Reconceptualizing Mentorship for the 21st Century: A Systematic Mapping of Research in School Psychology

Abstract

Given school psychology’s longstanding workforce shortages, mentorship may be an invaluable mechanism for supporting current and future school psychologists. To advance the literature in this area, we conducted a systematic review of mentoring research in school psychology. Through a comprehensive search of peer-reviewed scholarship, we identified 16 empirical studies published between 1988 and 2020 that directly examined mentoring. We then performed a qualitative thematic synthesis of their findings. Results indicated several benefits of mentoring, including support for mentees’ career planning and psychosocial well-being. All studies were cross-sectional, and the majority did not consider the intersection of race and ethnicity with mentoring experiences; however, several described barriers to mentoring for individuals with racial, ethnic, sex, and gender minoritized identities. Findings indicate a need for more methodologically diverse research that centers the voices of mentors and protégés from traditionally marginalized backgrounds. Implications for reconceptualizing mentoring research and practice are discussed. Impact Statement Between 1988 and 2020, only 16 published studies examined mentoring experiences and outcomes among school psychology practitioners, faculty, and trainees. A review of these studies revealed a variety of career and psychosocial benefits of mentoring; however, it also indicated racial, ethnic, sex, and gender inequities in mentoring experiences. Findings indicate a need for additional well-designed research that centers the voices of people with traditionally marginalized identities.