Evaluation of a subject on leadership and intrapersonal development: views of the students based on qualitative evaluation

Daniel T.L. Shek; Moon Y.M. Law

doi:10.1515/ijdhd-2014-0339

Article

Evaluation of a subject on leadership and intrapersonal development: views of the students based on qualitative evaluation

Daniel T.L. Shek and Moon Y.M. Law

Published/Copyright: July 17, 2014

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From the journal International Journal on Disability and Human Development Volume 13 Issue 4

Abstract

“Tomorrow’s Leaders” is a subject developed to satisfy the leadership and intrapersonal development requirement at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. After taking this subject, students were invited to use three descriptors and a metaphor to describe their experiences about the subject. Based on the reflections of 143 students, results showed that 94.4% of the descriptors used by informants were positive and 2.31% of the descriptors were negative. For the metaphors used to describe the subject, 92.7% were positive and 4.47% were negative. In conjunction with other findings, the present study suggests that Tomorrow’s Leaders is a subject that can promote the holistic development in Chinese university students in Hong Kong.

Keywords: intrapersonal development; leadership; psychosocial competencies; qualitative evaluation; university students

Corresponding author: Professor Daniel T.L. Shek, PhD, FHKPS, SBS, BBS, JP, Chair Professor of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Room HJ407, Core H, Hunghom, Hong Kong, P.R. China, E-mail: daniel.shek@polyu.edu.hk; Centre for Innovative Programmes for Adolescents and Families, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, P.R. China; Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau, Macau, P.R. China; Department of Social Work, East China Normal University, Shanghai, P.R. China; and Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Kentucky Children’s Hospital, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, USA

Acknowledgments

The development of the course titled Tomorrow’s Leaders and the evaluation study were financially supported by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University through the Teaching Development Grant and the funding for the 3-3-4 new curriculum. We would also like to thank the Wofoo Foundation for the establishment of several scholarships for those outstanding students taking the course. Members of the curriculum development team include Daniel Shek, Rachel Sun, Yat Hung Chui, Dorcas Allen, Cecilia Ma, Lu Yu, Yida Chung, Yammy Chak, Pik Fong Tsui, Moon Law, and Winnie Fung.

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Received: 2013-8-18

Accepted: 2013-9-18

Published Online: 2014-7-17

Published in Print: 2014-11-1

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/ijdhd-2014-0339

Keywords for this article

intrapersonal development; leadership; psychosocial competencies; qualitative evaluation; university students