An Exploration of the Leadership Development of International Students Compared to Domestic Peers

• In Event: 75.034 - Pluralistic and Global Dimensions of College Student Outcomes

Abstract

Research on international student development is concentrated on exploring and understanding the unique challenges that internationals have when interacting with U.S. institutions (Chapdelaine & Alexitch, 2004). To overcome such challenges, interactions between domestic and international groups must be cultivated (Hu & Kuh, 2003). One avenue for creating structured interaction in engaging international students with their domestic peers is leadership education. This study focuses on differences between international and domestic students in leadership self-efficacy, motivation-to-lead, and leadership skill before and after participating in daylong leadership programs. Results indicate incoming differences between the two groups. While international students self-report lower scores before and after, they show growth comparable to domestic students.

Authors

• Daniel A Collier, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• David Michael Rosch, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign