The Developmental Mentoring Relationship Between Academic Women

Abstract

This exploratory study focused on the needs and attributes that female doctoral students, during their academic and professional careers, seek in mentoring relationships with female faculty. Two domains--personal and professional--were identified as essential components in the developmental mentoring relationship. As result, the Rheineck Mentoring Model was created. ********** Adult career development remains multifaceted endeavor, often beginning with the advanced educational process. Returning to graduate school for an advanced degree can represent time for both personal and professional transition. Mentoring can be an essential component in assisting the development of professional identity and is often considered the heart of graduate education (Kelly & Schweitzer, 1999, p. 130). Mentoring has been viewed as kind of framework providing structure, definition, and direction on how to negotiate career development for any profession. Cronan-Hillix, Gensheimer, Cronan-Hillix, and Davidson (1986) postulated that academic mentors improve student performance and research productivity, and Tenenbaum, Crosby, and Gliner (2001) reported that psychosocial support from mentors increases students' overall satisfaction with their graduate school experiences. Doctoral students begin the process of how to navigate the world of academia through academic experience and eventually understand that it is personal journey. The path from beginning doctoral student to professional colleague has been confusing for some. That path, when clarified and supported through positive mentorship, has allowed doctoral students to gain positive, confident levels of self-efficacy. The personal development of doctoral students can be enhanced by the mentoring relationship, especially if it begins early. Not all doctoral students have received positive and heartfelt mentoring. The first author observed many peers experiencing anxiety and stress related to their professional development throughout their programs. Those students tended to withdraw, did not present at professional conferences, were not engaged in research, and were not networking with other professionals. The purpose of this study was to validate the importance of the mentoring experience and to assist faculty and doctoral students in understanding and using this crucial component. THE MENTORING RELATIONSHIP FOR WOMEN Academic mentoring has been defined as simply as relationship that facilitates learning (McDade, 2005, p. 760) or as comprehensively as A developmental, caring, sharing, and helping relationship where one person invests time, know-how, and effort in enhancing another person's growth, knowledge, and skills, and responds to critical needs in the life of that person in ways that prepare the individual for greater productivity or achievement in the future. (Shea, 1994, p. 13) According to Gilbert and Rossman (1992), mentoring is typically conceptualized as developmental experience serving as relationship that enhances both individuals and is often divided into two domains. The first domain--personal--is relational in nature and centers around the notions of mutuality and enhancement (Gilbert & Rossman, 1992, p. 234). This domain assists the mentee in developing self-esteem and self-confidence. The second domain--professional--relates to career and assists the mentee through coaching (guidance and teaching), protecting, and networking. Whereas the professional domain operates on social system level, it is also personal in nature. The two domains interact to allow the mentee to enter and move successfully through the organizational structure (Gilbert & Rossman, 1992). Gilbert and Rossman constructed dual process that entwined two domains that were not mutually exclusive. They defined mentoring as a relationship between two people.. …