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Linking specific learning experiences to leadership development has the potential to enhance leadership education. In this study, we sought to link student growth in 13 leadership areas to specific learning experiences within a leadership development program. We measured development within the 13 areas by comparing the perceived needs of students before and after engagement in the program. Evidence of connections between leadership development and specific learning experiences emerged as program facilitators documented the leadership areas addressed within the learning experiences utilized in this program. Evidence indicated students experienced the strongest growth in understanding leadership, commitment to serving, enhancing communication, ethical behavior, and valuing diversity. These areas of growth were linked to specific learning experiences, including program seminars, book readings, working with a mentor, and participation in a community organization. While this research is only an initial step in definitively linking specific learning experiences with leadership development, the results provide leadership educators with important considerations to enhance their practice. Additionally, this research provides a viable method for linking learning experiences and leadership skill development that, if replicated, could support the continued, positive impact of leadership education. Introduction & Conceptual Framework Leadership skills are critical for success in today’s professional culture (APLU, 2009; Day, 2001; McCall, 1998; NACE, 2014; Vicere & Fulmer, 1998). Therefore, many organizations are actively seeking employees with a developed leadership skill set (APLU, 2009). The higher education experience has been identified as an optimal time to develop these coveted leadership skills (Astin & Astin, 2000). Additionally, the leadership research agenda recommended identifying effective methods for developing leadership at the post-secondary level as a research priority (Andenoro et al., 2013). Therefore, the goal of our research was to identify effective methods for leadership development by linking measurable leadership skill growth and specific curricular approaches used in a year long, post-secondary leadership development program. Journal of Leadership Education DOI: 10.12806/V16/I1/R6 JAN 2017 RESEARCH 82 In order to identify effective methods for developing leadership skills, researchers must connect curricular experiences and leadership skill development. Aligning experiences with leadership skills has been a gap identified by a variety of researchers in the leadership education literature (Allen & Hartman, 2009; Day, 2001; Goertzen, 2009; Jenkins, 2012; Morgan, King, & Rudd, 2013). In order to begin to bridge the gap between pedagogy and skill development, we must build our understanding of both concepts. A number of researchers have studied pedagogical techniques used in leadership classrooms (Albert & Vadla, 2009; Allen & Hartman, 2009; Conger, 1992; Day, 2001; Eich, 2008; Jenkins, 2012; Zimmerman-Oster & Burkhardt, 1999). Synthesis of this literature reveals a number of consistent strategies used to engage students in leadership development; we will describe four of these consistent strategies. The first, experiential learning (Allen & Hartman, 2009; Day, 2001; Eich, 2008), refers to the process of engaging in an activity, reflecting on your engagement, developing new ideas, and implementing those new ideas (Kolb, 1984). The second pedagogical strategy, the use of self-assessments (Allen & Hartman, 2009; Day, 2001; Zimmerman-Oster & Burkhardt, 2009), seeks to develop self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses among leadership learners (Allen & Hartman, 2009). Placing students with mentors has also been identified as a commonly used strategy in leadership development programs (Allen & Hartman, 2009; Day, 2001; Zimmerman-Oster & Burkhardt, 2009). Being mentored offers students an opportunity to gather feedback from someone who often has more leadership experience. The final consistent strategy, reflection (Allen & Hartman, 2009; Jenkins, 2012; Zimmerman-Oster & Burkhardt, 2009), offers students an opportunity to review their experiences and learn from their own involvement (Allen & Hartman, 2009). The pedagogical approaches used in leadership education have been categorized into four areas: (a) personal growth, (b) conceptual understanding, (c) feedback, and (d) skill building (Conger, 1992). Personal growth, as an approach to leadership development, was built on the idea that leaders are those individuals who “are deeply in touch with their personal dreams and talents and who will act to fulfill them” (Conger, 1992, pp. 45-46). Furthermore, it can be asserted that, in order to commit to the development and progress of others, you must first commit to your own personal development and progress. Conger identified the second approach to leadership development, conceptual understanding, as the intake of new information pertaining to leadership; including but not limited to, learning new leadership theories and models. Feedback, the third approach identified by Conger, is the process in which an individual learns their strengths and weaknesses as a leader. It can be reasoned that a leader aware of his or her own strengths and weakness will be more confident in their role as a leader and more prepared to continue their development as a leader. The fourth approach to leadership development is skill building, a necessary component to any complete leadership development program. Skill building refers to the process in which individuals develop specific skills to be used in different leadership contexts (Conger, 1992). In addition to the development of leadership skills, the assessment of leadership skills is a critical component to the continual development of leadership education as a discipline (Brungardt & Crawford, 1996). A variety of research studies have addressed the concept of leadership skill assessment (Blackwell, Cummins, Townsend, & Cummings, 2007; Brungardt & Crawford, 1996; Goertzen, 2009; Rosch & Caza, 2012; Rosch & Schwartz, 2009; Williams, Journal of Leadership Education DOI: 10.12806/V16/I1/R6 JAN 2017 RESEARCH 83 Townsend, & Linder, 2005). Some studies have focused on the methods of assessing leadership skills (Goertzen, 2009; Rosch & Schwartz, 2009) while others have focused on the assessment of leadership programs (Blackwell et al., 2007; Rosch & Caza, 2012; Williams et al., 2005). Previous assessments of programmatic effectiveness have identified a number of successful outcomes among leadership education students (Blackwell et al., 2007; Rosch & Caza, 2012; Williams et al., 2005). Examples of these positive outcomes include: increased leadership capacity (Rosch & Caza, 2012), leadership skill development (Blackwell et al., 2007), and self-perceived leadership knowledge (Williams et al., 2005). These studies provide evidence that leadership programs at the college level can be an effective tool in the development of leadership skills; however, they fail to illuminate specific pedagogical approaches linked to these leadership outcomes. One potential method for the assessment of leadership skills with little exploration in the leadership discipline is the needs assessment model (Borich, 1980). This model identifies individuals’ perceived needs by measuring the discrepancy between perceived importance and perceived competence of a specified skill (Borich, 1980). Use of this method in the leadership development discipline has the potential to improve leadership program administrators’ ability to identify needs among learners engaged in a program as well as to assess the development of leadership skills by measuring the change in perceived needs. In this study, we utilized the needs assessment approach to analyze leadership skill development among postsecondary students. The theoretical foundation for our analysis was the input, environment, and outcomes model described within the theory of student involvement (Astin, 1999). This model posits students enter an educational program with specific attributes (i.e. inputs) and through an experience they are changed (i.e. outcomes). We operationalized this model within our analysis using the following process, students’ perceived leadership needs were assessed before engaging in the leadership development program (i.e. inputs), their leadership needs were again assessed after their experience (i.e. outcomes). A decrease in perceived leadership needs was operationalized as leadership skill development and was then linked to specific curricular experiences. Figure 1 illustrates the operational framework used in our analysis. Journal of Leadership Education DOI: 10.12806/V16/I1/R6 JAN 2017 RESEARCH 84 Figure 1. Operational framework for the relationship between curriculum and leadership skill development. Research Purpose & Questions The purpose of this research was to (a) measure leadership skill development through a year-long leadership development program, and (b) provide potential links between leadership skill development and curricula utilized during a leadership development program. By completing this study, researchers sought to evaluate the effectiveness of certain leadership development experiences. This line of inquiry is supported by the Association of Leadership Educators Research Agenda Priority Area 1: Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum Development, which recommends the exploration of curriculum development frameworks to enhance the leadership education transfer of learning (Andenoro et al., 2013). The development and execution of this research project was guided by the following research questions. 1. What are the perceived leadership needs of students when they enter the leadership development program? 2. What are the perceived leadership needs of students when they complete the leadership development program? 3. How do the perce

Informing Leadership Education by Connecting Curricular Experiences and Leadership Outcomes