Leader, Follower, Or Both? Unpacking Students Leadership Identity: Implications towards Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Abstract

Understanding how university students see themselves as leaders or followers is crucial for designing effective leadership‑development curricula. This study explores the leadership self-perceptions of undergraduate students, focusing on the factors that influence their identity perception and whether gender plays a role in this process. This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. Data were collected from 243 undergraduate students (162 female, 81 male) enrolled in a liberal education course titled ‘Leadership and Interpersonal Skills’ at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia during Semester 1 (2025-2026) and Semester 2 (2024-2025). Quantitative analysis included descriptive statistics and chi-square tests to examine the relationship between gender and leadership identity. Qualitative data from student self-introductions on Padlet were analysed using thematic analysis to identify key themes in the reasons behind their self-perceptions. Analysis was conducted using Excel for quantitative data and manual coding for qualitative data. The majority of students identified as “Both” a leader and a follower, followed by “Leader”, and “Follower”. While there was no statistically significant association between gender and the three leadership identity categories, a simplified analysis of “Leader” vs. “Non-Leader” revealed that male students were significantly more likely to identify solely as leaders compared to female students. Thematic analysis revealed five major themes: (1) the fluidity of leadership and followership, (2) the influence of past experience, (3) the value of learning and development, (4) leadership as responsibility, and (5) personal preference and comfort. Students in this study perceive leadership not as a fixed role but as a fluid and context-dependent practice. The findings suggest that leadership education should emphasize the development of both leadership and followership skills, recognizing that effective team members must be able to navigate both roles. The small but significant gender difference in leadership self-perception warrants further investigation and consideration in co-curricular program design. Institutions should create more opportunities for students to practice leadership in diverse contexts and should explicitly teach the value of followership as a complement to leadership.