ASSESSING ESCAPE ROOMS AS A TEACHING STRATEGY FOR LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT

This study examined escape rooms as a teaching strategy for developing four leadership competencies associated with communication. The results indicate that escape rooms are an effective teaching strategy for communication competency development in leadership education. One hundred and five participants engaged in an escape room experience followed by a discussion focused on the competencies. The findings indicated a significant positive change from pre-test to post-test in all four student leadership competencies measured, including verbal communication, listening, advocating for a point of view, and conflict negotiation. Leadership educators should consider escape rooms as a pedagogical tool for competency development and may wish to explore alternative serious games to align with their learning objectives.