Higher Education Students
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to measure the effectiveness of a leadership program on participants.
METHODOLOGY The sample population came from participating community colleges or four-year academic institutions within the Southern California region (N = 95) who attended the Latino/a College Leadership Institute (sponsored by the National Conference for Community and Justice). Participants were surveyed prior to the program’s start and at the conclusion and 84 completed both the pre and post-test administrations (88% response rate). About two-thirds of the sample were female, and nearly half (48%) were sophomores. The student version of the Leadership Practices Inventory (S-LPI) was used and participants provided demographic information at time one as well as four assessment items at time two.
KEY FINDINGS Post-test scores on the S-LPI were significantly higher for Challenging, Inspiring, Modeling and Encouraging, with no significant change reported for Enabling. Assessment results indicated that participants felt that the leadership program did enhance their leadership skills.