Daniel Tillapaugh

Critical Influences on Sexual Minority College Males’ Meaning-Making of their Multiple Identities

This grounded theory study explored the critical influences on college sexual minority males’ meaning-making of their multiple identities. Twenty-six cisgender males attending colleges and universities within the United States and Canada were interviewed and provided journal responses to specific prompts. Four themes emerged, including: involvement in LGBT-affirming spaces, intimate relationships with other males, involvement in student leadership positions, and ongoing exposure to heterosexism and homophobia.

Student-Centered Transformative Learning in Leadership Education: An Examination of the Teaching and Learning Process

Innovative and learner-centered approaches to teaching and learning are vital for the applied field of leadership education, yet little research exists on such pedagogical approaches within the field. Using a phenomenological approach in analyzing 26 students’ reflective narratives, the authors explore students’ experiences of and process of learning within a student-centered and inquiry-focused leadership capstone course. The process of this transformative learning experience is represented in five themes, which include the following: (1) challenging mental models of learning, (2) building trust, (3) finding freedom and empowerment, (4) deepening commitment to learning, and (5) reframing learning and self. Additionally, the students’ approach to learning changed throughout the course, shifting from dependence/independence toward interdependence. Implications for the use of this pedagogy and areas for future research are discussed.

Leadership Learning through Student-Centered and Inquiry-Focused Approaches to Teaching Adaptive Leadership

This qualitative study examines student learning about leadership across three sections of a capstone course in an undergraduate leadership minor. Qualitative methods were informed by exploratory case study analysis and phenomenology. Student-centered and inquiry-focused pedagogical approaches, including case-inpoint, action inquiry, and problem-based learning, informed classroom teaching and the classroom environment. Engaged in pedagogy steeped in a balance of challenge and support, students gained an increased sense of self, clarity of purpose and vocation, and integration of their leadership practices in and out of the classroom. Students’ understandings of the concept of leadership were also broadened; they recognized the importance of diverse perspectives and roles, began to understand leadership as systemic and interdependent, and emphasized relationship building. Findings suggest three prominent experiences as contributing to students’ learning – reflection, feedback, and engaging in the group process. Implications for leadership education are discussed and areas for future research are identified.

Breaking Down the "Walls of a Façade": The Influence of Compartmentalization on Gay College Males' Meaning-Making

This study examined how the act of compartmentalization influenced gay male college students’ meaning-making of their multiple identities. This study, involving 17 males attending colleges in Southern California, explored how these students compartmentalized their identities within different cultures, including race, religion, and socioeconomic class, as well as in different student cultures, such as fraternities and student organizations. The findings of this constructivist grounded theory study illuminate how compartmentalization of one’s identity is seen at the individual, group, and systemic levels within society to help and hinder these gay males’ holistic sense of self. Additionally, implications for professional practice and research are offered to assist gay males in college toward integrative approaches to one’s identity.

At the intersection of leadership and learning: a self-study of using student-centered pedagogies in the classroom

This paper describes the outcomes of a self-study that we undertook as instructors of a capstone undergraduate leadership course. Using the framework of action inquiry and a variety of pedagogical approaches, we sought to create a course and classroom environment that was student-centered, empowering, and transformative. Three questions are addressed: how can we improve the balance of our authority with our roles as instructors; how can we use the balance of role and authority to empower our students; and how can we be critically reflective of our teaching process to improve our learning? Data for these questions were collected from four years of individual and joint reflection and journaling. Additionally, students’ reflection papers in the course served as an additional source of data and triangulation.

Considering Gender and Student Leadership Through the Lens of Intersectionality

This chapter explores the concept of intersectionality and its applicability to student leadership development as well as recommendations on how intersectionality can provide transformative learning for students of all gender identities.

Masculinity, Leadership, and Liberatory Pedagogy: Supporting Men Through Leadership Development and Education

In this chapter, the authors make the case that leadership educators can support boys and young men by examining the intersections of the socialization of masculinity and leadership through the use of liberatory pedagogy.

Media Review: College Students’ Sense of Belonging: A Key to Educational Success for All Students

Daniel Tillapaugh, Postdoctoral Fellow in Higher Education, College of Education and Human Development, University of Maine. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Daniel Tillapaugh at daniel.tillapaugh@maine.edu. Strayhorn, T. L. (2012). College students’ sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students. New York, NY: Routledge. 142 pp. ISBN 978-0-415-89504-0 (

College Men's Perceptions of Their Leadership Practice: Unpacking Power and Influence

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