Youth Extracurricular Leadership Development: A Literature Review

Abstract

Extracurricular leadership training plays fundamental roles in developing qualities of students. The body of research suggests that such participation can impact youth in multiple ways. The following review of literature will begin with defining youth leadership development, followed by an overview and summary of the current state including the goals, contents and approaches of youth extracurricular leadership development programs. Then the factors and related variables are discussed. The result presents that extracurricular leadership development training has been routine in recent years. Today’s programs are highly structured, the exercises are normally modeled and the approaches are appropriately identified, yet the empirical and longitudinal evidence is still limited. The suggestions for further research are also provided as follows. Firstly, academic studies to date have focused overwhelmingly on practice of extracurricular leadership development, while the study of leadership development theory and model are relatively few. Comprehensive, multidimensional model of leadership development should be designed and extended. Secondly, multiple approaches in processes are vital for leadership development. Further research should cover and explore the appropriate methods integrated with a multidimensional perspective to confirm mastery. Finally, little thorough evaluation and assessment of competencies and behavioral change is done during the leadership development processes. Overall assessment should be considered and carried out. The outcomes can provide useful guidance to educators, practitioners and researchers in the area of youth leadership development.