Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to provide a qualitative case study analysis of the soft skill development of summer camp staff members at the Kentucky FFA Leadership Training Center and to look at whether or not the leadership development focus of the camp program had an increased impact on the development of the staff members’ leadership skills. For years, FFA summer camp programs have been developing the leadership qualities of FFA members and preparing them to take on leadership roles for the upcoming year. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with former Kentucky FFA summer camp staff members from 2008 to better understand the experiences they had as camp staff members and how those experiences may have impacted their soft skill development. Themes of five types of experiences and seven soft skills developed as a result of the interview responses. The participants’ summer camp employment led to personal growth of soft skills. While the participants did report an increase in multiple soft skills because of their camp staff experiences, they did not consistently indicate a greater development in their leadership skills as compared to their other soft skills developed.

Year manuscript completed

2018

Year degree awarded

2018

Author's Keywords

soft skills, summer camp, FFA, agricultural education

Dissertation Committee Chair

Brian Parr

Committee Member

David Allen

Committee Member

Randal Wilson

Document Type

Dissertation

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