Understanding the Role of Cultural Competence in Peer Mentorship Programs for International Students: A Student Development Theory Perspective

Aim/Purpose: In this paper, we examine how first-year education doctoral (EdD) students in a peer mentoring program may be supported in the academic and psychosocial domains to increase timely degree completion, decrease attrition, and improve the EdD program for students and faculty. Background: EdD students often face unique trials based on academic, social, professional, and personal challenges that arise during their degree program. The paper addresses how peer mentoring programs may help students overcome these challenges while completing their EdD program. Methodology: To investigate the effectiveness of a peer mentoring program for students, we focused on a single case study of an EdD peer mentoring program with 11 first-year EdD students who participated in the program. Using mixed methods, we collected and analyzed data from pre- and post-surveys, individual interviews, and a focus group. Contribution: Few studies about peer mentoring programs for EdD students exist. This study is unique because it focuses on first-year EdD students’ perspectives and, unlike other studies on peer mentoring programs, peer mentors are defined as graduates of the EdD program or current EdD students who are further along in the program. Whilst many studies of peer mentoring recommend peer mentoring for new students, our findings suggest that in the case of EdD students, extended or later peer mentoring may be more beneficial. Findings: From the quantitative and qualitative data results, five themes related to mentee perspectives of the benefits of EdD peer mentoring program emerged: 1) receiving academic advice and program support; 2) focusing on the future; 3) receiving emotional support and work-life balance advice; 4) having an experienced and relatable mentor; and 5) needing more mentoring to derive benefits. While mentees reported positive feelings about the mentoring program, many expressed that they did not yet have a need for mentoring. Considering that most mentoring studies focus on early program mentees, these results present the possibility of a need for extended or later-program mentoring. Based on the data, we identified a need for additional research which focuses on determining the correct timing for EdD students to begin peer mentoring program since students take coursework during their first year and have not begun work in the dissertation phase of the program. Recommendations for Practitioners: Sustainability of peer mentoring programs can present challenges based on the time and needs of mentees, mentors, and faculty. Doctoral faculty should evaluate the benefits of an EdD peer mentoring program for mentees on a regular basis to ensure that the program effectively supports and guides mentees to degree completion. Recommendation for Researchers: Literature and research on the evaluation, impact, and value of peer mentoring programs for EdD students and first-year doctoral students are limited. Researchers could study further the perspectives of mentees in an EdD peer mentoring program throughout their degree program from taking coursework to writing a dissertation. The benefits of early-program mentoring in comparison to later-program mentoring could be investigated further. Impact on Society: Providing mentoring opportunities to EdD students may help them overcome academic, social, and emotional challenges, and in turn, allow more education leaders to successfully complete their EdD and use their education to improve their school communities. Future Research: Future studies should examine other options of mentoring programs for first-year EdD students and EdD students who completed their EdD coursework and are working on their dissertation. Longitudinal studies are also needed to track mentees’ progression throughout the program.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discover peer mentors’ perspectives of an education doctoral (Doctorate of Education) peer mentoring program implemented in a mid-sized public institution.Design/methodology/approachData from one focus group and an interview collected from peer mentors as part of a larger case study of mentors and mentees in a peer mentoring program for education doctoral students are presented. Four (n=4) peer mentors participated in a focus group (n=3) and an interview (n=1). Participants were asked about their perceptions of the program and their experiences as mentors.FindingsFour themes were discovered within the data: mentors relate to social, emotional and academic life balances of mentees, mentors provide support and reassurance to mentees, mentors guide mentees to focus on the future, and mentors gain personal and professional growth from the peer mentoring program. Results indicated that mentors believed that the program was helpful for their mentees and beneficial to their own personal and professional development.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations of this study include the small sample size (n=4) and the short period of time in which participants were asked to be a part of the mentoring program and reflect in focus groups and interview (one academic year). Implications of this study include the benefits of peer mentoring for both mentors and mentees alike.Originality/valueIn contrast to many other studies of peer mentoring programs, this peer mentoring program targeted scholar-practitioner students who were balancing full-time careers with their coursework and family lives. Thus, peer mentors focused more on career and work-life balance with mentees than mentors may in other programs, as well as finding benefit to their own professional development.

The assimilation process into American university life for many international students from China is often stress-filled due to vast differences in academic and socio-cultural backgrounds. With the double-digit growth in enrollment of international students from China in recent years, it is prudent for universities to determine the practices that support these students. Existing research suggests that social adaptation may be the most critical element for an international student's overall university success (Wang & Mallinckrodt, 2006). Additionally, in recent years, employing peer mentors as support for freshman college transitions has been a popular university strategy, since enlisting experienced upperclassmen as role models for new students has shown to produce improved academics, student satisfaction, and retention (Collings, Swanson, & Watkins, 2014; Hall & Jaugietis, 2010). However, little is known about how undergraduate Chinese-born students perceive and experience peer-mentored support while acculturating into an American university. This case study explores the impact of peer mentors on the acculturation of Chinese-born international students who participated in a supplemental developmental course during their freshman year. The BUSN T180 course provided peer-led and faculty-facilitated experiential activities during fall and winter terms, delivering additional opportunities for Chinese-born students to practice and explore key concepts while developing necessary student competencies. The following primary research question and sub-questions were explored: xi 1. How do Chinese-born undergraduate students perceive and experience peer-mentoring support while they acculturate into an American university? (a) How do Chinese-born undergraduate students describe the influences of their relationships with peer mentors? (b) How do peer mentors describe the influences of their relationships on Chinese-born undergraduate students? (c) How do Chinese-born undergraduate students describe the impact of peer mentors on their academic adaptation to their American universities? (d) How do Chinese-born undergraduate students describe the impact of peer mentors on their socio-cultural adaptation to their American universities? This research study was informed by student development, acculturation, and peer mentor theories. The researcher conducted 28 one-on-one interviews with Chinese-born students who participated in the BUSN T180 program during their freshman years, from 2013 through 2016. One-on-one and focus group interviews were also conducted with ten peer mentors who participated in the program from 2013 through 2016 to validate the student findings. Upon coding and analyzing data for emerging themes and recurring ideas, the following six themes related to how Chinese-born students perceived and experienced peer mentors emerged: 1) Instruction, 2) Valuable, 3) Foundational, 4) Friendly, 5) Influential, and 6) Responsive. The following results also emerged: 1) Most Chinese-born freshman undergraduate students valued the support they received from their formally assigned peer mentors. xii 2) Peer mentors' deliberate, specific instrumental guidance helped improve Chinese-born students' language proficiencies and guided their academic adaptations while mitigating acculturative stress. 3) Working closely with peer mentors, Chinese-born students were better able to orient to the university "system," navigate academic differences, and make meaningful college connections. Frequently, the skills and knowledge they acquired from their peer mentors served as a cornerstone for their successful college adaptations. 4) Working with successful, friendly, encouraging, and responsive peer mentors helped motivate engaged Chinese-born freshman students and provided them with a sense of ease while transitioning to their new academic environment. 5) Working in small groups led by peer mentors, students were provided a safe environment that enhanced learning and helped them develop meaningful language proficiencies. 6) Successful experiences and meaningful relationships with peer mentors provided students with a sense of academic and socio-cultural accomplishment, which helped boost their confidence. Recommendations for practical action are made for college administrators, student services personnel, advising staff, and college faculty from universities with significant Chinese-born student populations. The study concludes with recommendations for future research to include understanding how cross-cultural competencies can be expanded at diverse campuses, how attending high school in the United States supports academic acculturation for Chinese-born freshman college students, and the cross-cultural impact on peer mentors and student leaders who support international students.

Nurse anesthesia residents experience high levels of stress while being enrolled in a post-baccalaureate nurse anesthesia program. Elevated levels of stress have been proven to limit one’s ability to learn and commit new material to memory, all while inhibiting their academic and clinical performance. This study represents a quality improvement project that implements a Peer Mentorship Program (PMP) into a major University in the New England area of the United States. The study utilizes descriptive statistics to determine if implementation of a peer mentorship program can help to decrease nurse anesthesia resident’s stress, while simultaneously increasing academic and clinical performance. Data gathered by the investigators of this study was composed of a Critical Action Point Checklist (CAPC); a set of objectives that were meant to be completed by the participants in order to help run a successful mentorship program. Additional data was collected using a Peer Mentorship Reflection Questionnaire at the end of the study to receive feedback about the Peer Mentorship Program. 56% of participants agreed that the Peer Mentorship Program helped to decrease stress during the study and 83.4% of participants agreed that they would like to see the Peer Mentorship Program continue for future cohorts at their nurse anesthesia program. The findings of this study suggest that more Nurse Anesthesia Programs should work to incorporate a Peer Mentorship Program for their nurse anesthesia residents to help develop safe, high-quality anesthesia providers for the future.

University Studies, Portland State University's general education program, is now more than twenty years old; its leaders frequently answer questions from other higher education institutions regarding how the program takes high-impact practices to scale. In this article, three program leaders detail how University Studies' Peer Mentor and Senior Capstone Programs and one recently revised diversity learning goal demonstrate the opportunities and challenges of taking high-impact practices to scale. This article used published assessments of the program, experiences by current program leaders, and interviews from faculty members and peer mentors. Overall, the coauthors conclude that three dynamic qualities contribute to a scaling up of its programs and curricular initiatives: (1) focus on University Studies' aspirational goals; (2) interplay between scaling up and scaling inward—acknowledging the agency of its teaching and learning community to address challenges and effect change; and (3) collaborative and engaged leadership. These findings suggest that, contrary to notions that running a program of this scale only addresses budgets and staffing needs, University Studies adapts to change because it built a dynamic and aspirational framework across its general education program.

PurposeThe transition from school to higher education is a complex process. Peer mentoring is often used by institutions to facilitate this process. The purpose of this research, which was conducted at a South African university, was to determine whether a peer mentoring programme, which involved a large number of students and a limited number of mentors, could successfully assist students to adapt to the academic and psychosocial demands of university life.Design/methodology/approachA sequential explanatory mixed method design was implemented. In the first phase, a questionnaire was used to collect data to establish participants' experience of the programme. The findings from the questionnaire were used to inform the qualitative phase, in which the participants' perceptions of the benefits of the mentor programme were further explored by means of group interviews. The qualitative data were analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis.FindingsThe results indicate that a structured peer mentoring programme, in which a mentor works with up to 70 mentees in a group setting, can be a useful tool to assist with students' transition to university. The research found that the peer mentoring programme contributed to the students' academic, social and personal integration into the higher education environment.Research limitations/implicationsThe perspectives of mentors and faculty were not included. No comparative study with students who did not participate in the programme was conducted.Practical implicationsThis research illustrates that it is possible to mentor large groups of disadvantaged and vulnerable students notwithstanding limited resources.Originality/valueIn contrast to the existing literature on peer mentoring in higher education, which focuses on one-on-one or small-group mentoring, this research suggests that peer mentoring of larger groups can also play an important role in assisting students to transition to higher education. The description of the programme and the benefits students derived from it offer other institutions with limited resources some ideas about how a peer mentoring programme can be implemented.

High maternal-neonatal mortality rate in the East Nusa Tenggara Timur Province, Indonesia, has raised a concern about improving quality health care and prevention. A task force team consisting of the district health office and the corresponding hospital implemented an interprofessional peer mentoring for improving maternal-neonatal health initiative involving various health professionals and community members. This study assesses the effectiveness of the interprofessional peer-mentoring program in improving health-care workers' capacity and community members' awareness of maternal-neonatal health in the primary care setting. A mixed-methods action research was conducted to measure the effectiveness of the peer-mentoring program. The task force appointed 15 personnel to be trained as peer mentors for 60 mentees from various professions. Peer mentors' perceptions of knowledge and skills improvement were measured before and after the training program. A reflective logbook was then developed to document mentoring activities. Surveys and logbook observations were performed to measure the effectiveness of the 8-month peer-mentoring program. Mentees' capacity and perception were measured before and after the mentoring program. Quantitative data were analyzed using the descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon's paired-rank test, whereas open-ended responses and log-book reflection were analyzed using the content analysis. The peer-mentor training program improved peer mentors' knowledge and readiness from 3.64/5.00 to 4.23/5.00 (P < 0.001). Moreover, mentees viewed the program as effective in improving self-confidence and working capacity in maternal-neonatal health services from 3.47/5.00 to 3.98/5.00 (P < 0.001). Open-ended responses and a reflective logbook revealed that both mentees and peer mentors gained positive learning experiences. Seniority might become an obstacle to the mentoring process since peer mentors reported barriers in engaging elderly mentees due to seniority issues. The interprofessional peer-mentoring program was effective in improving both mentors' and mentees' knowledge, self-confidence, and working capacity in maternal-neonatal primary health services and experiential learning. Further observation of the long-term outcomes of the program should be undertaken.

ASPIRE! (Accountability and Safe-space to Promote, Inspire, Recharge, and Empower) is a peer mentoring group and peer/near-peer mentoring program established in 2016 by a group of seven early career clinician and non-clinician, research faculty. All founding members participated in the TRANSFORM KL2 Program at Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. In this short communication, we describe the origins of this peer mentoring group established to support these seven early-career KL2 scholars. We also provide a summary of the development of an institution-wide peer mentoring program, created by the seven members of the initial peer mentoring group. We highlight how being at similar career stages, coming from different institutional departments, and sharing common academic goals in a safe space may have contributed to the success of the peer mentoring group. Our individual successes and experiences demonstrate that peer mentoring can be a powerful tool for enhancing the early-career academic experience.

To the Editor: International students in U.S. medical schools face unique challenges. After enrolling in medical school, international students must strategically prepare for matching into residency programs that sponsor visas while engaging with meaningful extracurricular opportunities within the restrictions set forth by their student visas. As citizens of Nicaragua and Canada, respectively, who have encountered difficulties when finding answers to questions specific to our international status in undergraduate and postgraduate medical training, we suggest medical schools facilitate peer mentorship initiatives intended for international medical students. An important reason for this difficulty is the low number of enrolled international medical students in the United States. For example, of the 2020–2021 matriculating students to allopathic medical schools in the United States, only 131 out of 22,329 matriculants had a legal residence abroad. 1 In turn, medical schools may be relatively limited in providing nuanced, experience-based career guidance and support to their international students. Navigating the limited and different visa options for postgraduate training—in addition to identifying residency programs that even consider international applicants—can be challenging. This compounds the many challenges medical students face in general, including the uncertainty of matching to a residency program and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on each application cycle, setting up international medical students for a more complex journey in medical education than their U.S. peers. Given the few international U.S. medical graduates, and the limitations in career counseling for this population, there is a need for well-informed mentorship and guidance. Peer mentorship initiatives that connect international medical students with each other remain largely underused by medical schools. Although medical schools often offer peer mentorship programs in which more senior students provide academic advice and support to newer students, this approach is insufficient for international students who require guidance in the context of their specific situation. Instead, medical schools should proactively connect international medical students to each other across class years and, just as importantly, to their international alumni. Individuals who have navigated the many barriers present for international medical students in the United States are more likely to provide focused, experience-based support. Facilitating these relationships early in medical school may result in other benefits, including involvement with scholarship and research activities. Ultimately, international medical students in the United States have left their home countries and families to serve the U.S. people. Medical schools that admit international students should place value in using every possible tool to propel them to a successful career in medicine. Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank the deans of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University for supporting their medical training in the United States.

Many peer mentorship programs in academia train senior students to guide groups of incoming students through the rigors of postsecondary education. The mentorship program’s structure can influence how mentors develop from this experience. Here, we compare how two different peer mentorship programs have shaped mentors’ experiences and development. The curricular peer mentorship program was offered to mentors and mentees as credited academic courses. The non-curricular program was offered as a voluntary student union service to students and peer mentors. Both groups of peer mentors shared similar benefits, with curricular peer mentors (CMs) greatly valuing student interaction, and non-curricular peer mentors (NCMs) greatly valuing leadership development. Lack of autonomy and lack of mentee commitment were cited as the biggest concerns for CMs and NCMs, respectively. Both groups valued goal setting in shaping their mentorship development, but CMs raised concerns about its overemphasis. Implications for optimal structuring of academic mentorship programs are discussed.

Problem: Peer mentoring has long been accepted as beneficial in a multitude of fields, but there has been limited description or study of the way these types of relationships may benefit medical students. Peer mentoring may be helpful for 1st-year medical students; however, little evidence is thus far available on which aspects of peer mentoring provide benefit and what those specific benefits are. Intervention: This study examines the perceived benefits and satisfaction derived by 1st-year medical students from participation in a semi-structured, informal cross-year peer mentoring program. It further attempts to characterize the aspects of peer mentoring relationships that are seen as beneficial to 1st-year students. Data were collected on demographic information, frequency and type of contact with mentor, perception of mentor characteristics, perceived benefits derived from the relationship, and their overall satisfaction with the relationship. Context: First-year medical students at a large academic institution were surveyed on their experience in an informal peer-mentoring program with 2nd-year students serving as mentors. Mentors had minimal training. No mandatory agenda or limitations were placed on the type or subject matter of interactions. Outcome: Mean overall satisfaction with the peer mentoring program was 7.47 (SD = 2.45) on a rating scale where 10 is the most satisfied. Students reported that their peer mentors generally exhibited beneficial attributes and behaviors. Ratings of perceived benefits were somewhat more variable and generally lower. Predictors of four outcomes—overall satisfaction, perceived academic benefit, perceived nonacademic benefit, and perceived clinical benefit—were explored using stepwise linear regression with forward entry and backward elimination to retain the most parsimonious model. Expertise in areas of mentee need was a consistent predictor of all outcomes. Regular involvement with a mentor was a consistent predictor of perceived academic and nonacademic benefit. Demographic characteristics were generally not predictive of outcomes. Lessons Learned: Peer mentoring is perceived by 1st-year medical students to provide psychosocial and academic benefits that appear to be independent of and complementary to those derived from faculty mentoring. These benefits can be established with minimal expenditure of institutional resources. Peer mentoring efficacy may be increased by more deliberate matching methods and by training mentors in provision of guidance and feedback, though further study is needed.

Peer mentoring programs provide an opportunity for individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to learn, socialize, and work together in supportive and inclusive environments. In this study, we used a phenomenological research design to explore the impact of a college campus-based peer mentoring program on the experiences and perceptions of participating college peer mentors ( n = 13) toward high school students with IDD who were enrolled in a school-to-work transition program housed on campus. Using thematic analysis across four different data sources, we identified three main themes that peer mentors discussed based on their experiences in the program: (a) mentors’ personal development: constructing meaning of self, (b) mentee growth: perceived work and social impact, and (c) campus community benefits: normalizing disability. Peer mentors reported their own attitudes toward individuals with IDD were changed based on participating in the peer mentoring program and they observed improvements in their mentees’ personal and work-related social relationships. We discuss how these outcomes have impacted the peer mentors’ attitudes, career choices, and lives in general. We also provide implications for future research and practice regarding development and implementation of peer mentoring programs in the community.

People with systemic sclerosis (SSc or scleroderma), a rare chronic autoimmune disease, often face significant physical and emotional challenges. Peer mentoring, where someone with similar lived experiences offers guidance and support, shows promise in enhancing the well-being of recipients and may benefit individuals with systemic sclerosis. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and potential health effects of peer mentoring through a digital platform for people with systemic sclerosis. We conducted a one-group study to evaluate a 16-week peer mentoring program for people with systemic sclerosis. Mentors and mentees were matched by demographics and systemic sclerosis characteristics. Feasibility was evaluated using Orsmond and Cohn criteria: recruitment, data collection, acceptability, available resources, and participant responses to the program. Perceptions and usability of the peer mentoring program through a digital platform were assessed at week 16 (post-program). The health effects of peer mentoring were measured at baseline, week 8, and week 16. Five trained mentors and 15 mentees were enrolled. Each mentor was paired with 2-4 mentees. We found that peer mentoring through a digital platform was feasible, acceptable, and had good usability for both mentors and mentees. Mentees reported significantly less anxiety at week 16 (p < 0.001). Other improvements in fatigue, pain interference, depressed mood, and resilience were observed, but did not reach statistical significance. The peer mentoring program through a digital platform was well-received. Results provided preliminary support for the feasibility and potential health benefits of peer mentoring to enhance well-being in people with systemic sclerosis. Findings lay the groundwork for future peer mentoring research in systemic sclerosis.

BackgroundThe RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework is a useful tool for evaluating the impact of programs in community settings. RE-AIM has been applied to evaluate individual programs but seldom used to evaluate the collective impact of community-based, public health programming developed and delivered by multiple autonomous organizations. The purposes of this paper were to (a) demonstrate how RE-AIM can be operationalized and applied to evaluate the collective impact of similar autonomous programs that promote health and well-being and (b) provide preliminary data on the collective impact of Canadian spinal cord injury (SCI) peer mentorship programs on the delivery of peer mentorship services.MethodsCriteria from all five RE-AIM dimensions were operationalized to evaluate multiple similar community-based programs. For this study, nine provincial organizations that serve people with SCI were recruited from across Canada. Organizations completed a structured self-report questionnaire and participated in a qualitative telephone interview to examine different elements of their peer mentorship program. Data were analyzed using summary statistics.ResultsHaving multiple indicators to assess RE-AIM dimensions provided a broad evaluation of the impact of Canadian SCI peer mentorship programs. Peer mentorship programs reached 1.63% of the estimated Canadian SCI population. The majority (67%) of organizations tracked the effectiveness of peer mentorship through testimonials and reports. Setting-level adoption rates were high with 100% of organizations offering peer mentorship in community and hospital settings. On average, organizations allocated 10.4% of their operating budget and 9.8% of their staff to implement peer mentorship and 89% had maintained their programming for over 10 years. Full interpretation of the collective impact of peer mentorship programs was limited as complete data were only collected for 52% of survey questions.ConclusionsThe lack of available organizational data highlights a significant challenge when using RE-AIM to evaluate the collective impact of multiple programs that promote health and well-being. Although researchers are encouraged to use RE-AIM to evaluate the collective impact of programs delivered by different organizations, documenting limitations and providing recommendations should be done to further the understanding of how best to operationalize RE-AIM in these contexts.

The Hartford Gerontological Nursing Leaders (HGNL) formerly known as the Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity Initiative (BAGNC), in conjunction with the National Hartford Centers of Gerontological Nursing Excellence (NHCGNE), developed and executed a peer mentoring program beginning in 2011 to enhance both (a) the experience of newly selected scholars and fellows to the NHCGNE and (b) the ongoing professional development of HGNL members. The purpose of this article is to describe key strategies used to develop and execute the peer mentoring program and to present formative program evaluation. The program was launched in January 2011 with seven peer mentor and mentee matches. In June 2012, the peer mentoring committee solicited feedback on the development of the peer mentoring program and changes were made for the subsequent cohorts. An additional 12 matches were made in the following 2 years (2012 and 2013), for a total of 31 matches to date. We have learned several key lessons from our three cohorts regarding how to structure, implement, and carefully evaluate a peer mentoring program. Informal evaluation of our peer mentoring program noted several challenges for both peer mentors and mentees. Having knowledge of and addressing those challenges may increase the overall quality and effectiveness of peer mentoring programs and, in turn, benefit academic nursing by strengthening the faculty workforce. Findings from development and implementation of a peer mentoring program for gerontological faculty could lead to new and adaptable programs in a variety of clinical and education settings.