Global Research On College Student Leadership: A Bibliometric Review And Visualization Analysis (2016–2025)

Abstract

College student leadership has become a focal point in higher education as universities worldwide strive to cultivate graduates who are not only academically competent but also capable of leading in complex and dynamic environments. This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric review and visualization analysis of global research on college student leadership between 2016 and 2025, to map its knowledge structure, identify research hotspots, and explore future directions. Data were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases, yielding 441 international journal articles and 16 Chinese core publications. Using VOSviewer 1.6.20, we conducted co-authorship, keyword co-occurrence, and co-citation analyses to examine the intellectual landscape of the field. The results reveal four significant findings: (1) a steady increase in research output, with significant growth since 2020; (2) the dominance of the United States and China, accompanied by expanding cross-country collaborations; (3) research hotspots clustered around educational policy and equity, leadership in diverse contexts, student engagement and psychological factors, and digital leadership in hybrid learning environments; and (4) the intellectual foundation shaped by social cognitive theory, organizational behavior frameworks, and advanced quantitative methods such as structural equation modeling (SEM). This review not only consolidates fragmented knowledge but also highlights future research opportunities, including longitudinal studies, cross-cultural comparisons, and theoretical innovation. The findings provide valuable insights for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to enhance leadership development programs in higher education.