Academic Leadership Courses: Catalysts for Students’ Retention and Graduation

Abstract

Providing leadership education for young men growing up without their father, through a structured curriculum and mentoring program, should enhance their development. To examine this, the authors interviewed adult alumni who participated as adolescents in a cohort-based, sixmonth leadership program. Interviews outlined several key themes: once served by others the young men desired to serve their community, choosing an authentic leadership educator matters, program mentors inspired positive life changes, and the learned leadership lessons transcended the setting and the curriculum. This qualitative project examined the efficacy of a youth leadership development program by interviewing past participants. This research outlined how service to others can inspire more service and that leadership education has the potential to alter lives, and in this case, even save lives.

What Do We Know About Formal Leadership Courses and Their Effects?

“…Other studies detail secondary benefits of leadership courses. For example, Soria and Werner (2018) discovered an increase in students’ retention as a result of completing an introductory leadership course during the first year of college. Yet, much more focused inquiry on the effects of leadership education upon student behaviors and learning outcomes in leadership programs is needed.…”

The social class barriers to engagement in leadership experiences

“…Researchers have provided compelling evidence for the numerous benefits college students can attain from engagement in leadership experiences; for instance, students who participate in leadership experiences tend to have improved communication skills, self‐awareness, self‐confidence and leadership efficacy, multicultural awareness and valuing of differences, perspective‐taking abilities, and interpersonal and collaborative skills (Soria & VeLure Roholt, 2018; Soria et al., 2019a, 2020; Zimmerman & Burkhardt, 1999). College students who participate in co‐curricular and curricular leadership experiences also have higher rates of thriving (Soria et al., 2019b) and retention/graduation (Astin, 1993; Soria & Werner, 2018), which demonstrates a return on investment to higher education institutions that offer leadership opportunities. Leadership experiences also provide outcomes to students that benefit society, including a greater commitment to civic responsibility, societal awareness, and civic engagement (Soria, Roberts, & Reinhard, 2015).…”