Lived Experiences of Senior High School Student Leaders: A Phenomenological Exploration of Leadership Development Via Civic Engagement

Student leaders have been experiencing leadership challenges and as civic engagement decreases, there is a need to strengthen essential leadership competencies. This qualitative study explored the experiences of senior high school (SHS) student leaders who had developed their leadership skills through civic engagement. To acquire a more comprehensive knowledge of their experiences with community-based initiatives, the transcendental phenomenological inquiry was employed. John Dewey's concept of experiential education (1938) suggests that the knowledge gained from these experiences would enhance leadership effectiveness. The social capital theory, formulated by Robert David Putnam (1993), asserts that civic engagement can be regarded as a manifestation of social capital. The study focused on five (5) SHS student leaders from San Francisco High School District I in Quezon City. Data were gathered through comprehensive interviews, observations, and Arts-based Data (photo) that will suffice the data gathering by adding relevant images about their experiences. Diversified participation was achieved through purposeful sampling, and ethical considerations were ensured for the involvement of minors. The study indicates that civic engagement activities boost leadership skills among SHS student leaders. Incorporating civic engagement into the academic curriculum and collaborating with teachers may improve collaboration, communication, public speaking, decision-making, empathy, and social awareness skills. The Department of Education may encourage student engagement and conduct future research on the long-term effects of civic engagement on leadership development.