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This study investigated the effectiveness of a student leadership program at Yildiz Technical University (Turkey) based on the Kouzes and Posner (2018) leadership model. A quantitative quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test control group demonstrated the effectiveness of the program. The analysis indicated a positive change for all five leadership practices, with three reaching statistical significance levels. Semi- structured interviews with students explored the two non-significant findings. The qualitative results suggested that leadership development programs need learning activities that apply to real-life situations and focusing on enhancing students’ self-confidence as leaders.

Research in corporate settings has demonstrated the importance of leaders seeking feedback on such dimensions as credibility, effectiveness, engagement, and productivity. This study looked at feedback seeking behavior by student leaders. Explored were the extent to which feedback-seeking impacted how people felt when working with leaders, and how feedback-seeking might be influenced by age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, leadership experiences, and skill levels. Using an archival database, the sample included responses from 91,561 student leaders and observations from 365,747 of their peers. Few substantive differences were found on the basis of demographics, while those with more leadership experiences and skills reported the highest frequency of feedback-seeking behavior. Engagement levels were positively related to the frequency to which leaders sought feedback from others. Implications for future research and suggestions for the development of student leaders are provided.

Over a period of three years (2006-2008) students entering [university] were asked to complete the Student Leadership Practices Inventory (S-LPI), and 2,855 initial responses were received. Responding students were asked to complete the S-LPI again at the end of their first and third years of study. No significant differences were found in student use of the leadership practices based on age, geographic origin, or whether the student lived on or off campus during his or her first year. Significant differences were found based on students’ gender and program of study. Implications for leadership development programming are considered.

Leadership content and pedagogical strategies are fundamental to health professionals’ education. All health professionals must be able to lead effectively and thrive in today’s complex health systems. Students must be involved in meaningful didactic and experiential leadership development early in their academic progression, and educators are positioned to lead in this initiative. This paper describes pre-postfindings from an application of Kouzes and Posner’s Student Leadership Practices Inventory with students who completed an interdisciplinary undergraduate leadership development program and observers’ perspectives of these students’ leadership characteristics. Outcome data found positive change in pre-post data except for encourage the heart for the student participants and challenges others for the observers. Critical reflectionand authentic assessment of actions that occurred during the leadership program could have shifted students’ realization of behaviors they actually did not demonstrate as originally thought at the beginning of the program. Observers’ scores tended to be higher than students’ scores; however, minimal change in posttest scores could be attributed to not using the same observers for the pre and post assessments.

The primary purpose of this paper is to call leadership educators to intentionally engage in a conversation regarding how we ensure participants of our programs are learning what we hope they learn. To achieve this principal aim, this paper will (a) briefly examine pressures compelling our discipline to engage in intentional conversations regarding assessment and (b) provide an overview of ways and means of assessment activities.

Limited research exists that assesses the transfer of leadership learning from an undergraduate leadership program into alumni work environments. This study explored alumni’ valuation of an undergraduate leadership program by gaining an understanding of what leadership learning and leadership behaviors transferred into work environments. The participants were alumni that graduated from the same university in the southeastern United States, and while enrolled completed a four-year, co-curricular leadership program. Eight participant alumni engaged in semi-structured interviews as well as completed the Leadership Practices Inventory. The findings indicated that specific leadership learning did effectively transfer to work environments, and program alumni were frequently engaged in the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership at work to some degree. When developing leadership programs, practitioners may consider incorporating similar programmatic attributes and leadership learning deemed valuable by program alumni.

According to a survey of professionals in agricultural education, The Journal of Leadership Education (JOLE) is a new and primary outlet of leadership education research and professional scholarship. The purpose of this study was to assess five years of JOLE’s primary and secondary research theme areas, frequent primary and secondary research themes by year, prolific authorship, and research methods and types using a mixed-methods design. A compilation of the research results is reported. Research themes appear cyclic and add little to improving an apparent lack of research continuity. Research must continue to determine cycle depth and the influence on research in leadership education as an integrated specialization area of agricultural education. This research may be used comparatively with the National Research Agenda to determine where future research should be focused.

Leaders must become life-long learners if they are to remain effective in an environment that is both global and changing at an exponential pace. As Day (1992) noted, personal growth is essential in the leadership development process. In a personal leadership development course, students are required to complete a personal growth project in order to add to their personal leadership development. In this assignment, students choose a project that will stretch their personal comfort zone and allow their strengths to be utilized in a new way. Reflection is a key element of the process in which they tie their experiences with the personal growth project to their values, strengths, and leadership behaviors.

Leadership development goal statements of 92 undergraduate students enrolled in a multi-year self-directed leadership development program were analyzed using content and thematic analyses to investigate patterns of similarities and differences across gender and race. This qualitative analysis utilized a theoretical framework that approached leadership typed traits, skills, or behaviors (Northouse, 2009). Significant differences emerged by gender; women were more interested in developing leadership-oriented traits while men displayed more interest in developing specific skills. No differences emerged across racial groups.