The study presents a comprehensive effort to create and validate a tool for assessing youth leadership competencies in Malaysia. Recognising the nation’s multicultural context and the growing importance of youth leadership, the researchers developed the Malaysian Youth Leadership Competency (MYLC) instrument through a multi-stage process. This included literature review, focus group interviews, expert panel validation, pilot testing, and a nationwide survey involving 541 youth.
The instrument identifies ten key dimensions of youth leadership: personal value, humanity, knowledge, faith, religious belief, sense, mind, integrity, honesty, and risk-taking. These dimensions reflect both cognitive and affective traits essential for effective leadership. The study integrates cultural and emotional intelligence theories, particularly drawing from Abdullah’s (1992) cultural leadership model and social-emotional learning frameworks.
Using exploratory factor analysis, the researchers confirmed the reliability and validity of the instrument, with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.833 to 0.946. The MYLC provides a robust foundation for future leadership development programmes and policy-making, aiming to nurture competent, culturally aware, and emotionally intelligent youth leaders in Malaysia.
