To lead and succeed: How leadership and global satisfaction relates to achievement of secondary students

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Thursday 2:15pm
  In Poster Session: Emotion, Identity, and Social Contexts in Learning

Abstract

This study examined how secondary students’ self-perceived leadership influences academic achievement both directly and indirectly via global life satisfaction, with an exploration of gender differences. Data were collected over three academic semesters from 651 students in a southeastern U.S. school district using validated self‐report measures. Bootstrapped moderated mediation analyses revealed that leadership perceptions significantly and positively predicted GPA directly, as well as indirectly through enhanced global satisfaction, with minimal evidence of gender moderation. These findings highlight the value of fostering internal leadership identities to improve both academic outcomes and student well-being, offering actionable insights for educational interventions.

Authors

• Yaolan Weng, The Ohio State University

• Brenda Rojas Amarilla, The Ohio State University

• Andrew Holmes Perry, The Ohio State University

• Eric M. Anderman, The Ohio State University

• Rich Gilman, Terrace Metrics, Inc