Towards a grounded understanding of student leadership identity.

Abstract

This study explores student leadership identity from the perspectives of principals and students in Lebanese Private Orthodox schools. The study has a three-fold purpose: (1) identify the perceptions of school principals and secondary students of student leadership identity, (2) identify the factors and organizational conditions that contribute to the promotion of student leadership identity, and (3) build a grounded profile of student leadership identity through comparing school principals’ conceptions of student leadership with those of secondary students within the context of Lebanese Private Orthodox schools. This multicase study was conducted in three selected Lebanese Private Orthodox schools; it employed a qualitative research design along with the grounded theory methodology. Data were collected through individual interviews with the school principals and focus groups with students in each of the selected cases. The data was analyzed and coded in order to extract the categories. The emerging categories and sub-categories were compared for participants within each school as well as for each category of participants across cases. Two combined profiles for student leaders were accordingly generated: the first identifies the characteristics of student leader from the principals’ views, and the second the students’. Additionally the factors and organizational conditions influencing student leadership development were generated for each case. The findings of the study reveal a major overlap in the participants’ perceptions of student leadership; student leaders were perceived as (1) demonstrating special personal qualities; (2) being peacemakers and community builders; (c) playing an active role in school and community. Perceptions of factors and organizational conditions that promote student leadership development were similar among the participants; these are: (a) the school vision; (b) the role of principal; (c) the role of teachers; (d) the dimensions of the curriculum; (e) the scho