Mentoring Dyads Research Articles

Understanding Professional Identity Through Pedagogical love: A Case of a Mentoring Dyad in Turkey

In this article, how a mentee’s developing professional identity is reflected in the use of pedagogical strategies is explored through the mentor teacher’s lens. Although mentoring relationships have traditionally focused on improving mentee teachers’ teaching repertoire, unstructured affective processes involved as a result of the mentoring relationship have received limited attention. As being mentored to teach is intrinsically an effective process, this study situates the mentee’s use of pedagogical strategies as a reflection of the developing professional identity within the pedagogy of love framework. Within the scope of the framework, how the mentee teacher utilizes her understanding of the pedagogical authority of the mentor teacher to develop her professional identity is reflected in the transformational role of pedagogical love. The mentee teacher steps into a self-actualization journey in which empathy, building trusting platforms for learning, and developing novice teacher intuition during the novel pedagogical encounters take precedence.

Mentoring: Shaping the professional identity of the academic internal medicine hospitalist.

Burnout and lagging academic productivity are pressing challenges in hospital medicine, leading to stagnation and attrition. Mentoring shapes professional identity formation and enhances faculty vitality and retention, but has not been optimized among academic hospitalists. We sought to explore how mentoring impacts academic hospitalist professional identity and to elucidate barriers to mentoring in the field. We conducted focus groups at three academic medical centers. Informed by social-constructivist theory of identity development, we coded deidentified data and performed thematic analysis. Thirty-one academic hospitalists participated with 1 to >20 years experience. Mentoring shaped professional identity formation in six core domains: choosing academic hospital medicine, identifying and focusing on an area of interest, progressing career, navigating work-life integration, staying in academic medicine, and becoming a mentor. Distinct models included dyadic mentoring, peer mentoring, organic mentoring, and mentoring teams, each with benefits and limitations. We identified nine key mentoring actions that influenced hospitalist professional identity formation and career development. Mentoring barriers included lack of time, awareness, and access to experienced mentors, as well as poor quality mentoring and mentor-mentee malalignment. Aspects of hospitalists' professional identity also posed barriers, including ambivalence around academic identity. Mentoring fosters academic thriving and retention in academic hospitalists. Access to effective mentoring remains lacking due to few senior mentors in the relatively new field of hospital medicine and reticence in academic identity, among other factors. Mentoring training, impact on underrepresented minority hospitalists, and integration into institutional culture should be considered for enhancing the career development of academic hospitalists.

Pluralistic ignorance and occupational choice: The impact of communicating norms on graduate students' career aspirations

AbstractOccupational choices at the early stage of one's career path are influenced by the real and imagined input of mentors. This research focuses on PhD advisors and the graduate students that they mentor. Each participant in that dyadic mentoring relationship holds assumptions about the beliefs of the other regarding the students' career preferences. We propose that, in the absence of discussions surrounding career goals in such relationships, pluralistic ignorance surrounding career norms may develop. PhD students may assume that their advisors prefer that students seek academic research positions; while advisors may assume students prefer academic research positions and may not bring up alternative careers. Three studies adopt a mixed‐method approach to investigate divergent experiences surrounding career discussions. Study 1A (N = 301 faculty members in STEM fields) features qualitative and quantitative data and found that PhD advisors have experience working with students whose career preferences did not align with their expectations, and report changing their mentorship approaches while maintaining rigorous training. Study 1B (N = 195 PhD students in STEM fields) features qualitative data and found that students, although generally comfortable discussing different career options with their advisors, report several concerns that deterred them from discussing nonacademic research positions. Study 2, an experiment designed to compare perceived with actual norms (N = 200 PhD students in STEM fields) revealed that such discomfort could be alleviated by making explicit advisors' support for diverse career options and actual career preferences. The present research provides insights about pluralistic ignorance with implications for having more holistic career discussions in dyadic mentor relationships.

Running a successful STEMM summer program: A week-by-week guide.

While some established undergraduate summer programs are effective across many institutions, these programs may only be available to some principal investigators or may not fully address the diverse needs of incoming undergraduates. This article outlines a 10-week science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) education program designed to prepare undergraduate students for graduate school through a unique model incorporating mentoring dyads and triads, cultural exchanges, and diverse activities while emphasizing critical thinking, research skills, and cultural sensitivity. Specifically, we offer a straightforward and adaptable guide that we have used for mentoring undergraduate students in a laboratory focused on mitochondria and microscopy, but which may be customized for other disciplines. Key components include self-guided projects, journal clubs, various weekly activities such as mindfulness training and laboratory techniques, and a focus on individual and cultural expression. Beyond this unique format, this 10-week program also seeks to offer an intensive research program that emulates graduate-level experiences, offering an immersive environment for personal and professional development, which has led to numerous achievements for past students, including publications and award-winning posters.

Peer Mentorship: Career Support in Full Bloom.

Peer mentorship, referring to interactions among colleagues at similar career stages for the purpose of bidirectional career development, is a powerful tool to promote personal and professional growth. While dyadic mentoring has traditionally been the norm in academia, the needs of junior faculty may span multiple domains that a single senior mentor may not be able to address. 1,2 A vibrant community garden of peer mentors can help to harvest ideas, encourage mutual collaboration, increase personal satisfaction, and promote career advancement.

The STAMPPed Initiative for Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Students.

As the demand for nurse practitioners increases to meet health care needs, pathways to facilitate the transition into specialty advanced practice nursing education must be developed. The STudent Advisor/Mentorship Program for Pediatrics (STAMPPed) program was an innovative strategy established to support graduate nursing students with little to no pediatric clinical experience who demonstrated an interest in becoming pediatric nurse practitioners. The program provided structured guidance and support from experienced pediatric nursing faculty through monthly group meetings and the formulation of one-to-one student-faculty mentoring dyads. Mentees found the program to be helpful and foster supportive relationships.

Intercultural Mentoring in Higher Education

Intercultural mentoring is increasing in higher education in response to diversification and globalization. While intercultural mentoring relationships experience unique challenges, it can be a development learning opportunity for both mentors and mentees. Therefore, the current article discusses the following aspects of intercultural mentoring relationships in higher education: benefits and challenges, recommendations for effective practice, the role of mentors and mentees in ensuring a successful relationship, and future research frontiers. Mentors and mentees in intercultural mentoring relationships, as well as formal mentoring programs with intercultural mentoring dyads, will benefit from the recommendations offered in the current article.

Thinking Outside the Dyad: Incorporating Cohort-Based Experiences into Mentorship

A benefit of the traditional one-to-one, hierarchical mentoring relationship is the individualized attention and guidance the mentor provides the mentee. This singular mentoring relationship can be effective but is not always sufficient in addressing institutional acculturation and meeting personal needs of the new employee. This paper discusses how an emergent mentoring program at Milner Library blended the dyadic mentoring relationship with cohort-based programming to create a space for participants to learn from colleagues across departments, share experiences, and consider psychosocial issues. These grassroots programming efforts have cultivated holistic engagement and renewed community.

Practical guidelines for development of a university-wide faculty mentorship program using a multimodal mentoring network model

Formal faculty mentorship programs are a practical and effective pathway to enable faculty success in teaching, scholarship, and service and to enhance faculty satisfaction. Although informal mentoring relationships benefit some faculty, formal faculty mentorship programs ensure equitable access to mentorship for female faculty and faculty from diverse, under-represented backgrounds. Formal faculty mentorship programs can utilize a variety of structures, each with their benefits and drawbacks. This article recommends a multimodal mentoring network model to harness the benefits of traditional dyadic mentoring, multiple-mentor mentorship, peer and near-peer mentorship, and topic- and affinity-based group mentorship and to confer the flexibility, adaptability, and support needed to best cater to the career and psychosocial needs of a diverse faculty. In addition to identifying a suitable program structure, creating a successful university-wide faculty mentorship program requires consultation with faculty of all levels, collaboration with multiple campus departments and stakeholders, and highly visible support from senior administrators. Successful implementation and maintenance of a multimodal university-wide faculty mentorship program also requires appropriate resources and incentives to build and sustain a culture of faculty participation. This article provides practical, evidence-based recommendations for the successful design and implementation of a multimodal university-wide faculty mentorship program.

Fostering a diverse mentoring dynamic in art therapy

A cross-cultural mentoring dyad that emerges from a more internally motivated, non-obligatory relationship has the potential to co-evolve into a collaborative awareness of diverse educational experiences, cultural perspectives, and critical examinations. We present our rationale and benefits for a successful mentoring foundation built on trust that was first initiated to discuss shared experiences of working with profoundly challenging forensic populations. The value of converging and diverging viewpoints between us, further informing a deeper examination and reflections on our own identities and dynamics of power, eventually evolved into a goal-focused endeavor such as writing and publishing. Ultimately, we emphasize the value of mentoring within and for the art therapy community, particularly to amplify diverse connections and learning, one relationship at a time.

Development and implementation of a novel peer mentoring program for undergraduate nursing students.

Given the dynamic and high-stress environment of nursing education today, the need arose for the development and implementation of a novel peer mentoring program to support undergraduate nursing students. Peer mentoring refers to a network of support in which a more skilled or experienced person serves as a role model for a less skilled person for professional development and personal growth. Peer mentoring provides a support system that encourages self-confidence and increases self-worth for both the mentee and the mentor. The undergraduate student peer mentoring program in a large, Southeastern United States, university-based, 4-year school of nursing was created in response to a desire for more support conveyed by upper-level nursing students. A model was developed whereby each incoming nursing student (Semester 1) would be paired with a senior nursing student (Semesters 3, 4, or 5). This mentoring dyad was then assigned to a faculty mentor who ensured that the mentoring relationship was functioning in accordance with established guidelines and provided support to both the student mentee and the student mentor. The first cohort was comprised of 20 mentoring dyads. Subsequent cohorts have ranged from 20 to 45 mentoring dyads. To date, over 300 nursing students have participated in the undergraduate peer mentoring program. Based on feedback from student evaluation surveys, both mentors and mentees appreciate and find value in the program. Approximately 93% of student mentors indicated that they would have appreciated such a program when they were first semester nursing students. Some of the challenges of navigating nursing programs are not related to lack of academic aptitude. Rather, other challenges, including lack of social support and soft skills needed to successfully complete the first and second semesters of nursing school. These are critical challenges that a peer mentor could help to meet.

Constellation Mentoring for University Soccer Players: A Case Study

Peer mentoring is a supportive relationship between a more experienced mentor and a less experienced protégé that has garnered attention in recent sport research. Moving beyond traditional mentoring dyads, constellation peer mentoring engages several mentors to provide support to a protégé, ensuring they have access to multiple perspectives and areas of expertise. We implemented a constellation peer-mentoring program with Canadian university student-athletes throughout their competitive seasons. Subsequently, we undertook an instrumental case study to explore participants’ feedback and the perceived benefits of the program. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we interpreted participants’ responses as indicative of traditional mentoring benefits, including reduced transitional stress, feelings of well-being, and feelings of satisfaction. In addition, we determined unique aspects of constellation peer mentoring, such as increased team cohesion, improved help-seeking, an environment that fostered relational mentoring experiences, and the need for leader training. Constellation peer mentoring presents a promising intervention for supporting student-athletes during career transitions.

A Culturally Sustaining Approach to Multimodal Literacies: Building from Students’ Funds of Knowledge in Field-Based Teacher Education

ABSTRACT This article examines a culturally sustaining approach to learning about and enacting multimodal literacy instruction that was developed during a field-based reading methods course for elementary preservice teachers. Despite a large body of work exploring preservice teachers’ learning about multimodal literacies, few studies have explored their experiences incorporating multimodal literacies from an explicitly culturally sustaining lens, nor examined learning about multimodal instruction in field-based settings. In this qualitative case study, we explore the ways in which one preservice teacher’s experiences in a field-based reading methods course impacted her conception of multimodal literacies and her understanding of the cultural and semiotic resources of diverse students. The findings detail the culturally sustaining, multimodal literacy instruction that emerged from a mentoring dyad of the focal preservice teacher and a second-grade multilingual student, the preservice teacher’s developing conceptions of multimodal literacy, and the conditions of learning that facilitated her teaching and learning.

Onboarding orientation for novice nurse faculty: A quality improvement pilot project

BackgroundNovice nurse faculty have a challenging time transitioning into academia, resulting in reduced satisfaction and retention. After conducting a thorough literature review, it was determined that formalized mentoring combined with professional development workshops could improve the transition into academia, thus improving the satisfaction and retention of novice nurse faculty. MethodsIn fall 2020, an onboarding orientation program for novice nurse faculty was implemented. The objectives included matching mentoring dyads based on similar interests and goals, developing mentoring guidelines, implementing the Department of Nursing (DON) Orientation Checklist, and providing five monthly professional development workshops with topics ranging from creating learning objectives to the promotion and tenure requirements. Five novice nurse faculty participated in the study, and each was matched with a mentor with similar goals. ResultsAfter 6 months of project implementation, overall faculty satisfaction dropped slightly from 4.1 to 4.0. A dependent t-test (p = 0.83) and Wilcoxon signed ranks test (p = 0.461) both indicated no significant difference in satisfaction post project implementation. Although, the results indicate the novice nurse faculty and mentors agreed that the program was effective and should continue. The novice nurse faculty reported that the DON Orientation Checklist, mentoring relationships, and professional development workshops contributed to their successful transition into academia. Retention was 100% 2 years after project implementation. One significant factor noted after program evaluation was conducted is that there should be regular meetings with mentors to support them in their role. ConclusionsThe onboarding orientation program for novice nurse faculty was an effective strategy to ease the transition into academia and maintain satisfaction within the role.

The CSE Mentorship Program: Opportunities for Giving Back or Benefitting from Experiences of Others

Do you have expertise in particular facets of editing and publishing that may be valuable to others? Do you need an outside perspective on your career path or a sounding board for ideas and challenges you have in your current position? Navigating a career in scientific editing and publishing can be tough, so the CSE Mentorship Program is designed to help make that path a little easier by connecting interested mentees with a veteran member of CSE. This article provides an overview for those unfamiliar with the program, focusing on how it works, what materials are used to kick-start a mentoring dyad relationship, and some feedback we have received from those who have participated in the program. It will highlight comments from mentors who are giving back by sharing their expertise with others and comments from mentees who describe the key benefits they derive from the mentoring partnerships. Developing the Program While serving as CSE President in 2017, I read an article advocating that professional organizations like ours should offer the opportunity for networked members with expertise in their careers to mentor more junior members who are actively building their careers. During this period, I was also working with other senior leaders at my own organization to set up a similar mentoring program for our in-house staff. I also reviewed mentoring programs that were being implemented by similar organizations and developed a mentorship proposal for the CSE board. Emphasizing that such a mentoring program would add value and opportunities to […]

Guiding Online Students in a Crisis: An Intervention for Mentoring Educational Leadership Doctoral Candidates

This pedagogical case focuses on the online mentoring of educational leadership doctoral candidates in a protracted crisis. Relevant theories and problems of practice in doctoral education are reviewed. The COVID-19 Dyadic Online Mentoring Intervention was a faculty mentor’s dyadic mentoring initiative for guiding 19 mentees’ social justice-oriented dissertations. Beneficiaries’ responses spanning 2020 to 2021 indicated that effective academic mentoring, progress, and success resulted from 10 online strategies they identified. The research-based support strategies and six-step intervention suggest positive impacts with electronically delivered mentoring that is culturally responsive. Takeaways and possibilities for university leadership faculties, doctoral students, and institutions are included.

Shifting Values and Voices: An Exploration in Holistic Mentorship Evaluation

The roles in traditional mentoring dyads are well known across both academic and professional contexts (Dawson, 2014). Despite the universality of these relationships, the way mentorship is evaluated in these relationships is fractured. Evaluation is limited to singular voices, singular points in time and simplified metrics to capture the journey and the unique experience of mentorship. These gaps push mentorship evaluation to try to encapsulate mentorship as a generalizable experience to satisfy metrics rather than acknowledging the dynamic complexity of these relationships. An exploration of current mentorship evaluation within the literature will highlight current limitations. These limitations allowed the authors to propose a new Co-Analysis model for evaluation that centers on shifting mentorship towards the values of partnership, flexibility, and holistic assessment. The model not only provides a universal pathway to improve any individual mentoring relationship, but also the opportunity for new voices to shape our understanding in future literature.

When does competitive psychological climate hurt mentoring? The moderating roles of mentors' job insecurity and trait competitiveness

Drawing upon conservation of resources theory, we examined when mentors' competitive psychological climate (CPC) may have a negative impact on the extent of mentoring support received by protégés. We identified mentors' job insecurity and trait competitiveness as two key moderators. Our hypotheses were tested using time-lagged data collected from 174 ongoing mentoring dyads. The results showed that mentors' CPC was negatively related to the extent of mentoring support protégés reported receiving when mentors' job insecurity was high, but the relationship was not significant when their job insecurity was low. A similar pattern was found for mentors' trait competitiveness as a moderator. As expected, mentors' CPC did not have a main effect on mentoring support received by protégés. We also found that mentorship formality did not affect these moderation effects. Furthermore, supplementary analyses showed that the hypothesized moderation effects on the three different types of mentoring support (i.e., career-related support, psychosocial support, and role modeling) were generally similar to those on overall mentoring received, but they also revealed several interesting differences. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Measuring outcomes of a successful mentoring dyad: A case study to optimize resources.

The Organization of Nurse Leaders of New Jersey has had a formal statewide nurse leader mentoring program since 2014 to develop leadership talent. Learn how a mentoring dyad helped them improve competencies in optimizing resource management.

Mentoring dyads in higher education: It feels lucky, but it's more than luck

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the formation, maintenance and sustenance of a mentoring dyad in higher education. By investigating the reflections of a female mentor and mentee, who both engaged in a formal Mentoring Program, the intention is to inform the design of future programs and expectations of participants, enhance the quality of future practice and understand the benefits mentoring might offer to the academic community.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers utilised a self-study research design to explore their reflections of a mentoring dyad in higher education. The project was informed by a personal–constructivist–collaborative approach, with participants maintaining journals throughout the partnership. These reflections were then compared in order to understand the perceptions of the participants as their relationship developed.FindingsSix themes emerged from the analysis representing the mentoring dyad experience under three categories: (1) forming – making the match, (2) maintaining – flexibility, responsiveness, and persistence, and (3) sustaining – desire to not disappoint and reciprocal learning.Research limitations/implicationsWhile this paper focuses on the experiences of two participants, the in-depth nature of this exploration draws out significant practical considerations that can be applied to the development and/or reinvigoration of formal mentoring programs and/mentoring dyads in other contexts.Originality/valueThese unique insights into their mentoring dyad over a significant period of time add to this dynamic body of knowledge. This study gives voice to female academics and lays bare their vulnerability and openness in sharing their lived experiences of participating in a formal mentoring program.