The globalized, networked, and rapidly changing society is seeing the need of leadership talent from young people. That leadership is an inborn characteristic is already facet and has been replaced with a belief that anyone can learn and develop their capacity to lead. Higher education institutions (HEIs) across the globe, knowing the importance of leadership competencies, have made it part of their educational mission to develop students’ leadership (Zafar et al., 2020). The importance of college student leadership has long been recognized. American research has established that student leadership in college can enhance national core values in terms of civic responsibility and community participation of young students (Zimmerman-Oster and Burkhardt, 2007; Wagner, 2009). Chinese studies on student leadership are showing positive results as well. A study in several Shanghai universities has shown that student leadership education can improve students' values and develop their socialist core values (Weng, 2013; Xi, 2012; Zhang and Chen, 2015). The need for developing student leaders in HEIs is mirrored in the report of the Possibilists (2021), a global network of young social innovators. The study which involved their sixteen (16) networks around the world showed the problems of youth leaders. Some of these are juggling leadership responsibilities, work, and studies; lack of institutional supports, doubting their abilities, and lack of finances. The need to enhance, support and develop youth leaders is considered pressing because 1.2 billion people are 15-24 years old, and more than half of the population is below 30 years old (Possibilist, 2021). Since a big percentage of the youth are still in schools, HEIs can help develop their leadership skills. School administrators can do this by implementing leadership training programs in the campus. They can send student leaders in outside trainings and exposures as well. Lastly, school administrators may even promote practices in the classrooms that can enhance leadership skills like student-centered learning (SCL). According to Curran and Tillapaugh (2013), SCL has the potential to strengthen the foundations of student leadership. SCL evolved from the simple idea of student participation in the learning process. It has kept on evolving though alongside the advancement of technology. Whether SCL and student leadership behavior are significantly associated is one of the questions in this proposed quantitative study.

Jinxuan Li. Student-Centered Learning and Student Leadership Behavior. Frontiers in Educational Psychology (2024), Vol. 5, Issue 1: 7-18. https://doi.org/10.38007/JEP.2024.050102.

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