Chair Perceptions of Trust between Mentor and Mentee in Online Doctoral Dissertation Mentoring

Linnea Rademaker

doi:10.24059/olj.v20i1.605

Abstract

We explored online dissertation chairs’ perceptions of trust in the mentor—mentee relationship, as trust was identified as a crucial factor in the success of doctoral students. Through the implementation of a multiple-case study, and a qualitative, online questionnaire, and through qualitative data analysis, we discovered 16 chairs’ perceptions of trust and that student vulnerability is an important part of the relationship that chairs consistently work to alleviate. Findings point to the importance for chairs to establish trust through feedback, consistency, and personal connections with students. Second, chairs perceived student vulnerability to include both students’ discussion of their academic skills (or lack thereof) and their willingness to share personal information. Chairs were very resourceful in enacting strategies to alleviate all types of student vulnerability, including recognizing student strengths and pointing to the positives of vulnerability and by offering scholarly resources for students to develop their academic strengths.

Highlights

Trust is an essential component in high-stakes relationships (Hunt, Brimble, & Freudenberg, 2011). Tzafrir and Dolan (2004) defined trust as a multifaceted construct comprised of harmony, reliability, and concern
Trust in mentor–mentee relationships has been researched in numerous business settings, including client–planner relationships in financial planning (Hunt et al, 2011), human resource practices and employees’ perceptions of quality of service within the healthcare setting
We indicated how many participants answered the questions we designed for each research question. All participants expressed their perceptions that building and maintaining trust was an important part of the online doctoral mentor– mentee relationship

Summary

Introduction

Trust is an essential component in high-stakes relationships (Hunt, Brimble, & Freudenberg, 2011). Tzafrir and Dolan (2004) defined trust as a multifaceted construct comprised of harmony, reliability, and concern. de Janasz and Godshalk (2013) found virtual mentoring effects on mentees’ learning and satisfaction to be equivalent to face-to-face mentoring. In both contexts the mentor–mentee relationship involves some amount of vulnerability, or exposure to potential harm. Lev, and Feurer (2013) identified mutual respect and trust as a key component to effective face-to-face mentoring, noting the vulnerability of mentees, and Leners and Sitzman (2006) noted that both mentors and mentees may be vulnerable in the online environment

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Discussion

Conclusion