Faculty Authentic Leadership in the Classroom and First-Year Student Outcomes

This study examined associations between authentic leadership behaviors enacted by faculty in the classroom and academic outcomes among first-time college students at a private, religiously affiliated university. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, data were collected from 113 first-time students and 11 faculty members using the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, along with academic outcomes including midterm and final course grades, first-term grade point average, and persistence to the subsequent semester. Quantitative analyses included correlation, regression, and exploratory classification and regression tree analyses, while open-ended student responses provided contextual insight into classroom engagement and motivation. Results indicated modest but consistent associations between faculty self-ratings of authentic leadership and academic outcomes. Student-rated leadership measures were less strongly associated with outcomes, and qualitative responses suggested student motivation was shaped primarily by factors beyond instructional leadership. Findings highlight authentic leadership as a useful framework for examining classroom-level faculty behaviors in first-year student success research contexts.