International Journal of Islamic Thought (Dec 2014)
Ciri-Ciri Kepimpinan Pelajar Pintar dan Berbakat: Implikasi Ke atas Kepimpinan Remaja Islam
Abstract
Leadership is an important characteristic that enables Gifted and Talented Students (GTS) to assume responsibility in the near future. This study aims to examine the levels of leadership characteristic and identify the leadership characteristics profiles amongst GTS. A total of 171 students (93 from High School Gifted Students and 78 from the Pre-University Gifted Students) were involved in the study. The study employs a cross-sectional survey design and data was collected using questionnaire namely Student Leadership Characteristics Questionnaire (SLCQ). Data shows that GTS posses a high level of leadership characteristic. It is also found that collegiality indicates the highest score of the leadership characteristic, followed by leadership behaviour, influence competency, spiritual ethics, work relation, transformation and cohesion. Whereas, self-esteem, leadership efficacy, and visionary were among the average high and self-monitoring was the lowest leadership characteristic. The findings also indicated that female students possess higher leadership characteristics in comparison to the male students. Races such as Punjab and Bumiputra Sabah and Sarawak descend possess higher scores compared to the Chinese and Malays, whereas the Indians scored the lowest. Lastly, students from the High School Gifted Education Program possess higher leadership characteristics in comparison to the students from Pre-University Gifted Program. The study has proven that leadership characteristics were embedded in the GTS personality. The findings of this research provided a fundamental basis to be used in the future leadership education program for the gifted students and the leadership character development programs for Islamic youth in local school context.