Date of Award

Summer 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development

Program/Concentration

Occupational and Technical Studies

Committee Director

Michelle Bartlett, PhD

Committee Member

James Bartlett, PhD

Committee Member

Leressa Suber, PhD

Abstract

The contemporary workforce is characterized by ongoing organizational change, requiring individuals to demonstrate adaptability and the capacity to lead within evolving conditions. Institutions of higher education increasingly emphasize leadership development as a mechanism for preparing students for these demands; however, limited empirical research has examined how participation in formal co-curricular undergraduate leadership roles relates to students’ readiness to engage with organizational change. This study addresses the gap by examining the relationship between leadership self-efficacy and resistance to change among undergraduate student leaders.

Guided by the Leadership Identity Development (LID) model, this quantitative study employed a non-experimental, correlational design. Data were collected from undergraduate students in formal leadership roles using the Leadership Self-Efficacy (LSE) and Resistance to Change (RCS) Scales. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, hierarchical regression analyses, and moderation analyses were conducted to examine relationships among leadership experience, leadership self-efficacy, resistance to change, and demographic variables.

Results indicated that leadership experience was positively associated with leadership self efficacy, while resistance to change was largely independent of leadership confidence and demographic characteristics. Leadership self-efficacy demonstrated a modest negative association with emotional reactions to change but did not significantly predict overall resistance to change. Regression models explained a small proportion of variance in resistance to change. Moderation analyses revealed that the relationship between leadership self-efficacy and resistance to change varied by leadership context, with leadership confidence more strongly associated with lower resistance among students without formal governance roles.

Findings suggest that leadership identity development and readiness for organizational change are related but distinct developmental processes. While co-curricular leadership participation supports leadership self-efficacy, adaptability may require intentional and context specific developmental interventions.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

https://doi.org/10.25777/mq5a-w325

ISBN

9798197809766

ORCID

0009-0003-4957-7986

Download

Share

COinS