The Perceived Impact of The Leader in Me in Shaping Middle School Students’ Experiences

Lovett, Flore-Nadeige B.

Dissertation

The Perceived Impact of The Leader in Me in Shaping Middle School Students’ Experiences

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Abstract

This study explores the impact of The Leader in Me (TLIM) design on middle school students' experiences, emphasizing the link between student leadership development, self-efficacy, and academic success. The Leader in Me (TLIM) is a transformational school-wide leadership design that develops student leadership skills by providing direct instruction and opportunities to practice leadership skills in a school setting. Student leadership development has been studied for its connection to academic performance, confidence, and perceived determinants of success (Anderson & Lu, 2014). The qualitative study aims to determine school stakeholders’ perceptions of TLIM using leadership development to build self-efficacy. Self-efficacy has been cited as a contributing factor to middle school students' academic and transitional success (Caprara et al., 2008; Hyat et al., 2020; Lofgran et al., 2015; Madjar & Chohat, 2017; Wong et al., 2012). Utilizing the Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 participants, representing various school stakeholders. Thematic analysis revealed insights into how TLIM influences students' leadership development, academics, and school culture self-efficacy, offering a nuanced understanding of the phenomenon. The results provided valuable perspectives on the transformative potential of TLIM in shaping the middle school experience of students. Implications for practice and recommendations were discussed as additional contributions to the body of research regarding the topic.

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