Paige Haber-Curran

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.

Measurement invariance of the Servant Leadership Questionnaire across K-12 principal gender

Measurement invariance of the five-factor Servant Leadership Questionnaire between female and male K-12 principals was tested using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. A sample of 956 principals (56.9% were females and 43.1% were males) was analysed in this study. The hierarchical multi-step measurement invariance test supported the measurement invariance of the five-factor model across gender. Latent factor means were compared between females and males when measurement invariance was established. Results showed that females were significantly higher than males on emotional healing, wisdom, persuasive mapping and organisational stewardship, and they were not statistically different on altruistic calling.

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.

Learning Leadership Abroad: An Overview of a Short-Term Leadership-Focused Study Abroad Program in Italy

We provide a brief description of a leadership-oriented short-term (nine days) study abroad program offered in May 2012. The program centered in Rome, Italy, combined classroom curricula with field experiences in the city as well as in Bologna and Florence. Initial quantitative and qualitative assessment suggested the program helped student development both in their leadership practices as well as their personal development.

Engaging the Whole Student: Student Affairs and the National Leadership Education Research Agenda

Student affairs educators have an important role in advancing the National Leadership Education Research Agenda (NLERA). This article reviews the ‘cross fertilization’ of student affairs and leadership education by examining strengths, opport unities, and challenges in relation to the NLERA priorities. Student affairs educators’ commit ment to the integration of theory and practice, to the intentional and developmental desi gn and assessment of learning environments, and to applying critical and constructivist perspec tives to the ethical and emancipatory foundations of leadership education are all explore d. Recommendations for future research are identified, including a call for research that incl udes complex modeling and multivariate analyses, and research that examines the contributi ons of cognitive, affective, and efficacyrelated dimensions of leadership.

Valuing Human Significance: Connecting Leadership Development to Personal Competence, Social Competence, and Caring

This chapter examines humanistic ways of understanding learning; connects leadership learning to the concepts of personal competence, social competence, and caring; and introduces the model of emotionally intelligent leadership.

Emotionally Intelligent Leadership: An Applied Model for Developing Individuals and Advancing Organizations

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a topic that has gained considerable attention in both research and practice and across a range of industries and fields. Over the past 15 years the topic of EI has become more intentionally incorporated within the interdisciplinary field of leadership studies. In this chapter we present the model of Emotionally Intelligent Leadership (Shankman et al. 2015a), an integrative and process‐oriented model that blends concepts of leadership and EI. Additionally, we discuss ways the EIL model can be used in practice in order to develop individuals and advance organizations.

College Women’s Leadership Self-Efficacy: An Examination through the Framework of Emotionally Intelligent Leadership

How women understand and practice leadership is a growing focus in research and in practice. This study was the first of its kind to examine different variables that drive college women’s leadership self-efficacy. The researchers sought to identify which of the 19 capacities of emotionally intelligent leadership (EIL) are significant drivers of college women’s leadership self-efficacy. Four EIL capacities emerged as significant: initiative, facilitating change, developing relationships, and managing conflict. The findings and discussion include specific strategies to support college women’s leadership development and suggest further exploration of gender disparities in college student leadership development.

Practice for Life: Making Decisions in College

Based on research from a five-year multi-institutional study of undergraduate students at liberal arts colleges, Practice for Life: Making Decisions in College is an important contribution to the literature on today’s college students. The authors examined what it is like to be a college student at a liberal arts college and the process of becoming liberally educated. To explore this, the book is framed around decision making in college, focusing on what decisions students make, how students make these decisions, and how students reflect upon and learn from their decisions. Some decisions came from big questions such as: “What should I major in?” or “Should I apply to graduate school?” Other decisions were less substantial, such as: “Should I talk to my parents about this?” or “What should I do this weekend?” Although the book is framed, and titled, as if it focuses solely on decision making, the findings presented extend beyond decision making, providing insight into what drives students to be engaged with their education, how students experience transitions into and during college, and how they make meaning of their experiences.