Measuring the Effect of Community Leadership Development Programs on Leadership Role Participation within Community Organizations

Date of Conferral

10-25-2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Howard Schechter

Abstract

Community leadership development programs (CLDPs) purport to train and equip individuals for leadership role participation in 5,500 communities across the United States. These communities seem to see value in these programs, yet there is little accountability for what graduates are actually doing in the community after program completion. The purpose of this observational, empirical, quantitative study was to use the Kirkpatrick model of training evaluation to test the effect of CLDP completion on the individual graduates’ behavior of leadership role participation within community organizations, measured using the Chapin Social Participation Scale (CSPS). The primary research question was what effect completion of a CLDP has on leadership role participation within community organizations. The population for this study was individuals who had the opportunity to complete one or both of two CLDPs in a mid-sized community in the Southeastern United States, approximately 14,700 individuals comprising the email lists of the two CLDPs’ sponsoring organizations. Recruitment over an 8-week period produced 252 usable survey respondents, distributed unequally between CLDP graduates and non-graduates. The data failed Levene’s test for homogeneity of variance, so the nonparametric independent samples Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare medians across groups. The results showed that completion of a CLDP has a statistically significant effect on leadership role participation. Results may be used to enhance CLDPs’ impacts in their communities. Improving the participation of trained leaders in community organizations could lead to more effective organizations, increasing that community’s capacity for positive social change.

This item is not available through Walden resources

Share

 
COinS