Abstract
To address the need for a valid and reliable scale of youth leadership potential based on the development theory of leadership, the current study developed the Youth Leadership Potential Scale (YLPS) and investigated its factor structure and psychometric properties in a sample of 696 students (grades 7–9) in China. Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) identified a five-factor solution comprising leadership information, leadership attitude, communication skills, decision-making skills, and stress management skills. ESEM within confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated an adequate fit for this structure. The scale showed good composite reliability and measurement invariance across different gender and grade/age groups. The scale also showed sufficient concurrent validity with the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale, the Chinese Roets Rating Scale for Leadership, and the Leadership Skills Inventory. Furthermore, criterion-related validity was supported by the relationship between YLPS scores and the length of student leadership positions. The results suggest that the YLPS is a valid and pragmatic measure for assessing youth leadership potential. The current study is the first to develop a youth leadership potential scale based on the development theory of leadership.
Highlights
Leadership is like a “catalyst” that enables all other business aspects to work together
To facilitate research and practice in youth leadership development, the aim of the current study is to develop and validate the Youth Leadership Potential Scale (YLPS) based on the development theory of leadership
CFI, comparative fit index; df, degrees of freedom; Tucker-Lewis index (TLI), Tucker–Lewis index; RMSEA, root mean square error of approximation; 90% CI, 90% confidence interval for the RMSEA point estimate; SRMR, standardized root mean squared residual; Akaike information criterion (AIC), akaike information criterion; Bayesian information criterion (BIC), bayesian information criterion; adjusted BIC (aBIC), adjusted bayesian information criterion
Summary
Leadership is like a “catalyst” that enables all other business aspects to work together. Experiences play a critical role in the development of leadership (Riggio and Mumford, 2011) by serving as the foundation for leadership development in adulthood (Karagianni and Montgomery, 2018) and increasing the possibility that an individual will grow up to become a leader. The more leadership capacity individuals acquire in their early experiences, the more motived they are to engage in further leadership activities and vice versa. From this point of view, early leadership experiences are likely to be a trigger of the leadership development process
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