LEADERSHIP THROUGH ROTC: A COMPARISON OF ROTC LEADER DEVELOPMENT WITH NCAA INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS AND THE TRADITIONAL COLLEGE EXPERIENCE

Abstract

Leadership is and art and a science that can be taught through university level leadership development programs. This study examined the effectiveness of United States Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) curriculum by comparing the leadership of ROTC students to the leadership of university student-athletes and traditional students. Leadership is measured by using Kouzes and Posner (2003) Student Leadership Practices Inventory (Student LPI). The Student LPI defines and measures five leadership practices: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart.

1,598 college students took the Student Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), each a member of one of the following groups: 660 student-athletes, 794 traditional students, and 144 ROTC students participating in an Army ROTC program. ROTC students were more likely (p<.001) to perceive themselves to engage in the practices of Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, and Enable Others to Act than their student-athlete peers. ROTC students were more likely (p<.001) to perceive themselves to engage in all five practices of the Student LPI than their traditional student peers.