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Exploring the Relationship Between Life Design and Student Leadership Development

Dunbar, Gabriel D
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1720999766507488

Abstract Details

2024, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, Higher Education Administration.
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between life design and student leadership development at Bowling Green State University, a mid-sized, comprehensive public institution in Northwest Ohio. Life design was an institutional strategy used to increase student success and empower students with the tools and skills to design their college experience more intentionally and prepare for the next steps after graduation (Life Design, 2023). Life design is a creative problem-solving framework that empowers students to adopt design thinking mindsets and methods and apply them in their own lives to creatively solve problems (Burnett & Evans, 2016). Based on the literature, including research focused on Social Change Model and Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership, I suggested five main areas of overlap between life design and leadership: consciousness of self and others, collaboration, creative problem-solving, change, and innovation management. Utilizing Fall 2020 data from the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership, multiple student subgroups who were involved in various life design and leadership experiences were compared across various leadership and life design scales. This study was meaningful as it contributed empirical evidence to the emerging research topic of life design and suggested preliminary signs of a relationship between life design and leadership. Findings suggested that students connected to life design and leadership experiences had higher levels of leadership outcomes than students who did not participate in life design or leadership experiences across all six scales in the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership. Findings also provided evidence of increased life design outcomes for students in life design programs according to a prototype Life Design Capacity Scale. This scale was also a statistically significant variable within a logistic regression model as a predictor of a student’s four-year graduation outcome, though the logistic regression model was limited and not very strong. The findings of this study have implications for research and practice. Though initial findings suggested a relationship between life design and leadership, further research is necessary to confirm and measure the relationship. A longitudinal study with mixed methods controlling for confounding variables will be essential in further research. Additionally, a longitudinal focus would help to better understand life design and leadership development during the college experience and beyond. Implications for practice include implementing life design programs within leadership programs, integrating design thinking into leadership education, and highlighting leadership outcomes embedded within life design curriculum.
Maureen Wilson, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Margaret Adams, Ed.D. (Other)
Jessica Turos, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Jacob Clemens, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
158 p.
Higher Education; Higher Education Administration
Life Design; Design Thinking; Student Leadership Development; Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership; Social Change Model of Student Leadership Development

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Dunbar, G. D. (2024). Exploring the Relationship Between Life Design and Student Leadership Development [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1720999766507488

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Dunbar, Gabriel. Exploring the Relationship Between Life Design and Student Leadership Development. 2024. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1720999766507488.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Dunbar, Gabriel. "Exploring the Relationship Between Life Design and Student Leadership Development." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1720999766507488

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1720999766507488
270
© 2024, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.