Promoting leadership and intrapersonal competence in university students: what can we learn from Hong Kong?

Abstract

To promote leadership and intrapersonal competence in university students, a general education course based on the positive youth development approach was developed at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong. The course was piloted in four classes of students in the 2010/11 academic year. After completion of the course, subjective outcome evaluation data based on a validated instrument were collected from 189 students. Results showed that the students generally had positive perceptions of the program and implementers, with over 90% of the participants indicating that they were satisfied with the program and that the program was perceived as helpful to them in the domains of holistic development and leadership. Multiple regression analysis revealed that perceived qualities of the program was a major factor predicting perceived effectiveness of the program.