Students as Protégés

Abstract

This study provides insight into the factors that influence satisfaction with an Internet-based practitioner–student mentoring relationship that is part of an undergraduate business school curriculum. Practitioner mentors are especially important because they can help student protégés learn the skills needed for their professional development, encourage the formation of professional networks, and enhance the protégés’ satisfaction with their education. In this study, we examine a number of factors that can potentially influence satisfaction with the mentoring relationship, including the protégé’s networking to find a mentor, protégé trust in the mentor, protégé self-disclosure, the level of protégé understanding of the mentoring program’s objectives, and how effectively the mentor serves as a role model. Hypotheses were tested through a structural equation model. The results showed that mentoring relationship satisfaction was positively associated with networking to find a mentor, trust in the mentor, protégé self-disclosure, protégé understanding of the objectives of the mentoring program, and the degree to which the protégé viewed the mentor as a role model. In addition, mentor trust was positively associated with the level of protégé self-disclosure. Implications for theory and practice are discussed, and recommendations on how to strengthen satisfaction with practitioner–student mentoring relationships are provided.