STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF INFORMAL LEADERS

Abstract

The study examines the perception of a leader among students. The aim of the research was to reveal discrepancy in students’ perceptions of actual and ideal leaders. The objectives of the study included collecting data of students’ leadership perceptions, identifying formal and informal leaders in the studied student groups, examining the categorical structure of leadership perception among students, comparing actual and ideal leaders’ images, studying their psychological and pedagogical specifics based on Trait Theory of Leadership and Implicit Leadership Theory. The sample population consisted of students aged 18–19 specializing in law and social security maintenance, studying the third final full-time course in the Autonomous Nonprofit Organization of Professional Education “Humanitarian and Technical College ‘Knowledge’ in the Russian Federation. The research was carried out in three stages and involved a questionnaire survey among students. One was used to identify the leadership qualities that students themselves have in their perception; another one was aimed to define the imaginary qualities of a leader among students. After the conducted analysis, one more questionnaire was used to identify informal leaders in the groups. The results are presented and analyzed in sociometric tables. All the questionnaire surveys were conducted in Russian and then were translated into English. In two weeks after identifying the leaders, the Cattell’s Personality Factor (16 PF) in its adapted Russian version was used to reveal the qualities of actual group leaders and to further compare the images of leaders, both actual and imagined ones.The study has revealed clear discrepancy in the images of real and ideal student leaders and has identified the main characteristics of effective student leadership