An analysis of leadership practices in composition studies

This dissertation challenges university writing program faculty and administrators to reach beyond the limited depiction of their professional roles as being solely teacher/scholars and become cognizant of the more precise characterization of teacher/scholar/leaders.; This study reveals those leadership practices necessary for members of the field to meet this challenge. It combines current theory and research from leadership scholars outside composition studies with data collected within the field to discern the most important practices and characteristics of effective leaders in university writing programs. Data was collected in two ways: (1) a quantitative survey with a qualitative narrative section was distributed nationally to a cross-section of members of the field; and (2) personal interviews were conducted with individuals identified as leaders in the field.; The results show that professionals in composition studies, when asked to describe effective leadership, name practices very much in line with the findings of leadership scholars who study organizations across disciplines and around the world. Coding, grouping, and evaluating the frequency of each practice discussed by survey respondents and interview participants revealed the most important practices of effective leaders: (1) Sharing the Leadership; (2) Leading with Compassion; (3) Working Alongside the Group; (4) Communicating a Vision; (5) Initiating Creative Innovations.; While the aforementioned leadership practices may be effective in a multitude of settings and disciplines, the interviews with leaders in the field revealed the most important practices unique to leaders in writing programs: (1) Contributing Scholarship; (2) Mentoring Others; (3) Valuing Diversity; (4) Maintaining Classroom Connections; (5) Obtaining a Terminal Degree.; This study forms a basis with which to further the discussion and development of leadership as a faculty and administrative competence within university writing programs.