A Study of Post-Baccalaureate Leadership Curricula at Select Christian Institutions of Higher Education

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed method content analysis and descriptive study was to determine the core courses, course descriptors, and described competencies of Leadership Studies curricula at select Christian higher educational institutions. An extensive literature review revealed the complex nature of the issues affecting the current study. It set the theological foundations for a Christian view of the curriculum and leadership authority, biblical models, and their parallels in the leadership literature. The Christian leadership curriculum was approached from a standpoint of lifespan development, curriculum design, essential leadership competencies, and the integration of leadership literature. After a descriptive analysis of the study methodology, the results of the study revealed the distribution of programs and degree types by category and percentage, a census and categorization of courses offered in leadership programs at CCCU member schools, and definitions of competencies taught in those courses. It was discovered that several discrete categories of leadership programs exist. Program objectives were analyzed to yield a categorization of program objectives by rank. Conclusions were drawn based on the frequency of courses, the competencies that are being taught, and course objectives that emerged. The results of a comparative analysis revealed that precedent competencies from other select studies were present in the programs, but no evidence was found to affirm that the perceptions of importance associated with of the competencies correlates to the frequency at which they are being taught. Leadership development models for the programs were qualified in relation to Kiedis' Taxonomy of Leadership Development Models. Finally, the implications ofthe research were extensively examined in regard to the study methodology, the categories that emerged, and what was revealed as missing. Applications of the research were posited in regard to definitions of leadership development, content analysis, the design and delivery of the curriculum, exemplar programs, and recommendations for the integration of principles and pedagogical issues which surfaced in the course of the study. Extensive appendices report descriptive data that emerged from the study. Keywords: Leadership, content analysis, leadership curriculum, curriculum design, leadership competency, leadership development, distance learning, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, CCCU, leadership degree