Graduates of the college of agriculture are expected to have the skills needed to enter the workforce including leadership competencies. The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to identify leadership development influences on and assess the leadership needs of undergraduate student leaders (n = 17) in the College of Agricultural and Life…

We examined the mentor-protégé relationship and the foundational pillars that make the relationship effective. Through a phenomenological design, we conducted interviews with student leaders to discuss their relationship with their self-identified most significant mentor. Using leader-member exchange and mentor relationship theory as a lens, we…

Earning a bachelor's degree has been documented as a potential social equalizer in American society. Yet, it has also been documented that first-generation college students (FGCS) have incongruently accessed and earned college degrees. This phenomenon has potentially perpetuated life-long differences in social outcomes in American society. As…

The purpose of this study was to examine factors impacting college student leadership development within a college of agriculture at the University of Missouri. This study employed descriptive relational survey methods to examine the impact of involvement factors (participation in organizations, community service and leadership education) on…

Many universities integrate leadership as a core component of agricultural education. Interestingly, little research has been conducted on the impact of leadership courses comparing the perceived leadership skills and abilities of students with and without prior leadership experience. Socio-psychological measures of flow or optimal experience…

An empirical understanding of the value school-based agricultural education (SBAE) offers has been limited due to lack of widespread, longitudinal studies addressing the impacts of student participation in SBAE. Grounded in the theory of involvement, data from a nation-wide, longitudinal study were analyzed to explore ethnicity and income among…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in career commitment and perceived efficacy among early career agriculture teachers as well as the relationships between early career agriculture teachers' perceived efficacy and career commitment. Five areas of self-efficacy were investigated among early career agriculture teachers in…

The focus of this study is the self-perceptions of leadership engagement of FFA members in two FFA chapters in Missouri. This multiple case study used documentation of student self-perceptions, researcher observations, and focus groups. The two cases included 24 high school students comprised of FFA officers and members, who provided their…

Students (N = 160) in three diverse FFA chapters were surveyed in early fall, midwinter, and late spring in regard to their leadership skills, confidence in leading, and motivation to engage in leadership-oriented behaviors. The results indicated small-to-moderate gains in transformational leadership skill and a marginally significant…

Leadership is a versatile process that requires working with others in personal and professional relationships to accomplish a goal. Cultivating leadership skills is important for students who are developing professional competencies. Leadership characteristics and abilities should be evaluated to assist in learning student traits to better…

Given the importance of leadership development within the various agricultural professions, a national sample (n = 461) of students with agriculture-related majors from 55 colleges was compared to a similarly-sized random peer group from the same institutions. The data were analyzed to compare the agricultural student sample to their peers with…

Twenty-four agriculture student leaders answered questions about four vignettes illustrating ethical issues. Although many student leaders did not possess characteristics of ethical leaders, they perceived their decisions as ethical and themselves as successful, despite the fact that honesty, integrity, and moral character did not appear to be…

Usable returns from 236 of 400 4-H and Future Farmers of America members were used to assess the content and construct validity and dimensionality of a youth leadership life skills development instrument. Because of perceived unidimensionality of the scale, instrument users were cautioned about using the subscales. (SK)

Responses from 228 of 400 4-H participants in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico revealed a 12.6% variance in scores, showing that participation in leadership activities positively affected youth leadership life skills development. Minority and female participants generally had higher scores. Skill development was also related to achievement…