Design Principles for Sustainable Leadership Learning: A Complex Analysis of Learner Experiences

Summer Felton Odom (), Jonan Phillip Donaldson, Karly McKenna Anderson, Hang Gui, Jewell Glover, Ainsley Burns and Viviana Armenta
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Summer Felton Odom: Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Jonan Phillip Donaldson: Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Karly McKenna Anderson: Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Hang Gui: Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Jewell Glover: Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Ainsley Burns: Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Viviana Armenta: Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-15

Abstract: Many institutions of higher education claim to produce leaders and many assume that graduating from a university equates to someone naturally growing in their ability to lead. Developing leaders is considered a worthwhile endeavor in society today and developing a leadership identity is considered foundational to leadership development in college. While colleges and universities purport to develop leaders, little is known about how best to help students develop sustainable leadership learning. Utilizing design-based research, this study examined the learning experiences of college students in three different semesters of a personal leadership course through their reflections about course activities designed to help them develop their leadership identity. Using network maps from student reflections, we analyzed the complexity of learner experiences and developed a set of design principles anchored in the relationships between learning experiences concerning strengths, weaknesses, and theoretical foundations. The following design principles emerged from this study: framing for authentic learning, scaffolding for learner agency, social and collaborative learning, and multimodal engagement. By using these principles in designing leadership experiences, college leadership educators will be empowered to create opportunities that are sustainable and inclusive and that promote lifelong learning in regard to students’ authentic and personal leadership development practices.

Keywords: dynamic systems model of role identity; college student leadership development; design-based research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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