About this Research Topic

Background

Leadership involves one having the ability to encourage, guide, and inspire others in achieving a goal or carrying out a mission. While this is the accepted definition, the concept is often viewed from a Western, traditional perspective. Leadership education programs (whether institutionalized or not) have usually focused on conventional ideas of leadership where one person guides or supports others. Social justice movements have emerged, with calls for equity, diversity, and inclusion and attacks on equity, diversity, and inclusion (Agarwal & Sen, 2022).

As a result, scholars have recognized that traditional views of leadership omit other ways in which leadership takes place, as well as through whom, such as via collaboration, interconnectedness, embodiment, cultural approaches, feminist approaches, grassroots movements, and more (Fisher & Robbins, 2015; Gambrell, 2017; Ladkin & Taylor, 2015; Nieto-Valdivieso, 2022). However, when these leadership topics are covered, they are often examined in a special topics course or specialized training that remains inaccessible to those external to the academy.

Through this Research Topic of Frontiers in Education, we believe that leadership education is 1) a form of social responsibility for those to practice it and teach it, and 2) is something that takes place in for-profit and nonprofit settings; therefore, it serves as a civic duty in which to better everyone in society. Leadership education and training should be accessible to all and incorporate various cultural frameworks and practices to comprise true leadership in a multicultural and multiethnic world. In this case, leadership education does not need to be free of traditional educational institutions but any dynamic where teaching and learning occur.

In imagining and reimagining what this concept looks like, we seek empirical and theoretical submissions addressing non-traditional leadership educational practices used for social responsibility. The following questions may help scholars consider this topic such as:

1. How can educators use leadership to empower marginalized populations?

2. What is our responsibility to make cultural forms of leadership education accessible to various communities? What does it entail?

3. How might Afro-centric theories of leadership education better society?

4. How could alternate theories of leadership education further education(al) progress/pedagogy/andragogy in a multicultural and multiethnic world?

Reimagining concepts in leadership education through empirical research is a valuable and forward-thinking endeavor, as it can help to address complex societal challenges. When thinking about leadership education as a form of social responsibility, topics/concepts may include, but are not limited to, leadership education within the following areas:

● BIPOC communities

● Adult education

● Community leadership development and engagement

● Feminist praxis and epistemologies within leadership education

● Queer of color, gender-queer, and trans studies

● African or Afro-centric theories and frameworks

● Disruption of traditional leadership practices

● Creativity and arts-based methodologies

● Reimagining Western leadership frameworks

The social responsibility of leadership education is multifaceted and extends beyond traditional educational practices. The social responsibility of leadership education encompasses a range of critical perspectives and actions that contribute to improving individuals, the community, and society. Therefore, our positioning concerning leadership education must meet the dynamism and significance of contemporary practices, theories, concepts, policies, and education methods.

The goal is to nurture the holistic development of educators and learners alike and create inclusive and equitable environments.

We seek manuscripts such as original research articles, case reports, case studies, policy and practice reviews, conceptual analysis, and curriculum, instruction, and pedagogy articles. Please consult the website for specific information on word length and formatting. To be considered for inclusion in the Research Topic, prospective authors must first submit an abstract of no more than 500 words (not including references) by January 8, 2024, that includes the following components. All submissions must be done through the website.

● Concept statement: What topics or concepts will be discussed in the article?

● Methods statement: What methods were used to explore the topic? For a methodological paper, discuss research methods; for a scholarly paper, discuss frameworks and or analysis.

● Conclusions and implications: What actionable recommendations will be discussed in the full article?

Authors selected to submit a full article for review will be notified by February 26, 2024.

Complete submissions for this special issue will be due May 24, 2024. The guest editors will review the abstract submissions and identify reviewers with relevant expertise to review invited articles.

The guest editors, Sydney D. Richardson (sdrichardson1@ncat.edu), Louis I. Bon-Ami (bonamil@uncw.edu), and Michele A. Parker (parkerma@uncw.edu), welcome and encourage interested scholars to contact them with queries related to the call before the January 8 deadline for abstracts. Other questions regarding submission can be addressed directly to the Frontiers in Education journal team.

Keywords: social responsibility, learners, leadership education, Afro-centric, marginalized population(s)

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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