Student Leadership Program Research Articles

How Medical Students Benefit from Participating in a Longitudinal Resource Stewardship Medical Education Program (STARS): An International Descriptive Evaluation.

STARS (Students and Trainees Advocating for Resource Stewardship) is a medical student leadership program that promotes integration of resource stewardship (RS) into medical education in at least seven countries. Little is known about how participation affects student leaders. To understand how partaking in STARS impacted participants' knowledge, skills, and influenced career plans, and aspirations. We conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with STARS participants (n = 27) from seven countries. STARS was designed to facilitate grassroots efforts that embed RS principles into medical education. STARS programs globally share common features: participation from several medical schools, centralized organizing hubs and leadership summits, and support from faculty mentors. Students take lessons learnt from centralized programming to implement changes that advance RS initiatives at their schools. Students finished STARS with better RS knowledge, enhanced change management skills (leadership, advocacy, collaboration), and a commitment to incorporate RS into future practice. Nearly all respondents hoped to pursue leadership activities in medicine, but most were unclear if they would focus efforts to advance RS. STARS participants gained knowledge as it relates to RS, change management skills, and catalyzed a commitment to incorporate high-value care into future practice. Medical education initiatives should be leveraged as a key strategic approach to build RS capacity.

Revitalizing Student Leadership Programs: A Study of Challenges and Strategies in an International School Setting.

This study investigated the effectiveness of a student leadership program implemented as a student life department in an international school. This study identifies the difficulties students face while working and proposes strategies to improve the existing program. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews. This study identified various work issues in different departments that may contribute to the program’s effectiveness in schools. This study proposes measures to reform the program, mainly in terms of improving recruitment and training systems to overcome difficulties. The study suggests incorporating an official promotion campaign to encourage more students to join the program, improve the recruitment policy and training courses, and provide practical support for students’ interactions with staff members. The study also highlights the need for a strong training system to prepare students for leadership roles and produce more effective leaders who are molded by the program. The proposed measures aim to produce more effective future leaders molded by the program, benefiting a larger student body than the currently small percentage who take part.

The Student Experience of a City-University-Community Service-Learning Classroom

The Austin City Hall Fellows Program at The University of Texas at Austin was a student civic leadership program designed to build Austin City Hall’s capacity to reach potential leaders in diverse new council districts. Undergraduate students in this program took a single-semester service-learning course that connected them with partners from the city, the community, and the university. Using Howard’s (1998) framework, our study analyzed student assessments from five cohorts of the class to understand how students experienced a service-learning class based around a multipartner community-university-city partnership. Our findings revealed that students experienced a nonlinear path to engagement in a synergistic classroom. This study offers implications for adjusting service-learning classes and projects to integrate and sustain relationships with multiple partners, even as the context of the service landscape and learning context are evolving.

Teacher Perspectives on Effective Restorative Practice Implementation: Identifying Programmatic Elements that Promote Positive Relational Development in Schools

This study highlights effective components of restorative practice programming from the perspective of teachers involved in piloting a restorative practices initiative. Data were collected through 10 qualitative interviews at the study site - an under-resourced, urban school. Findings capture teacher perceptions of how two elements of the program design that are very often missing from restorative practice implementation made distinct contributions to an overall positive impact: (1) a full-time restorative practices coordinator; one that focuses exclusively on restorative practice implementation and does not also hold another role at the school; and (2) a student leadership program that trains and empowers students in restorative practices and relational climate building. Drawing on Relational-Cultural Theory, the discussion emphasizes that strengthening relational bonds has potential to enhance school climates for marginalized youth, which is critical to improving outcomes in under-resourced schools.

Investigating the direct and indirect effects of a school-based leadership program for primary school students: Rationale and study protocol for the 'Learning to Lead' cluster randomised controlled trial.

Leadership is a valuable skill that can be taught in school, and which may have benefits within and beyond the classroom. Learning to Lead (L2L) is a student-led, primary school-based leadership program whereby older 'peer leaders' deliver a fundamental movement skills (FMS) program to younger 'peers' within their own school. The aims of the study are to determine the efficacy of a peer-led FMS intervention on: (i) peer leaders' (aged 10 to 12 years) leadership effectiveness (primary outcome), leadership self-efficacy, well-being, and time on-task in the classroom; (ii) peers' (aged 8 to 10 years) physical activity levels, actual and perceived FMS competency, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular power, and executive functioning; and (iii) teachers' (referred to as 'school champions') work-related stress and well-being. L2L will be evaluated using a two-arm parallel group cluster randomised controlled trial. Twenty schools located within a two-hour drive of the University of Newcastle, Australia will be recruited. We will recruit 80 students (40 peer leaders and 40 peers) from each school (N = 1,600). L2L will be implemented in three phases: Phase 1 -school champions' training via a professional learning workshop; Phase 2 -school champions' delivery of leadership lessons to the peer leaders; and Phase 3 -peer leaders' delivery of the FMS program to their younger peers. The FMS program, consisting of 12 x 30-minute lessons, will be delivered over the course of one school term (10 weeks). Study outcomes will be assessed at baseline (between mid-March to June, Terms 1 and 2), intervention end (mid-August to September, Term 3), and follow-up (November to mid-December, Term 4. This trial was prospectively registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR); registration number: ACTRN12621000376842.

Assessment of Student leadership Training program based on Student Leaders Perceptions: Case of a Private Secondary School in Zimbabwe.

The purpose of this was to evaluated the effectiveness of Student Leadership training program carried out for the newly elected student leaders of a private secondary school in Zimbabwe. A qualitative descriptive case study was used in this study. Ten 10 student leaders were purposively selected from a total of 24 student leaders. In-depth interviews were used to solicit the student leaders’ perceptions on the effectiveness of the student leadership training offered to the newly elected student leaders. Data collected was analysed using thematic Analysis. Findings of the study indicate that the student leadership program was deemed effective as it became an eye opener for most of the student leaders as it helped some to change their attitudes for better. The major strengths of the training program that were highlighted include that firstly the timing was very appropriate, coming soon after the installation and inauguration of the new leaders, before they assumed duties so they could be adequately equipped so as to avoid making blunders. Secondly, the training included team building activities and thirdly, that it was grounded on Christian principles such as honesty, integrity and Commitment to serve and uphold the school rules in an exemplary way. This equipped the budding leaders with key leadership skills and competencies such as interpersonal skills, effective communication skills, decision making strategies, problem solving skills as well as collaborative skills. Most participants opined that they got to understand their duties and responsibilities better and could feel confident to function as liaison between student body and faculty. On the other hand, the student leadership training had a major limitation of time constraint. Hence some of the topics were scantly covered and others such as issues of punishment were not covered at all. In conclusion, student leadership training should be considered seriously as an essential training not only of student leaders but as an opportunity to nurture and groom budding leaders for tomorrow. The study recommends that in future, the training could be more effective if it is carried out for 2-3 consecutive days of if it is split into 2 distinct phases, thus allowing for more interactive team building activities.

Cultivating character in female student leaders: Case of a leadership program of an NGO in the Philippines

How can students’ character formation be supported such that their youthful energy can become a force for the good? There is burgeoning research on how universities can help form people of character (Brooks et al. in International Journal of Ethics Education 4(2):167–182, 2019; Lamb et al. in Journal of Moral Education 1–23, 2021b). Nongovernmental organizations can also play a role. This article explores how a leadership program for students in the Philippines cultivates character using as theoretical framework the 7 strategies of character development presented in Lamb et al. in Journal of Character Education 17(1):81–108, 2021a. Upon examination of how the strategies are integrated, recommendations for improvement of the program design are given.

The DeBakey Executive Research Leadership Program Bridges the Depth of Experienced Leaders with the Breadth of Emerging Leaders

Although new investigators leading research operations may be well trained to conduct research, they often have limited practical experience leading research teams. To address this unmet need, the Aggie Research Program (ARP) was developed in 2016 to advance the research careers of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars by connecting them with teams of undergraduates seeking research experiences. The requirements for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to become “Team Leaders” are simple: they must get permission from their faculty mentors to participate, have an active research project, select and train a team of 3‐8 undergraduates, meet with their team once a week, and submit short weekly progress reports. To earn certification of completion, they must also attend monthly Team Leader meetings where they discuss best practices in leadership and complete a “Best Practices Report” to document their innovations to address challenges. This scalable structure allowed the ARP program to grow exponentially until a critical mass was achieved for Team Leaders to congregate in different affinity groups, which could then be formalized in distinct research leadership programs with different disciplinary or vocational focuses. In 2020, the ARP partnered with the Michael E. DeBakey Institute at Texas A&M University to create the DeBakey Executive Research Leadership program for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and junior faculty. This program leverages the combined 50 years of leadership experience of the Director and the Executive Director of the DeBakey Institute to distill a set of “research leadership principles” consistent with successful leadership careers at Texas A&M. These principles are introduced at the beginning of each Team Leader meeting to stimulate discussion of current challenges faced by Team Leaders. By bridging the deep experience of established leaders with the broad experience of a diverse cohort of emerging leaders, the DeBakey Executive Research Leadership Program structures a resilient, mutually supportive community that has grown during a pandemic. In the fall of 2021, it not only provided research leadership training for 47 Team Leaders, but also created research opportunities for 229 undergraduates. This multilevel, experience‐based training program provides a strategy to fill a critical gap in research training that cannot be filled by standard leadership or mentoring workshops which are typically too general, too short in duration, and too removed from the context in which they were originally developed.

COMPETITIVE TEAM ENVIRONMENTS AND STUDENT LEADER CAPACITY GROWTH

We conducted a national study of the Collegiate Leadership Competition (CLC), which since inception in 2015, has included over 75 higher education institutions. The CLC brings students together in collaborative institution-based teams to compete with other teams in competitions to achieve goals and practice effective leadership skills. Our goal was to assess leadership capacity growth over the course of a four-month team practice period through the daylong inter-team competition and evaluate participant leadership assessed several months later. Results suggested students made significant and sustainable gains in leader-self-efficacy and short-term gains in leadership skill and motivation to lead. Our results also indicated the team’s coach played a significant role in student leadership development. Leadership development programs for students in educational settings are proliferating in number and design. Curricular programs range from academic minors and certificates to doctoral programs in a variety of academic homes (e.g., education, business, healthcare). Co-curricular programs often take the form of drop-in workshops, day-long experiences, alternative spring breaks, service-learning trips, and other programs housed in student affairs and administrative offices (Guthrie & Jenkins, 2018). Moreover, the number of programs has steadily increased over the last 15 years from just under 1,000 in 2006 (Brungardt, et al., 2006) to more than 2,000 (ILA Program Directory, 2021). And while there is some commonality among the approach of these leadership programs in terms of content and delivery (see Harvey & Jenkins, 2014), vast differences exist in the structure and learning goals of student leadership programs compared to other social science disciplines. A potentially fruitful area in which to explore its effectiveness in supporting leadership development is the environment of competitive teams, where individuals work together as a group to compete against other teams. The purpose of our research was to investigate the degree to which such a competitive environment might support or detract from student leadership group, employing a potentially effective example of a formal program that utilizes the innovative approach of team competitions to motivate learning (the CLC).

A Study on Coaching Program for Leadership Development of University Students in the DISASTER Era

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to suggest the direction of university coaching education for the development and operation of coaching education for university students. In particular, this study aims to focus on coaching education of Howon University students who aim to cultivate global leaders and also lead the world by producing professional manpower to lead the era of the fourth revolution and disaster. To this end, it aims to analyze the core competencies of ICF coaching and coaching education competencies for Howon University students. Method: This study conducted in-depth consultations with coaching experts, and the aspects of the talent education prizes that Howon University aims for and the core coaching competencies presented by ICF and KCA were analyzed. And then this research proposes coaching education program for Howon University students. Results: According to previous studies on the operation of university coaching programs from 2010 to the present, coaching programs have improved students practical ability to search for career or prepare for employment. In addition, the coaching leadership program for ICF core competencies and Howon University students was designed considering the psychological tranquility such as self-understanding, possibility discovery, confidence recovery, and other factors that show higher recognition of interpersonal relations. Conclusion: This study designed coaching education program for leadership development based on data on in-depth interview such as consultations and coaching core competencies and Howon University educational philosophy. As a result of analyzing the contents of the consultation of five professional coaches of the Korea Coach Association and the International Coaching Federation, the core competencies of coaching and the educational ideology of Howon University, so the contents of the coaching leadership education program were composed of one semester(32hours) in total with 3 parts. First, coaching ethics and coaching mindset are three for coaching mindset, and second, coaching skill practice is to communicate effectively as a global leader. Third, the program could be organized by becoming a coach-type leader for learning and growth.

Building a virtual community of practice for medical students: The Global Emergency Medicine Student Leadership Program.

Virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) facilitate distance learning and mentorship by engaging members around shared knowledge and experiences related to a central interest. The American College of Emergency Physicians and Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association's Global Emergency Medicine Student Leadership Program (GEM‐SLP) provides a valuable model for building a VCoP for GEM and other niche areas of interest. This VCoP facilitates opportunities for experts and mentees affiliated with these national organizations to convene regularly despite barriers attributed to physical distance. The GEM‐SLP VCoP is built around multiple forms of mentorship, monthly mentee‐driven didactics, academic projects, and continued engagement of program graduates in VCoP leadership. GEM‐SLP fosters relationships through (1) themed mentoring calls (career paths, work/life balance, etc); (2) functional mentorship through didactics and academic projects; and (3) near‐peer mentoring, provided by mentors near the mentees’ stage of education and experience. Monthly mentee‐driven didactics focus on introducing essential GEM principles while (1) critically analyzing literature based on a journal article; (2) building a core knowledge base from a foundational textbook; (3) applying knowledge and research to a project proposal; and (4) gaining exposure to training and career opportunities via mentor career presentations. Group academic projects provide a true GEM apprenticeship as mentees and mentors work collaboratively. GEM‐SLP mentees found the VCoP beneficial in building fundamental GEM skills and knowledge and forming relationships with mentors and like‐minded peers. GEM‐SLP provides a framework for developing mentorship programs and VCoPs in emergency medicine, especially when niche interests or geographic distance necessitate a virtual format.

47 Building a Virtual Community of Global Emergency Medicine Mentorship and Learning: ACEP & EMRA’s Global Emergency Medicine Student Leadership Program

Global emergency medicine (GEM) is a relatively new subspecialty of academic EM, leading to an identified need for mentorship, education and career guidance, particularly early in training. In response to this mentorship gap, EMRA’s International Committee approached the ACEP International Ambassador Program to create the GEM Student Leadership Program (GEMS-LP) for medical students (MS) which is now in its third year. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the design, impact and effectiveness of the program. GEMS-LP uses a completely virtual platform to foster mentor-mentee relationships through: 1) Themed speed mentoring calls (career paths, work/life balance, etc); 2. Functional mentorship through journal clubs (JC) and academic projects; 3) Near-peer mentoring through calls with GEMS- LP Resident Co- Directors. Monthly mentee-driven JCs focus on fundamental GEM themes. Each has four areas of focus: 1) Critical analysis of the literature based on a journal article; 2) Increasing didactic knowledge from a foundational book chapter; 3) Practical application of knowledge and research to a GEM intervention proposal; 4) Understanding training and career opportunities through mentor career presentations. Academic projects provide a true GEM apprenticeship as mentees work collaboratively with mentors. Projects range from literature reviews on the state of emergency care, to GEM curricula development, to writing the ACEP Ambassador Country Reports. Program impact evaluation was conducted through review of applications, mentee/mentors rosters and JC attendance. Anonymous mentee end of program- year quality improvement evaluations were utilized to evaluate effectiveness. Descriptive statistics were calculated. 38 mentees participated over three years, selected from 120 applicants. 33 mentees were based in the US and five outside the US (2 Caribbean, 1 India, 1 China, 1 Israel). 20 ACEP International Ambassadors served as mentors. 21 program graduates remained involved in GEMS-LP leadership. In 2020/21, mentees felt that mentorship calls were most helpful (very helpful (VH): 61.5%), followed by mentorship through GEMs projects (VH: 46%). Mentorship through JC preparation received mixed evaluations (VH: 30.8%). GEMS-LP has hosted 23 journal clubs. The seven JCs in 2020/21 had a total of 189 participants: 143 mentees, mentors or program leaders, and 46 ACEP International Section members. Mentees ranked career path presentations very highly followed by journal articles and book chapters (VH 92%, 46% and 39%, respectively). The project proposal activity was moderately helpful for 69% of mentees. Mentees strongly agree that the program increased their knowledge of GEM and awareness of ethical issues in international work, rating both 4.4/5 (1- strongly disagree to 5- strongly agree). They would highly recommend the program to other MSs interested in GEM (4.7/5). Participants found GEMS-LP helpful in advancing their GEMS knowledge. The structure could serve as a model for other GEM programs and be use in designing other subspecialty mentorship programs for students and trainees across countries.

Promoting Action Ecology Research Through Integration of Environmental Justice in Undergraduate Ecology Education

Promoting Action Ecology Research Through Integration of Environmental Justice in Undergraduate Ecology Education

A pilot study of the implementation and evaluation of a leadership program for medical undergraduate students: Lessons learned.

Most Indian medical schools lack formal leadership training though students are expected to evolve into leaders. The Student Leadership Program (SLP) was designed and evaluated with an objective to incorporate and strengthen leadership skills in undergraduates and to initiate change in organizational practice through the development of a Student Leadership Society. The SLP was designed using best evidence guidelines in medical education. Competencies and learning outcomes were identified in four domains: reflective writing, self-management, team management, and experiential learning. A stepwise program was implemented over 6 months in which participants wrote reflections at the end of each program session. So as to gain objective evidence of behavioral change in participants in relation to the leadership training, their reflections were qualitatively analyzed and corresponding codes and themes were derived. We describe the content and stepwise process of implementation of our pilot leadership program, which included 24 final-year students. Results of qualitative analysis are presented in relation to the domains of self-management, team management, and evaluation of experimental learning. Among the findings were: students viewed assertive skills training as the most powerful learning experience within self-management, and in team management, the session on "Myers-Briggs Type Indicator for understanding one's own leadership style" was seen as the most powerful learning tool, while the session on conflict management was the most difficult in this domain. A Student Leadership Society was instituted. In this study, students' reflections helped us better understand factors (the "how" and "why") that make leadership training more effective. The SLP, with a strong evidence base, achieved the intended learning outcomes. A Student Leadership Society was constituted as a networking platform to explore the long-term effects of leadership training on organizational practice. The content and process of our pilot leadership program and lessons learned through understanding of students' perspectives should be applicable to subsequent iterations of student leadership development programs here and in other settings.

Apply Now for Minority Student Leadership Program

Apply Now for Minority Student Leadership Program

Education for Sustainable Leadership: Fostering Women’s Empowerment at the University Level

Education is imperative to driving sustainability and gender equity. Moreover, it is extremely important to develop initiatives in sustainable leadership education for women in order for them to acquire skills and competencies in leadership and to improve their self-perception of their capabilities. The purpose of this study was to assess a Women’s Leadership Program for university students. The sample consisted of 50 students enrolled in the program. A mixed-method approach was applied. Quantitative methods with a survey were conducted to evaluate the training and attainment of leadership skills. In the data analysis, a descriptive statistics variance analysis, using a Welch statistic and T2 Dunnett test, was applied. Qualitative research methods were conducted through three focus groups to evaluate changes in their perceptions of themselves and their self-confidence. The results suggest that the female students in the program obtained a level of leadership knowledge with practical tools for their future. The program inspired them and confirmed changes in their self-confidence and view of their personal capacities, including reflection on facing challenges in the work environment. The findings support the effectiveness of specific education in breaking two barriers, identified in the literature, for women in managerial positions: lack of training and self-confidence.

Encouraging transformation and action competence: A Theory of Change evaluation of a sustainability leadership program for high school students

Make a Difference (MAD) is a sustainability leadership program for high school students in Auckland, New Zealand. It offers a residential camp and follow-up activities. This article documents a participatory, utilization-focused evaluation of MAD, based on a Theory of Change approach. We ran workshops with MAD coordinators and students and conducted a survey with previous participants. This identified the core developmental and action outcomes of MAD, and the role of transformation and action competence in inspiring change. We discuss the benefits and limitations of both MAD and our evaluation approach and offer recommendations for others working on youth sustainability programs.

Calling all Emerging Health Leaders: A unique professional development opportunity awaits you!

The Health Leadership Academy (HLA) is a joint venture between McMaster University's DeGroote School of Business and Faculty of Health Sciences. As part of a landmark gift from Michael G. DeGroote, the HLA strives to have a transformative impact on global healthcare by nurturing a community of future leaders through interdisciplinary and forwardthinking approaches to education, public events and research. Operating out of the Ron Joyce Centre in Burlington Ontario, the HLA creates transformative impact by developing tomorrow's health leaders at all levels of the health system with new ways to think and do within a rapidly evolving health environment. The Emerging Health Leaders (EHL) program is one of the Academy's key educational programs. A two-week intensive, residential leadership program for students and young professionals, EHL bolsters the skills of individuals seeking to make a difference in the health landscape.

Mentoría en educación superior, la experiencia en un programa extracurricular

Este artículo analiza posibles contribuciones de la mentoría a la formación de universitarios en un programa extracurricular. Primero se aborda el concepto de mentoría y sus conceptualizaciones teóricas, y luego se describe el estudio de caso: la mentoría en un programa extracurricular de liderazgo para estudiantes universitarios con habilidades cognitivas sobresalientes (Programa Talentum-Universidad), así como la metodología utilizada –basada en el análisis de los reportes que mentores y mentorandos entregaron después de la primera y última sesión. Los resultados de la investigación dan evidencia de la contribución del proceso de mentoría a la formación de los estudiantes en el ámbito personal, académico y profesional, subrayando la importancia de las metas de interés del mentorando y las características o atributos del mentor, abonando a la escasa investigación sobre esta práctica en educación superior.

EMBRACE: Developing an Inclusive Leadership Program With and for Undergraduate Nursing Students.

In order to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse patient population, nursing schools around the United States have been trying to recruit future nurses from a variety of racial/ethnic backgrounds, with limited success. To date, the literature does not describe how to develop culturally appropriate engagement models that can successfully transform minority nursing students into nurse researchers and leaders. Thus, the purpose of this article is to describe a promising research and leadership program for underrepresented undergraduate students entitled, "EMBRACE - Engaging Multiple-communities of BSN students in Research and Academic Curricular Experiences". More specifically, this article will: 1) describe the steps one College of Nursing has taken toward developing the EMBRACE program; 2) describe the theoretical framework developed for the program; and 3) present the initial challenges and positive outcomes of the program. The theoretical framework of the program is based on principles of excellence for diversity and inclusion as well as student and faculty engagement. The EMBRACE framework includes components of education, faculty contributions, social connections and emotional intelligence. The EMBRACE program consists of group mentoring with peers, one-on-one mentoring with faculty and graduate students, and working on a hands-on project relating to research or leadership.