**6. Conclusions and implications**

The study sheds light on the leadership styles students desire from their leaders. The study found that students preferred democratic (participative) leadership more than laissez-faire and autocratic styles. The study further found that senior students prefer autocratic leadership styles. We conclude that students' preference for democratic leadership behaviours stems from the need to create participatory environments where followers feel a sense of being part of the entire decision-making process. The study also concludes that increasing academic responsibilities might necessitate students' preference for autocratic leadership styles, as an autocratic leadership style could ensure that needs are met quickly without requiring too much time in decision-making. The Practical implications of this study are that student leaders of the student unions can identify and be flexible with the type of leadership orientations they lead with.

Moreover, student leaders can encourage staff to engage students depending on specific needs in collaborating with staff and faculty. The study, however, does not explore how different leadership orientations will improve students' welfare or otherwise, which contributes to a major limitation of the study. Although the study was conducted at the University of Professional Studies – Accra, its results will be beneficial to other student organisations, including the National Union of Ghana Students, Graduate Students' Association of Ghana, Teacher Trainees' Association of Ghana, University Students' Association of Ghana, Regional Students Representative Councils, and the National Association of Health Sciences Students of Ghana.
