Article Analysis Essay: The Influence of Positive and Diverse Interactions Among Peers

The Acquisition of Skills

Teamwork allows students to develop skills that enable them to thrive in diverse environments. The ability to thrive in team settings is a significant determinant of the extent of the acquisition of leadership skills.In the article Leadership Development on a Diverse Campus,published in 2009, SatuRiutta and Daniel Teodoresc sought to establish how leadership skills are developed in the diverse contexts within which students learn. Vitally, the researchers track the development of leadership capacity from a Social Change Model (SCM), a model that leads to the conception of leadership as a purposive, value-based and a collaborative process towards social change. The researchers found that working in college organizations where participants come from different backgrounds provide college students with relevant leadership skills that shape their experiences. College students derive leadership skills from interactions with peers from diverse backgrounds. Students from different racial groups need to employ cultural competence while at the same time blending their values with those of their peers.

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Courses that encourage teamwork are vital to helping the students develop leadership skills. In 2013, John P. Dugan, Kimberly Q. Faith, Shannon D. Howes, Kathryn R. Lavelle, and Joshua R. Polanin wrote a report on 'Developing the Leadership Capacity and Leader Efficiency of College Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Fields. In the article, the authors reveal the results of a study conducted on the extent to which college women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) show different levels of leadership efficacy while compared with their non-STEM counterparts. The key findings of the research revealed that the students from STEM courses report lower levels of development of leadership capacities in comparison with their peers. The STEM environments have significant constraints that hinder the development of leadership efficacy. Other careers emphasize interactions that contribute to the creation of a sense of belonging and they emphasize the importance of social, cultural communication.

Interactions with peers alter the student's self-perception about their inner capabilities for leadership. In the article 'College Student Capacity for Socially Responsible Leadership: Understanding the Norms and Influences of Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation,' John p. Dugan, Susan R. Komvies and Thomas C. Segar investigated the college students' capacities for acting in a socially responsible manner through the application of a social change model for leadership development. The authors reveal that the findings of the research were consistent with previous literature findings that revealed that participation in extra curriculum leadership development programs builds the students perceptions about commitment, raises the concerns about welfare for the community members and still contribute to the development of external behaviors that led to healthy relationships with others.

Extra Curriculum Activities

The activities performed outside the classroom play a vital role in enhancing the student's capability to thrive in team-related settings. In the article 'Effects Associated with Leadership Program Participation in International Students Compared to Domestic Students', Daniel A. Collier and Dr David M. Rosch set out to establish the leadership-oriented distinctions between domestic and international students focusing on their development of leadership capacity from their participation in co-curricular leadership programs. According to the findings of the research, the international students reported lower pre-exposure scores to leadership positions before they joined college. However, it was apparent that there were no observable gaps in leadership efficacy, transactional leadership skills and non-calculative motivation to lead by the time the students were exiting college. The article provides insights that co-curriculum activities provide students with similar levels of exposure allowing the international students to bridge the gap between them and national students at the time of their entry to campus. From the research, it was apparent that extra class programs create a sense of responsibility to led in school groups.

Participation in community events in college boosts the student's leadership capabilities since such events necessitate initiative and proper organization of events among the involved students. In the article 'Influences on College Students' Capacities for Socially Responsible Leadership,' John P. Dugan and Susan R. Komvies established the relationship between higher education and the development of leadership capacity. Importantly, the researchers unveiled the effect individual as well as the institutional factors affecting the process of attainment of leadership efficacy. The study revealed a variance of thirty-one per cent to forty per cent in student's capacities among the measured outcomes for leadership development. Vitally, the findings revealed that interactions with peers, participation in community events and faculty mentoring as critical influencers in the process of development of leadership efficacy.

Students' development of leadership capacity is consistent to their level of involvement. Importantly, extra-curricular activities provide students with an opportunity of getting involved in practical leadership settings. In the article 'Involvement and Leadership: A Descriptive Analysis of Social Responsible Leadership, John P. Dugan sought out to establish the factors that contribute to the development of leadership skills among the college students during their learning years. The researchers found a linkage between leadership development and involvement. Vitally, the authors showed that the different types of involvement that contribute to the acquisition of leadership capacities included involvement in positional roles, community service and organizational membership. In the same research, the authors found that participation in positional leadership to be the most significant extracurricular predictor of the extent of development of leadership capacity. At the same time, non-positional leadership experiences were found to have a significant impact in the development of leadership capacity among the groups which are less likely to occupy leadership positions due to their affiliation to a minority group such as the African Americans and white women. Still, volunteering in leadership positions as evident in the study provides a significant chance for the underprivileged groups to develop their leadership capacities.

Conclusion

To sum up, college students develop leadership capacities depending on the extent of their involvement in teamwork and extra curriculum activities. Participation in positional leadership provides students with extensive opportunities to try out their leadership skills. Importantly, extra curriculum activities provide students with an opportunity to overcome the effects of demographic characterizes such as cultural background race and gender since students develop extra abilities to understand each other during peer interactions outside the classroom.