Exploring Student Perceptions of the Use of Current Events Articles from The New York Times as a Supplemental Learning Tool for Leadership Concepts and Theories

Abstract

The dynamic nature of leadership education and the importance of bridging theory to practice call for research to understand how students perceive the relevance and effectiveness of incorporating real-world application such as current events into their learning experience. This study explores the perceptions of students regarding the use of current events articles from The New York Times as supplementary resources in learning leadership concepts and theories. A convergent parallel mixed methods design was employed across three different sections (online, hybrid & in person) during the fall 2023 semester at a large, land-grant university. A survey containing quantitative and qualitative items was sent to students in each class at the end of the semester for extra credit. Findings from the study show a positive perception among students regarding the usage of current events articles from The New York Times in supplementing their learning about leadership concepts and theories. The supplemental learning tool also gave students a better understanding of real-world issues and scenarios and enhanced their interest in learning more about leadership issues. The research team concludes that the integration of The New York Times current articles proved to be highly effective in supplementing traditional learning materials in the leadership course.