Training rural citizens: An evaluation of a leadership training program

Abstract

Whether facing growth or decline, rural communities must develop mechanisms for managing the forces of social change which affect them. One such mechanism or resource is an informed, skilled and active group of community leaders. This paper reports the evaluation results of a leadership development program for rural citizens.

Using the recurrent institutional cycle design (Campbell & Stanley, 1966), four different variations of the training program were evaluated: one week classroom seminar (N = 227), one week classroom seminar for each of two years (N = 208), study‐travel seminar of three weeks duration for each of two years (N = 50), and study‐travel seminar of four weeks duration for each of three years (N = 69). Respondents in all four program groups reported positive changes in their leadership self‐images, greater involvement in roles requiring leadership skills, and greater effectiveness in their leadership activities as a result of their training. In most cases, participants in the longer and more intensive training variations registered greater positive change on the indicators of leadership than their counterparts in the less intensive variations of the program.

The evaluation results suggest the following: 1) the one week training effort is less effective than the longer, more intensive training program; 2) the more effective leadership development programs included both classroom study and on‐site exposure to community development practice; 3) the most effective program content is one which exposes participants to the knowledge and skills necessary for exercising leadership at the extra‐local level.