Undergraduate Leadership Development Perceptions

Abstract

Since the founding of America's first institution of higher education in 1636, one
of our primary purposes has been to develop leaders. There is a plethora of literature
focused on leadership, yet there is a dearth of literature from the perspectives of student.
The purpose of the present study was to understand how undergraduate student leaders
defined leadership, their perceptions of how they experience this phenomenon, and how
they perceive their development ofleadership skills and abilities. Through a mixedmethod
approach, this study sought to understand leadership from the students'
perspectives. Findings from the present study suggest that a single definition of
leadership does not exist, but common themes do; leadership development is a personal
process; and students are moving through various stages in their leadership identity
development.

Date of Award	2011
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	Eastern Illinois University
Supervisor	James Wallace (Supervisor)