Examining pre-post results

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine changes in scores from the Kouzes and Posner Student Leadership Practices Inventory of undergraduate students in the health professions who were engaged in a nine-month leadership program. The authors also assessed changes in scores on the same inventory for several observers who rated the students’ leadership competence and examined differences between the students’ self-assessment on leadership practices and those of their observers. Design/methodology/approach A pre-post survey design using repeated measures factorial ANOVA, Pearson correlations and paired t-tests was used to investigate the data. An α level of 0.05 was used. Findings Statistically significant changes were found in the pre- to post-surveys of students on three of the five subscales but only one of the five subscales for observers. Students’ and observers’ ratings were largely uncorrelated, with the exception of Encouraging the Heart ratings at post-program. Research limitations/implications Participants were recruited from one setting at a private university in the USA and the sample size was small. A control group was not available to offer a comparison for the outcomes of the leadership program and only quantitative data were assessed. Originality/value Data capturing undergraduate leadership practices on students in the health professions using a validated tool bring value to better understanding strategies that university faculty can use to improve students’ leadership skills.