Table 1.

Demographic characteristics of study participants (N = 260).

Items	No	%
Age/years
Mean and SD	20.23 ± 0.901
Gender
Male	128	49.2
Female	132	50.8
Grade
Second	44	16.9
Third	128	49.2
Fourth	88	33.8
GPA
Mean and SD	3.96 ± 0.633

First-year nursing students were excluded from the sampling frame due to limited clinical exposure (<6 months), which would compromise the validity of leadership competency self-assessments. Third-year students represent the modal category, corresponding to Benner’s (27) “competent” developmental stage, characterized by conscious, deliberate planning and increasing leadership responsibility.