An Analysis of Transformational, Transactional and Laissez-Faire Leadership Styles Between Professional and Student Leaders in Collegiate Outdoor Programs

This thesis is a quantitative research project that investigates the leadership styles of collegiate outdoor program leaders. The purpose of this study was to gain knowledge of the leadership style(s) of collegiate outdoor program leaders, particularly between student and professional leaders. A purposive sampling method was used to select outdoor programs as well as to solicit participation using an email listserv maintained by the Association for Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE). A total of n=113 leaders responded., resulting in 80 complete sets of data. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Short (MLQ5x) was used to determine leadership styles. A repeated measures ANOVA shows that collegiate outdoor student and professional leaders share the same leadership styles.