you can become by practicing virtues: a Likeable Person, a Brave Person, an Enthusiastic Person, a Careful Person, a Balanced Person and a Thankful Person. Together they create a balanced ‘Beautiful Person’.
Statements were constructed for the 6 scales of Virtues Characters with 10 items each (total 60 items). Answering format uses a 1–7-point Likert scale (‘’Not at all’ to ‘‘Completely’).The statements are formulated in such a way that they are easy to comprehend for people with different educational backgrounds. Every item starts with a central opening sentence: ‘In the last week..’ and is than followed by statements like: ‘.. I kept me to my appointments’ or ‘..I treated others with respect’.
To be continued…