Search results

This study focused on identifying measurable constructs of a restorative classroom and appropriate metrics to measure those constructs through content validity analysis of a direct observation tool. The tool was designed to assess restorative practices implementation in the classroom in the context of professional development supporting teachers in a fundamental reorientation towards non-punitive discipline.

The authors administered a 30-item survey to a panel of 14 experts in restorative practices implementation in schools asking them to provide quantitative and qualitative feedback on the tool's content, metrics, and utility for building teachers' skill and confidence in promoting a restorative classroom. The authors calculated item-level content validity indices and scale-level content validity indices. To interpret findings, the authors applied acceptability criteria recommended in the literature. The authors used qualitative coding to analyze qualitative responses and contextualize quantitative findings.

Quantitative results indicated that the tool's structure and measures of teacher behavior were acceptable. The student behavior scale did not meet the acceptability criterion. Qualitative feedback indicated that observation and later co-reflection on teachers' use of specific restorative skills was deemed helpful to teacher implementation of restorative practices. Observations of student behaviors, however, needed to be broadened to emphasize student voice and agency and the quality of student interactions.

Novel approaches to measurement are needed to facilitate teacher implementation of restorative practices as schools adopt those practices to promote equitable student agency, engagement and belonging in a pivotal shift from existing punitive discipline systems.

The study’s purpose was to determine Extension agents’ (n= 111) perceived level of importance, knowledge, and training needs for leadership skills. Mean Weighted Discrepancy Scores were calculated to determine training needs. Participants’ perceived responses were average to above average importance for all skills; however, the participants’ perceived responses were varied concerning knowledge for most skills. The five highest rated training needs were resolve conflict, efficiently manage time, assess community needs, effectively lead a team, and prioritize tasks. The only common training need by Agriculture & Natural Resources (ANR), Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS), and 4-H agents was resolve conflict. Create vision was a training need only identified by FCS agents. The 4-H role needs were handle emotions and handle criticism.

As institutions continue to place value on developing leaders, it becomes increasingly important to effectively assess students’ leadership skills. The development and subsequent use of a formative competency based leader assessment was used with (N=124) sophomore students at a small military college in the Northeast United States with a mission toward leadership. Results highlight the effectiveness of a formative assessment to develop leader skills with an undergraduate population. Relevant application for institutions of higher learning will be discussed

This instrumental case study sought to determine how collegiate-level students changed throughout a personal leadership development course. Document analysis of an archived course assignment was employed to analyze the students’ perceptions of their personal leadership development. Four themes emerged from the analysis: (a) self-evolution, (b) cognitive gain, (c) perceived self-awareness, and (d) framework confusion.

Storytelling is one of many instructional strategies used in leadership education with the promise of providing transformative learning through individual and communal meaning-making. In this application manuscript, we offer examples and discussion of how learners identify storytelling in course design and approach, and their perception of its impact in classroom experiences. We present two undergraduate leadership courses at our former respective institutions and reflect on how learner insights about storytelling can inform future course design and delivery. Framing teaching and learning as a relational enterprise, storytelling can facilitate purposeful, inclusive, ethical, and process-oriented learning when used as an instructional strategy. Additionally, our reflection provides leadership educators with a broader view of the responsibilities incurred when using storytelling and offers strategies to build trust and community in classroom spaces.

Utilizing film as a teaching tool in a personal leadership development course helped undergraduate students synthesize authentic leadership concepts. Iron Jawed Angels facilitated the culminating lesson as students applied course concepts to an observed leader. Three objectives guided the final lesson: (a) critique Alice Paul’s leadership as it relates to the components of the Discovering Leadership Framework described in Discovering the Leader in You, (b) identify key film scenes, quotes, and characters, applying them to course concepts and Alice Paul, and (c) analyze Alice Paul’s leadership as it relates to authentic leadership development. Four class meetings were designated for the final lesson. Students viewed the film on days one and two, and days three and four were spent identifying, critiquing, and analyzing Alice Paul’s leadership.

There has been an increased frequency of leadership courses being taught online. Scant research exists that describes effective practices for teaching leader ship online. This application brief describes an assignment, the “Real Life Leader in the Mirror” given to undergraduate students in an online personal leadership course as an end of course final project. In this assignment, students synthesize leadership concepts by comparing and contrasting their personalities, interests, beliefs, and capacities with a leader in the media. Through this assignment, students demonstrated the leadership competency of self-awareness and development. Specifically, students articulated knowledge of self, an understanding of self, the value of understanding self, ability to understand self, and the behavior of actually enhancing their understanding of self through this assignment.

Social media is becoming more prevalent in the higher education classroom. As part of an ongoing study, the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications at Texas A&M University surveyed leadership students about their perceptions of their level of comfort and frequency of use of social media tools and the advantages and disadvantages that these students perceived when social media was used in the leadership classroom. A total of 79 students were surveyed in two upper level leadership courses. Facebook was the social media tool students were most comfortable with and used most frequently. Advantages included social media helping increase quality and efficiency of communication between students and the instructor, social media as a technological norm, access to class information, ease of collaboration, and stronger social connections between classmates. Disadvantages revolved around issues of use of and access to social media.

Case studies continue to be a signature teaching tool for developing leadership educators in a classroom setting. However, many of these cases tend to be generic and may limit student learning. In order to maximize the learning potential of case studies, we advocate for the use of peer-authored, real-to-life case studies written from a first-hand experience as a training tool for graduate and doctoral-level leadership students. Students author a case based on a real-to-life issue, share with a classmate, and analyze collaboratively. This form of training allows leadership students to examine a case through multiple lenses while processing with a peer who may still be dealing with the leadership issue in real time. The culminating process allows students to examine the issue with direct feedback from another who lived the experience, completing a true 360-degree examination of a real-to-life controversy. This process supports deep reflection, leadership competencies, and metacognition of a dilemma. The assignment outlined in this application manuscript can be completed face-to-face or online and can be modified to work with any leadership learner group or program.