SIGNIFICANT LEARNING OF PEER-MENTORS WITHIN A LEADERSHIP LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITY: A Basic Qualitative Study

Allison L. Dunn (Texas A&M University)
Lori L. Moore (Texas A&M University)

Journal of Leadership Education

ISSN: 1552-9045

Article publication date: 15 April 2020

Issue publication date: 15 April 2020

92
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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the learning experienced by second-year undergraduate students serving as peer mentors to first-year students within a leadership-themed living-learning community. A basic qualitative approach was used, with data collected from semi-structured interviews conducted with participants at the beginning and end of their year-term as peer mentors. The interview transcripts were coded using Fink’s (2003) taxonomy of significant learning, where lasting change is a consequence of the learning. Five of the six categories of significant learning were evident, suggesting that the experience of being a peer mentor within a leadership-themed living-learning community creates lasting change within the peer mentors. Additionally, this study reinforces Fink’s (2003) claim of the interactive rather than hierarchical nature of learning.

Citation

Dunn, A.L. and Moore, L.L. (2020), "SIGNIFICANT LEARNING OF PEER-MENTORS WITHIN A LEADERSHIP LIVING-LEARNING COMMUNITY: A Basic Qualitative Study", Journal of Leadership Education, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 64-75. https://doi.org/10.12806/V19/I2/R5

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, The Journal of Leadership Education

License

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