Assessing Leadership in K–12 Settings: A Systematic Review of Measures and Approaches

Despite widespread recognition of the importance of youth leadership, approaches to assessing leadership abilities remain inconsistent and underexamined. This systematic review explored existing measures of youth leadership abilities, including (a) participant characteristics, (b) specific leadership facets measured (e.g., planning, providing feedback), (c) assessment approaches (e.g., rating scales), and (d) evidence of reliability/validity. The 81 identified studies employed 39 different assessments; only 9 assessments were used more than once. Studies largely employed assessments that did not capture specific leadership competencies, and they relied heavily on student self-rating scales (n = 37), peer nominations (n = 32), teacher rating scales (n = 13), neglecting behavioral checklists (n = 2), and performance assessments (n = 4). Future work should explore more ecologically valid assessments to capture student leadership abilities and develop leadership programs.