The subject of leadership in education has been addressed in a vast amount of research and literature, including the leadership styles and needs of women administrators and faculty. However, there has been limited attention paid to the leadership styles of women students and none that deals with women students in traditional women's programs of study. This study used an exploratory, descriptive qualitative research design to identify women students' attitudes and perceptions of leadership and to identify the leadership skills, abilities and positions held by students. All the students interviewed were traditional aged college women who were majoring in a predominantly female area of study--Home Economics. The research was undertaken to answer several research questions, including: How do students define leadership and what leadership traits do they feel effective leaders need to possess? What leadership skills do students possess or need help in developing? What types of organizations do students belong to and are leadership positions held? Are students aware of leadership opportunities within academic programs and at the institution? Do students perceive differences or similarities in the leadership styles of men and women? The findings show that the majority of women students interviewed in the study do not possess adequate leadership skills and abilities, do not actively participate in organizations within their academic department or at the institution, perceive differences in the leadership styles of men and women and feel at a disadvantage at being part of a traditional women's program. The conclusions of the study indicate that institutions of higher education need to address the issue of women students and leadership. Institutions and academic programs need to review and revise leadership development programs in an attempt to insure that women students are acquiring the leadership skills necessary to succeed in college and in a career.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:dissertations-8893 |
| Date | 01 January 1994 |
| Creators | Moran, Martha Baker |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest |
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