Higher Education Students
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine how providing pre-service school librarians with mentors during their degree program impacted their level of self-perceived transformational leadership potential. METHODOLOGY The study consisted of 30 participants from six school districts in Florida enrolled in a school library certification master’s degree program emphasizing leadership. Respondents completed the Leadership Practices Inventory and a supplemental survey designed by the author, asking about their experiences with their mentors, and the leadership skills they learned.
KEY FINDINGS The participants reported significantly higher frequency score on the leadership practices of Model the Way and Enable Others to Act in comparison with normative LPI mean scores. In addition, significant correlations were found between mentor variables and the LPI and the LPI subscales. For example, the respondents’ satisfaction with their mentor support and Encourage the Heart were directly related, as were the correlations between the respondents’ contact hours with their mentors and the LPI total score, and Model, Enable, and Encourage. In addition, there was a significant relationship between Enable and the selection and assignment of mentors; that is, respondents who selected their mentors scored higher on the Enable leadership practice. No significant relationships were found between the locations of the mentors and the five leadership practices.