Date of Award

6-1-2015

Document Type

Campus Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education/Higher Education PhD

First Advisor

Dwight E. Giles, Jr.

Second Advisor

Katalin Szelenyi

Third Advisor

Lisa Bardill Moscaritolo

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to define Global Ready Leadership and develop a reliable and valid scale to measure this multidimensional construct. The research addressed the disparity between the demand for global ready leaders and the lack of a quantifiable method to assess global readiness of college graduates. After an extensive review of the literature, a 119-item instrument was developed and administered to undergraduates in their senior year at two public universities in the Northeast (n=592). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to establish preliminary construct validity and multiple regression was used to assess the relationship of 44 independent variables to the construct of global ready leadership. EFA helped to identify 10 factors with strong loadings on six subscales: effective intercultural communication, leadership development, global emotional intelligence, global and cultural competence, empathy, and capacity for social change. The reliability of the scale was evaluated using Chronbach's coefficient alpha, which measured the internal consistency of items on each subscale. This analysis aided in collapsing the subscales and further identifying scale items for retention. Through this process, eight subscales were reduced to six subscales with alpha scores ranging from an acceptable .762 to an excellent .881. Multiple regression was used to analyze the relationships between 44 independent variables which asked about pre-collegiate and collegiate experiences. Twenty-seven items emerged as demonstrating a statistically significant positive or negative relationship with the six dependent variables that measured global ready leadership. The final instrument contained 66 measurement and 9 demographic items for a total of 75 items. Practices that contributed to the development of global ready leaders included completion of courses that focused on global and multicultural issues, foreign language proficiency, and conflict resolution. Participation in non-credit leadership workshops, ethnic/cultural student organizations, military service prior to college and living abroad also demonstrated positive relationships to global ready leadership. The result of the research produced a concrete definition of a global ready leader and accompanying instrument that measures the construct and can guide universities as they implement curricular and co-curricular programs that will support the development of students capable of creating change in an interconnected world.

Comments

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