Title
Understanding the Liberal Arts Experience: Developing Leadership Skills from Classical Education
Date of Award
11-1-2018
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate of Education, Ed.D.
College
College of Education
Department
Education
First Advisor
Brianna Parsons, Ed.D.
Second Advisor
Tony Goss, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
Michael A. Thomas, Ph.D.
Abstract
This descriptive case study seeks to determine how public high school students perceive the value of participating in liberal arts activities and how they believe these activities influence their academic success and future choices after their high school graduation. Participants were selected from students who participated in both a liberal arts and leadership activity at the research site during the 2018 spring semester. The eight selected participants were asked to complete an initial interview and a member checking interview. The researcher also observed each participant’s leadership activities twice. Themes emerging from the collected data included participant’s access to leadership development opportunities, enhanced self-confidence, increased self-efficacy, and improved interpersonal communication skills. The results of this qualitative research will add to the academic literature concerning the benefits of liberal arts participation. The implications of this research suggest that high schools need to include a variety of liberal arts programs in their curriculum and that liberal arts teachers can use the results of academic research to serve as stronger advocates for the inclusion of liberal arts programs in their schools.