3 Page Paper for International Business

Running head: ASSIGNMENT 0

Assignment

Students Name

Dr. Michael Ammons

North Carolina Wesleyan College

In higher education, there has been a steady increase in the number of non-traditional students who are pursing undergraduate degrees (National Statistics for Education Statistics, 2012) (NCES). Reports indicate that non-traditional students are the fastest growing segment in higher education in the United States (Hillman, 2008). The percentage of undergraduate students over the age of 24 increased from 28% to 42 % from 1979 to 2009 (NCES, 2012). This increase is expected to continue through 2019 by an average of 40% (NCES, 2012; Rood, 2011). Many of these non-traditional students are seeking a college degree to acquire the necessary skills to be marketable in the workforce and to transition into new roles. One of the goals of higher education is to prepare college graduates for leadership roles and to help foster effective leadership skills through coursework and activities outside of the classroom (Patterson, 2012). The demand for leadership skills is increasingly evident as organizations are seeking self-directed people who can improve bottom-line indicators such as productivity and quality (Singh, 2013). As non-traditional students continue to enroll in undergraduate degree programs, it is important for faculty members and administrators in higher education institutions to understand students’ leadership behaviors and how leadership is influencing students’ academic achievement.

Leadership is a skill that has always been in high demand, and this is especially true today with advancements in technology and the emerging growth of the global economy. Yukl (2012) asserts, “The essence of leadership in organizations is influencing and facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives” (p.67). While there is no single unified definition of leadership, the basic concept of leadership is that leaders have the distinct ability of not only achieving high levels of success for themselves but are also capable of motivating and inspiring others to achieve specific goals. Dvir, Eden, Avolio, and Shamir (2002) describe leadership as influencing followers by expanding and elevating their goals and building up their confidence in a way that enables them to perform beyond their expectations. Kouzes and Posner (2007) state, “Leadership is not a gene, and it’s not a secret code that can’t be deciphered by ordinary people. The truth is that leadership is an observable set of skills and abilities that are useful whether one is in the executive suite or on the front line, on Wall Street or Main Street, in any campus, community, or corporation” (pp.339 – 340). Kouzes and Posner (2007) have discovered that effective leadership consists of five observable practices, which they describe as exemplary leadership. These practices include: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). Kouzes and Posner’s (2007) Transformational Leadership Theory model is one of the most widely used and accepted methods of measuring leadership practices. This theory of leadership has proven to be effective in a variety of settings, ranging from business to education, and from the profit and non-profit sectors of society (Bass & Riggio, 2006).

Adult Education

Non-traditional students are seeking undergraduate degrees to not only advance in their career field but also to possibly change career fields (Milheim, 2005). Scott and Lewis (2011) state the following factors that have influenced the increase in enrollment among non-traditional students: a) students see the value of education as an opportunity to advance their career; b) retirement benefits have allotted more time for leisure learning or enhancing intellectual capacity; and c) job loss has led non-traditional students to seek out other trades and disciplines to find employment. Non-traditional students may be identified as working adults or adult students because these students do not share the same characteristics as traditional students. Non-traditional students are defined as having some or all of the following attributes: having delayed entry between high school and college, being enrolled full or part-time, working full or part-time, being age 25 years or older, and being financially independent (NCES, 2009). Some researchers have defined non-traditional students by age and enrollment status. Jonas, Weimer, and Herzer (2001) classify a student as either traditional or non-traditional based on enrollment in degree program (traditional versus accelerated). The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (2009) report from 2006 to 2017 states there will be a steady increase of enrollment of non-traditional students by nearly 20 percent. Non-traditional students are more diverse in comparison to traditional-aged students, for non-traditional students typically assume additional roles beyond their role of student to include: parent, spouse, employee, leader, and volunteer.

Kouzes and Posner’s Transformational Leadership Model

In their book, The Leadership Challenge, authors James Kouzes and Barry Posner (2007) asked followers the characteristics they look for in a leader. Based on over twenty years of research and seventy-five thousand participants, the following attributes are preferred in a leader: honest, forward-looking, competent, inspiring, intelligent, fair-minded, broad-minded, supportive, straightforward, dependable, cooperative, determined, imaginative, ambitious, courageous, caring, mature, loyal, self-controlled, and independent (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). In their discovery of the leadership style, which is transformational, there is a strong focus on the relationship between the leader and the followers.

Since 1983, Kouzes and Posner (2007) have conducted research on the personal-best leadership experiences of individuals in a variety of areas to include manufacturing, government, business, education, healthcare, community service, entertainment, profit, and nonprofit (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). From their analyses of thousands of personal-best experiences they have discovered that leaders who get extraordinary things done engage in the five practices of exemplary leadership: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). Kouzes and Posner (2007) define effective leadership as “A relationship between those who aspire to lead and those who chose to follow” (p. 22).

Conclusion

According to the findings of this research, the leadership practices of non-traditional students were statistically significant in relation to academic achievement when controlling for demographic and academic variables. The data from this study indicated that there is a small negative relationship between specific leadership practices and academic achievement. These results differ from previous studies that have demonstrated a positive correlation between transformational leadership behaviors and academic performance (Mansfield, Pinto, Parente, & Wortman, 2009; Walumbwa, Avolio, & Zhu, 2008; Waters, Marzano, & McNulty, 2004).

Findings from this study suggest that there may be a significant relationship between leadership practices and academic achievement among non-traditional students. Specifically, the results indicated that there were differences in leadership practices and academic achievement when controlling for demographic and academic variables. The results of this study help to provide additional evidence to support Kouzes and Posner’s Transformational Leadership Theory and to give a better understanding of the leadership behaviors of the non-traditional student population. Many researchers have contributed transformational leadership with positive outcomes such as higher performance in business, team productivity, and higher levels of motivation, emotional intelligence, and self-concept; however, the results of this study indicate that certain types of leadership behaviors may be negatively correlated with academic achievement.

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