Leadership Styles in Physical Education: A Longitudinal Study on Students' Perceptions and Preferences

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Adolescent Development
• Physical Education Pedagogy

Background:

• Leadership in physical education significantly impacts student satisfaction, cohesion, and performance.
• Limited longitudinal studies exist on adolescent leadership perceptions in physical education.
• Understanding leadership temporal stability is crucial for effective educational strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To longitudinally investigate secondary and high school students' perceptions and preferences of leadership styles in physical education.
• To examine the relationship between leadership styles, gender, academic level, and sport participation.
• To contribute to the understanding of leadership development in educational contexts.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study using validated questionnaires (LSS-1 and LSS-2) assessing five leadership dimensions.
• Data collected at two time points over 12 months from 370 students in two private schools.
• Analysis considered gender, academic level, and extracurricular sport participation.

Main Results:

• Students, particularly those in sports, preferred leadership styles emphasizing social support and positive feedback.
• Significant gender and academic level differences were observed in leadership style preferences.
• Congruence between perceived and preferred leadership was linked to student satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Physical education teachers should adapt leadership styles to individual student characteristics.
• Findings support individualized pedagogical strategies and highlight the importance of adaptive leadership.
• The study provides longitudinal evidence on leadership perception stability in adolescents.