Working in groups and teams is a common practice in today's college classroom, partly in order to meet the growing demand by employers that students entering the workforce have leadership and group experience. This practice has many inherent benefits and challenges. The experiences created must meet the needs of both students and other stakeholders in the world of work. This qualitative case study includes 11 undergraduate student participants (8 female and 3 male) who were enrolled in Leadership in Groups and Teams, a course at a large Midwestern research university. Participant interviews pertaining to their experiences and perceptions of groups and teams in the educational setting emphasized the value of engaging in experiential learning as a complement to traditional scholarship. Beneficial insights are suggested for future changes in the course content and structure.
Given the importance of leadership development within the various agricultural professions, a national sample (n=461) of students with agriculture-related majors from 55 colleges was compared to a similarly-sized random peer group from the same institutions. The data were analyzed to compare the agricultural student sample to their peers with respect to a variety of social identities (e.g. race, gender, political leanings); high school and college involvement and leadership positions held within cocurricular activities and organizations; and scores from several measures of leadership-related outcomes. These outcomes included socially responsible leadership practices, leadership efficacy, social change behaviors, cognitive complexity, and the degree to which students participate in socio-cultural discussions. Findings suggest that while agricultural students display similar levels of involvement and leadership in high school and higher levels in college, they do not make some of the same leadership outcome gains in college as the comparison population. These findings hold important implications for the way agricultural educators structure classroom environments and how they advise student organizations.
This study explored the impact of emphasis on the group development process on the perceived importance of and confidence in group work skills and students' perception of group work use in the collegiate classroom as developed by Tuckman and Jensen (1977). The purposive sample utilized in this study included 33 undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory leadership and service course at a southern, land-grant institution. Knowledge of the group development process enhances a student's perceived importance and confidence in group work skills. The emphasis on group development process also positively impacted students' perception of group work being utilized in the collegiate classroom. The importance of group work skills continues to be reflective of the demand from employers; therefore, educators must continue to develop these transferable skills in today's students. Although relevant across disciplines, leadership educators should take a leading role in developing such skills in students.
Students pursuing doctoral degrees are expected to become leaders in their disciplines. Given that, leadership development should be an important part of any curriculum that prepares doctoral students for professional careers after graduation. However, there are questions regarding the effectiveness and prevalence of formal leadership development structures in graduate school. With this gap in formal professional preparation, faculty mentors are expected to provide the necessary socialization, support, and guidance for doctoral students to develop as leaders in their disciplines. This mixed-methods study of graduate students was conducted using online questionnaires and personal interviews to determine the impact of faculty mentoring behaviors on the development of doctoral student leadership self-efficacy. Findings suggest that students in doctoral programs experience significant negative emotional arousal in the form of uncertainty, anxiety, and self-doubt. Faculty mentors that are accessible, trustworthy, and provide constructive feedback can mitigate these negative feelings and encourage the development of leadership self-efficacy through verbal support and mastery experiences. In addition, the data suggests that active student cohorts and effective departmental leadership are also important to the development of doctoral student leadership self-efficacy.
The purpose of this study was to explore the phenomenon of leadership development as experienced by nongovernment organization (NGO) executive leaders in international agricultural development. Data were collected from twelve executive NGO leaders through in-depth interviews to understand the textural and structural essences of the participants' lived experiences of leadership development. Findings indicated the integral role of mentoring in leadership development prior to obtaining an executive leadership role and supported the conceptual model inclusive of mentoring as a mediating factor of efficacious leadership development. The study provided implications and future research recommendations for executive leaders in international agricultural development, as well as for leadership educators and practitioners.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.