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Abstract

Universities in Africa are growing quickly, and leadership has become a key factor in shaping how students engage in their studies. In Cameroon, higher education is expanding, and students are facing new challenges of diversity, participation, and motivation. Even though leadership is recognized globally as important, little is known about how it directly impacts student engagement in Cameroon. This research digs into what makes students more engaged in their academic and campus life by looking at transformational leadership. Using ideas from Transformational Leadership Theory, the study uses a survey of 250 students to ask about their views on leadership practices and engagement. The answers are then analyzed to see how things like role modeling, inspiration, intellectual stimulation, and mentoring influence their involvement. The results show that transformational leadership has a very strong positive effect on student engagement, while demographic factors such as age, gender, and year of study had little impact. Students who see their leaders as inspiring, supportive, and respectful are more likely to be motivated, collaborative, and committed to their studies. The study basically says that universities in Cameroon should focus on developing leadership qualities in lecturers and administrators that inspire, guide, and challenge students. These findings give a clear understanding of how leadership practices shape student engagement in developing educational contexts and provide useful ideas for improving higher education management and policy.
Keywords: Transformational Leadership, Student Engagement, Higher Education, Cameroon, Leadership Practices.