Leadership in action: student leadership development in an event management course

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the leadership practice scores and leadership behaviors of students before and after participation in an event management course.Design/methodology/approachA mixed methods approach was utilized. The Student‐Leadership Practice Inventory (S‐LPI) was administered to a sample of 184 students in three semesters of an event management course. Students completed the S‐LPI at the beginning and at the end of the course. The students also wrote reflections of their leadership behaviors and understandings.FindingsResults of the study showed that students' mean leadership scores increased significantly for all practice areas between pre and post. Also, all correlations between pre and post scores were statistically significant, indicating that responses at pre and post followed similar patterns, with students who scored higher on the pre‐test also tending to score higher on the post‐test. Reflections from students demonstrated significant understanding of effective leadership behaviors and learning.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample was college students enrolled in an event management course at one university; therefore results may not be generalized to all students.Practical implicationsResults of this study suggest that involvement in an event management course in which students were engaged and responsible for the outcomes of their learning may have positively impacted these students' leadership behaviors.Originality/valueThis paper furthers the knowledge base and understanding of students' leadership growth through involvement in a university course as measured by the S‐LPI.