Priority Factors to Support the Adaptive Mentorship Model in Higher Education

Abstract

In higher education, student mentors’ support significantly improves students’ confidence, satisfaction, and productivity and facilitates their personal and academic growth. This research aimed to determine the accompaniment factors that students at Tecnologico de Monterrey (Mexico) perceived as most significant to propose a mentoring model that adapts to each student by considering their progress in the academic program. To achieve this, we collected data from 1,686 students employing a Likert-scale assessment instrument whose reliability was proved by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The results indicated three factors that students identified as priorities of the student mentor’s work: their support in enriching their professional career (curriculum studied), their ability to solve problems related to student life, and their ability to listen and be emotionally available. The main development avenues of the student mentor were identified as knowing and connecting the university’s student life activities according to the individual’s interests, knowing the areas of development of the academic program, and having counseling skills.