Beyond Knowledge and Skills: Exploring Leadership Motivation as a Critical Construct for Student Leadership Development

Theorists position leadership capacity, leadership self-efficacy, and leadership motivation as central constructs in the leadership development process (Chan & Drasgow, 2001; Dugan, 2017). Although researchers have explored distinct connections between psychological constructs of leadership capacity and leadership self-efficacy, less attention has been given to leadership motivation and its collective connection with these constructs. Findings from this scholarship confirm theorized relationships between these pivotal constructs and situate leadership motivation as a critical component of the developmental process for socially responsible leadership.