The structural relationships among professor's servant leadership, faculty trust, learning flow, and adjustment to college life

Reducing the drop-out rates may be one of the major concerns in many schools including both secondary and tertiary levels. This study examines how professors’ servant leadership affects students.

A questionnaire survey was conducted amongst 4-year college students in Korea. The survey consists of 5 parts asking demographic information, servant leadership, faculty trust, learning flow, and adjustment to college life. To secure reliability and validity, confirmatory factor analysis was used. Frequency analysis, correlation analysis, path analysis, and mediating effect analysis were also carried out. The data were analyzed with PASW 18.0 and AMOS 18.0.

Professors’ servant leadership influences students’ trust in professors positively. Also, both professors’ servant leadership and faculty trust positively affect students’ learning flow. Students’ learning flow seems positively related to students’ adjustment to college life. The results indicate that professors’ servant leadership, students’ trust in professors, learning flow, and adjustment to college life influence one another. Therefore, it is fundamental to better understand the structural relationships among them to reduce the drop-out rates. Students’ learning flow is one of the important antecedents required to help students adjust to college life. Professors’ servant leadership plays important role to help students enhance their learning flow. Consequently, a variety of opportunities to train and enhance their servant leadership should be given to professors so that they can help their students find college life enjoyable and meaningful.

Professors’ servant leadership leads to enhancing faculty trust and learning flow, and ultimately helps students adjust to college life. Professors’ servant leadership plays an important role in assisting their students.