Abstract
This study investigated the development of leadership identity among six female undergraduate student-leaders in higher learning institutions (HLIs). Based on the hexagon and motivation to lead theories, the study focused on personal knowledge, beliefs and actions that female undergraduate student-leaders attach to their leadership identities. Furthermore, the study explored the perceived leadership motivational factors for female student-leaders in HLIs. The study employed a phenomenological interpretive approach to investigate the lived-experiences of female student-leaders related to their leadership identities and developments in three HLIs. The study noted that there are important roles played by parents, peers, teachers and religious institutions in developing female student-leaders. According to the findings, the role of peers becomes more evident during the adolescent age of female-leaders. Further, the findings revealed that female students’ participation in leadership is, in most cases, pushed by their feeling of a sense of duty or responsibility to lead. The study recommends promoting the influence of social normative and affective identity among young girls within families, schools and colleges to develop strong committed female-leaders.
Recommended Citation
Moses, Ikupa
(2025)
"Undergraduate Female Student-leaders in Higher Education: Leadership Identity and Development in Tanzania,"
Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences: Vol. 10:
No.
2, Article 3.
Available at:
https://commons.udsm.ac.tz/jhss/vol10/iss2/3