Graduate Program
College Student Affairs
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Semester of Degree Completion
2011
Thesis Director
James Wallace
Thesis Committee Member
Lou Hencken
Thesis Committee Member
Dan Nadler
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.
Recommended Citation
Baumgardner, Jordan, "Undergraduate Leadership Development Perceptions" (2011). Masters Theses. 719.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/719
