Cultivating leadership : an explanatory sequential mixed methods study of a leadership course's Influence on students' behavior management and leadership skills.

Discipline referrals and behavior problems cause issues for schools and their students. Students who are displaced from the classroom miss instructional time that is valuable for their success (Wilkerson & Afacan, 2022). Discipline referrals lead to detention, in school suspension, out of school suspension, or alternative school placements, which affect students in a multitude of ways. One major ramification of increased discipline referrals and missing class is decreased performance academically (Whisman & Hammer, 2014; Morris & Perry, 2016; Lacoe & Steinberg, 2018). Leaving this problem unaddressed will negatively affect schools and their students.

This explanatory sequential mixed methods study sought to describe and analyze the impact and effects of a leadership course on students’ perceptions of their leadership skills and understanding of its impact on discipline behaviors at the end of the term at Telegram High School (THS). I used purposeful sampling to gather 36 quantitative participants who took the Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Survey: Inventory, 2.0 at the beginning and end of a leadership course (Shankman, Allen, & Miguel, 2015). I collected qualitative data through criterion sampling of four students and the teacher of the course who I interviewed at the beginning and end of the leadership course. The results of the study were not statistically significant quantitatively when I tested the difference between the scores from the beginning to the end of the course. Qualitatively, participants demonstrated a positive perception of the leadership courses’ impact on students’ leadership skills and the impact on discipline behaviors. Students who grew the most in their leadership skills throughout the course believed that their leadership, behavior management, and decision-making skills improved. This study found the teacher to perceive the course had an impact positively on students leadership and discipline skills. Upon integration of the results, the qualitative results could not fully explain the quantitative results as I only interviewed the students who grew the most from their pre- to post-surveys.

The findings of this study suggest a need for educational systems to consider the requirement of leadership courses for students during their time in high school. Schools can benefit from developing their students leadership skills especially as it relates to discipline and behavior management. The impact of this study should lead to the analysis of the benefits of leadership courses within the school system.