Impact of a Student Leadership Experience on the Development of Creativity in Undergraduate Students

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a leadership experience on the development of creativity in undergraduate students in order to help student affairs professionals, faculty, and administrators better understand how they can develop creativity in their students. A phenomenological study was conducted on students who held a leadership position as a Resident Assistant or cabinet member of a student organization on the campus of a small institution in the Midwestern United States. The study consisted of an open-ended survey and semistructured interviews. Key findings from this study include insight into various aspects of students’ experiences in leadership including event planning, supervisors, collaboration, impact on communication, looking past failure, incorporation of interests into their roles, redefining creativity through their roles, and the students’ creative self-efficacy. These findings additionally provide support for the idea that a leadership experience is an effective method for teaching creativity to undergraduate students