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Kaitlyn Murray Thesis Final.pdf (3.47 MB)

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Exploring the Leadership Development of Undergraduate Students of Agriculture at The Ohio State University

Murray, Kaitlyn Anne
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500041644244662

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Agricultural and Extension Education.
There is a need for more leaders who are working to disrupt pervasive, systematic injustices and promote positive social change in agriculture and higher education. Colleges of agriculture and related sciences have recognized their role in preparing future leaders and responded to this charge, yet students of agriculture are not exhibiting the leadership behaviors that society and employers need. In a series of three studies, the author explored the leadership development of students of agriculture at The Ohio State University. The first study was a secondary analysis of campus data from the 2010, 2012, and 2015 Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership (MSL) in order to explore the trends, similarities, and differences in leadership outcomes by major field of study. Results indicated that respondents who identified their major as agriculture did not differ from non-agricultural students in leadership capacity or leadership self-efficacy. However, while at college, students of agriculture reported significantly lower levels of engagement in socio-cultural discussions that non-agriculture students, but higher levels of mentoring by others. The results of this study imply a greater need for opportunities for students in agriculture to engage in conversations of personal and global importance with their peers. By conducting this study, the researcher was able to identify an additional need to specifically investigate how mentoring relates to leadership development in students of agriculture. In the second study, a four-phase scoping review of the literature sought to identify, appraise, and summarize existing knowledge and knowledge gaps in the instrumentation and assessment of soft skills. The result of this study, a systematic map of soft skill assessment instruments, were used to form recommendations for appropriate instruments to measure soft skill development based on a hierarchical assessment of psychometric evidence, generalized construct validity, composite relevance to college students and peer mentoring, lowest cost, and fewest questions. The results of this study were used to undergird the Peer Mentoring Instruments developed in the third study. The final study aimed to address the need for further understanding of peer mentoring and leadership development of students of agriculture. The purpose of this study was to lay the background for a systematic program evaluation of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Peer Mentoring Program through the co-initiation and co-construction of a participatory program evaluation plan. As a result of this study, two contextually-relevant instruments were developed to measure mentor leadership and soft skill development, program impacts, and participant perceptions. The instruments developed in this study are recommended for further reliability testing and the use in a program evaluation of the CFAES Peer Mentoring Program. This study holds implications for others who wish to engage in a participatory evaluation with college student program participants.
Jeff King (Advisor)
Jeff Hattey (Committee Member)
M. Susie Whittington (Committee Member)
204 p.
Adult Education; Agricultural Education; Education
leadership; leadership development; college student; peer mentoring; leadership assessment; program evaluation; agriculture; college of agriculture; social change; peer leadership; participatory evaluation; evaluation; systematic map; scoping review

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Murray, K. A. (2017). Exploring the Leadership Development of Undergraduate Students of Agriculture at The Ohio State University [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500041644244662

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Murray, Kaitlyn. Exploring the Leadership Development of Undergraduate Students of Agriculture at The Ohio State University. 2017. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500041644244662.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Murray, Kaitlyn. "Exploring the Leadership Development of Undergraduate Students of Agriculture at The Ohio State University." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1500041644244662

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1500041644244662
821
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.