Mentoring Program For Students Research Articles

A qualitative study of mentors’ perceptions and experiences of a near-peer mentoring program for medical students

IntroductionDuring their academic studies, medical students may encounter a variety of challenging situations. It is no wonder that they have a higher prevalence of poor mental health than the general population. Mentoring programs have proven useful in promoting mental health in medical education. The study aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of medical students as mentors in a near-peer mentoring program.MethodsA qualitative study was carried out between March and April 2022 at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary. Five focus group discussions (FGDs) included 26 medical students who were enrolled as mentors in the mentoring program. The recordings were transcribed verbatim and anonymized. An deductive and semantic approach was adopted, and the data were analyzed with thematic analysis.ResultsThree major themes were identified: professional and personal growth and reflections on the mentoring experience. Mentors reported growth in social and practical problem-solving skills, self-confidence, psychosocial benefits, and both personal and professional development. The program had a great impact on students’ sense of self-efficacy, self-awareness, perception of their competencies, and adherence to their boundaries.DiscussionIn conclusion, the mentors strongly emphasized the professional and psychosocial benefits they perceived while participating in the mentoring program. Therefore, the experiences obtained during the mentoring are important milestones. Mentoring programs could greatly improve students both personally and professionally so that later, they will be the best possible professionals in the field of health care.

Reading Inside Out: A Resilience-Driven Mentoring Approach to Enhancing Reading Fluency for at-Risk Students of Color

This study investigated the effects of a mentoring program for atrisk students of color by integrating reading fluency instruction and resilience-building activities. Three 4th and 5th-grade students identified as having reading difficulties participated in the program, which involved college mentors providing one-on-one instruction for 30-40 minutes, two days per week, over 10 weeks. Resiliencethemed books were used during reading sessions to improve reading skills and resilience understanding. Data collection included pre- and post-assessments of reading fluency using the easyCBM assessment and the student resilience survey. Mentee interviews were conducted to gather additional insights. The easyCBM data of the three participants indicated that their participation in the mentoring program was effective in improving their reading fluency. The student resilient survey showed positive changes from preto posttest, implying the program’s effectiveness in enhancing students’ resilience. The outcomes of the study contribute to a deeper comprehension of the impact of mentoring initiatives coupled with resilience-focused reading instruction on at-risk students of color. Implications for future research are discussed.

Development and implementation of digital peer mentoring in small groups for first-year medical students.

Mentoring has become an important educational strategy in medical training. Peer mentoring (PM) can enhance student experience and support transition to higher education. This article documents the implementation of an online peer mentoring program for first year medical students at a newly founded medical school in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic and its development into in-person PM. We developed the program in close collaboration between students and teachers. Students were invited to apply as peer mentors via email; they received instructions and reflected on their role and experiences in meetings before, during and after the semester. One or more peer mentors were assigned randomly to a student group. We evaluated the program with an online survey inspired by the "Modified Mentorship Effectiveness Scale". After successful piloting PM was implemented into the core curriculum. In 2020 we assigned 17 peer mentors to 14 groups of 6-7 students. Groups met 3 or more times via Zoom®. Overall satisfaction was high. Both student groups reported benefits for their personal and professional identity formation. Atmosphere in online meetings was excellent. Most important topics were exams/learning strategies. In 2021 meetings were held in person. Overall satisfaction, perceived benefits and learning atmosphere were again rated very positively. Most students preferred many-to-many PM and random matching. The implementation of PM was successful and beneficial for the participating students. PM can help first-year medical students reduce anxiety, improve self-organization and orientation at university. It fosters identity formation and has positive effects on peer mentees as well as on peer mentors.

University-based Mentoring Program for School Going Gifted Students

ABSTRACTAcademically gifted students or high potential learners don’t feel challenged in regular classrooms. Teachers in schools are also note quipped with pedagogical interventions to meet the advanced learning needs of gifted students. Mentoring is considered an effective method to guide, motivate and optimize learning abilities of gifted students. The present paper discusses the process of developing a mentoring program for 32 gifted students in Science and Math who were selected through a two-tier identification process. Students were selected from three different locations in India and were invited to attend residential mentoring program in University of Delhi, Delhi. Students were administered Wechsler Intelligence Test (WISC) IV, Test of Intelligence and were closely observed during the mentoring session. Statistic alanalysis of WISC IV composite score and composite observation score indicated high positive correlation between the two scores and 93.75% students scored in top three categories of intelligence as specified in WISC IV score interpretation norm. Detailed qualitative analysis also helped to develop both learning profiles and a specific mentoring program for individual students.

Implementation of a faculty student mentor program and lessons learned

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to describe the creation and implementation of a faculty student mentoring program at an accelerated school of pharmacy, and to review ‘best practices’ relating to mentoring programs.

TEAMRO: TEAching Mentorship in Radiation Oncology, a Multicenter Prospective Phase 2 Intervention Study on Teaching Mentorship Skills to Residents Working with Medical Students

While formal curriculum on resident teaching have been associated with improved career growth and sustained positive impact on patient care, mentorship skills are rarely taught in academic medicine. We hypothesized that a formalized resident mentorship curriculum coupled with a near-peer resident-medical student mentoring program would improve resident career growth. A multi-institutional, prospective, phase 2 intervention study, approved by each participating center's institutional review board, was conducted from 4/2022-10/2022 among interested residents in the Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group Graduate Medical Education. Intervention included: 1) a 4-week mentorship curriculum (utilizing a Six Steps approach) composed of self-guided readings, didactic lecture, and 30-minute faculty check-in, and 2) a formalized 1:1 resident-medical student mentorship program during an existing radiation oncology sub-internship with weekly meetings. Resident participants completed the Mentorship Competency Assessment (MCA), a 26-item validated survey on mentorship skills in medicine scored from 0 (most unprepared) to 7 (most prepared) before and after the intervention. The primary endpoint was average change in MCA skill from pre- to post-intervention survey, with score ranges from -7 (a decrease in 7 points) to +7 (an increase of 7 points). A total of 8 residents participated and all completed pre- and post-intervention surveys. Most residents were PGY-4/5 (75%), from programs with >10 residents (68%), and did not have prior training in teaching (88%) or mentorship (88%). Residents met students on average twice weekly (range 1-3) for an average of 2 hours a week (range 1-5). After the program, most residents felt confident in being a future mentor to students (100%), their overall well-being was positively impacted (63%), and their mentorship relationships were positively impacted (50%). All 26 mentorship skills increased on MCA after intervention (average +1.3/7 per skill). Skills that showed greatest improvement were helping mentees network effectively (+2.6/7), acquire resources (+2.1/7), negotiate a path to professional independence (+2.0/7), set career goals (+1.8/7), and balance work and personal life (+1.7/7). Skills that showed least improvement were establishing a relationship based on trust (+0.4/7), identifying and accommodating different communication styles (+0.6/7), providing constructive feedback (+0.7/7), and aligning mentor-mentee expectations (+0.8/7). The formalized mentorship program improved mentorship skills among residents, translating to increased satisfaction in residents' own mentorship relations and overall well-being. Further studies are needed to assess the sustainability of these skills, as well as impact on career growth and satisfaction.

Future Learning Competency Extracurricular Program Operation and Performance Analysis

Purpose: This study has public value as it identifies the current status and problems of extracurricular program. It does so by analyzing the operation and performance of extracurricular program after selecting them based on the results of student needs analysis. Additionally, it verifies whether participation in extracurricular program has an effect on self-efficacy and suggests implications for future program design and activation.
 Method: Data collection was conducted by surveying students in the science department of O University in the Seoul metropolitan area, and analysis methods included frequency and percentage, exploratory factor analysis, reliability testing, correlation, and regression analysis. The research questions are
 1. How is the selection of extracurricular program based on students' needs analysis? 
 2. What are the results of the analysis of the operational performance of extracurricular program?
 3. Is participation in extracurricular program effective in promoting self-efficacy?
 Results: Based on research question 1, the extracurricular program selected were the Creative Convergence Competition, the Foreign Student Mentoring Program, 5L DAY, and the 3D Printing Instructor Certification Course. According to research question 2, the creative convergence competition was able to develop core competencies outside the major and needed communication channels between departments. International student mentoring needed to strengthen the criteria for international students to participate in the program, and the 3D printing instructor certification course needed online lectures for theory and in-person lectures for practice. 5L DAY had the highest level of satisfaction among the comparison programs. According to research question 3, participation in the Future Learning Capability Program was effective in improving self-efficacy.
 Conclusion: The limitations of this study include that the research subjects are limited to the science departments of metropolitan universities, and the effectiveness of the “Future Learning Competency” extracurricular program is verified among the core competency-based extracurricular program of universities, and subsequent research requires subdivision by department and grade, and research on various factors such as learning effectiveness and satisfaction.

Pilot testing the SUCCESS peer mentoring program for students with concussion: the role of personas in mobile technology development

Purpose College students with concussion experience academic, cognitive and psychosocial challenges, yet frequently lack supports necessary for successful reintegration into school. Success in College after Concussion with Effective Student Supports (SUCCESS) is a virtual peer mentoring program designed to provide education, support and connection through a mobile application. The purpose of this study was to describe use of personas as components of mobile app development and conduct preliminary testing of SUCCESS using personas. Methods Personas were developed from case studies and portrayed by college students trained as fictitious mentees. Mentors were blinded to use of personas. Eleven mentors completed measures pre and post a 4-week mentoring cycle. Mentors and personas interacted in the app via chat, video calls and sharing of educational materials. Measures included the Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS); PROMIS Self-Efficacy; Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS); and a series of focus groups. Results Mentors suggested improvements to resolve instability of video calls, expand educational materials to address psychosocial functioning, and add structure to the mentoring relationship. Some preferences around communication, like groups chats and emoji keyboards, were not able to be addressed. As expected, PCSS scores were stable. DASS score (p = .04), especially depression (p = .03), decreased. PROMIS scores showed a trend towards growth (p = .057), although were not statistically significant. Conclusions Use of personas allowed technical challenges and program refinements to be addressed before including students with subacute concussion in testing. Although continued development will address enhancement of communication modalities preferred by students, future efficacy testing of SUCCESS is warranted.

The implementation and evaluation of a mentoring program for Bachelor of Midwifery students in the clinical practice environment

AimTo describe the implementation and evaluation of a midwife/midwifery student-mentoring program in one Local Health District in Sydney NSW Australia. BackgroundEvidence suggests well designed and supported midwife/midwifery student mentorship programs can make a difference to the clinical placement experiences and attrition rates of midwifery students. DesignIn the evaluation of the mentoring program, we used surveys, focus groups and individual interviews. MethodsEighty-six participants, including midwife mentors, midwifery students, non-mentor midwives and midwifery managers participated in the evaluation. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data, content analysis. ResultsThe mentoring program increased midwives’ mentoring skills and was beneficial to their professional growth and leadership skills. Students reported positive outcomes including someone to talk to, emotional support and a sense of belonging. Mentoring programs require structure, mentor training, organisational support and transparency. ConclusionThe mentoring program provided benefits to both midwifery mentors and students and demonstrated the value of a structured and supported mentoring program for midwifery students.

Nursing students’ experiences as academic and linguistic mentors – Practical participation-based action research

ABSTRACT Student mentoring is increasingly visible in professional practice, and in recent years, universities have integrated peer mentoring across different programs. To provide student mentors with appropriate support and contribute to the future development and success of student mentoring, it is necessary to investigate not only the benefits afforded to mentees but also student mentors’ perceptions of their experiences. This small-scale action research study was conducted with participants who were recruited from the academic language mentoring program for second language students in a Bachelor of Nursing program in Norway. Multi-stage focus group interviews were used to explore participants’ early experiences of being a mentor, mentorship activities, and the impact of mentoring on personal and professional development. The multi-step method is essential in practical action research because it creates both a space for reflection and dialogues on important themes and contributes to joint learning and formation of practical knowledge. Findings suggest that student mentors perceive their experiences as academic and linguistic mentors as highly relevant to their future professional role as nurses and their future role as mentors to colleagues and students.

From Mentorship to Success: A Tapestry of Experiences in the IEEE EMBS Student Mentoring Program

From Mentorship to Success: A Tapestry of Experiences in the IEEE EMBS Student Mentoring Program

Improvement of individual learning with mentoring programs for first-year undergraduate students.

This study presents a brief analysis of Spanish universities that promote mentoring programs with students. These mentoring programs are divided into different categories depending on the persons (faculty or students) involved in the process and their characteristics (for novice, senior, or international students). The case of the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria is presented, where first-year students from all undergraduate degrees are involved in an annual course where the core part is related to formal mentoring activities. This study analyzes undergraduate degree students' outcomes and results from 10 different degrees for a period of 4 academic years (from 2016-2017 to 2019-2020). This first analysis corresponds to students' activities and marks awarded on the assessment of the assigned mentoring tasks related to the competencies of critical thinking, proactivity, personal knowledge (with the objective of acceptance and improvement), and the ability to ask transcendental questions. Then, a reliable and valid survey, conducted every year to all senior students, was used to get feedback from students. After a quantitative and qualitative analysis of students' results, it was noticed that they become more confident in their studies when they engage in mentoring-based courses and sessions, and this benefits their lives. All this information led to the improvement of the mentoring process.

Fostering Future Professionals: A Review of the IEEE EMBS Student Mentoring Program

IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) is dedicated to fostering professional development for its student members. One of the primary ways that EMBS accomplishes this mission is through its student activities committee (SAC) student mentoring program.

A Case Study on the University-Life Mentoring Program for Chinese Students －Focusing on the Operational Case of S University

The purpose of this study is to analyze the cases of extracurricular activities for Chinese international students and to consider the effects that can be expected from these programs, as well as the points in need of consideration when it comes to their operation. To this end, we reviewed the implementation cases of the mentoring program for Chinese international students operated by S University’s Liberal Arts Education Center located in Chungcheongnam-do for two semesters of 2021, along with the participants’ perceptions of the mentoring program.To this end, the contents of the activities are classified based on the five areas of: ‘Academic Promotion’, ‘University Adaptation’, ‘Interpersonal Relations’, ‘Cultural Exchange’, and ‘Career and Employment’ according to the purpose of the extracurricular activities. Moreover, in order not to show any bias, an activity plan was prepared and group activities were carried out. As a result of surveying the satisfaction of the program’s participants upon their completion of the activity, mentors and mentees recognized that the mentoring program had a positive effect on Academic Promotion, College Adaptation, Interpersonal Relationships, and Cultural Exchange. Regarding the most difficult point concerning the mentoring activity, and the points upon which the most improvement might be made, the participants stated that there was a lack of publicity of the program, the mentor’s lack of knowledge about the major of the mentees, the lack of expansion among the group members, and the number and duration lack of activities.Based on the results of this analysis, this paper aims to make it easier for international students to access extracurricular activities when designing future mentoring programs, to assign mentors according to their mentee’s Korean level as well as to their learning characteristics, i.e., their majors, and to have the participants do a better job at introducing their own language and culture. It was suggested that activities that can improve mutual cultural competency through various exchanges should be developed. In addition, to create a virtuous cyclical structure that provides foreign students with opportunities to become mentors for foreign freshmen, and for the effective operation of the program, collaboration between professors, mentors, and mentees must be successful, ensuring that mentors and mentees can continue to communicate. Finally, this study shows that continuous and systematic extracurricular activities should be established.

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY OF MENTORING FIRST-YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS DURING PANDEMIC

The twenty-first-century lifestyle, ongoing technological developments, and complexity of work-life balance necessitate the youth to develop resilience and a positive outlook to handle challenges in life. In this context, higher educational institutions have a greater responsibility for student engagement, well-being, and holistic development. While universities/colleges are continuously working on developing effective student development programs, during the pandemic, the need for a robust mentoring program for first-year students became a necessity for their smooth transitioning into college life and holistic development. This case study explores the effectiveness of the mentoring program for first-year students which was initiated online as an immediate response to the pandemic situation.

Reconceptualizing Recovery After Concussion: A Phenomenological Exploration of College Student Experiences.

Typical measures of recovery from concussion-such as symptom scales, neurocognitive testing, or exertion measures-may not capture individualized experiences of concussion. This report examines how college students with concussion interact with and consider their recovery. Sixteen college students who sustained concussions while in college completed 40- to 75-min semistructured interviews. All were enrolling to become mentors in a peer mentoring program for students with concussion. Questions addressed experiences as a college student with concussion, life changes following concussion, and role of peers in recovery. Using phenomenological reduction, analysis focused on the phenomenon of recovery and motivation for participation in a mentoring program. Two main themes were found: (a) What Recovery Looks Like and (b) Gaining Perspective, Learning to Cope and Adapting to Change. Thirteen participants denied the label of "recovered" even though all had been deemed recovered and discharged from medical care. Instead, two subthemes emerged within What Recovery Looks Like: Ongoing Recovery and Reconceptualizing Recovery. Perceptions of recovery were influenced by effort, capacity, and resilience. In the second theme, students described strategies, resources, and supports used to cope with their injuries; most commonly used was emotion-focused coping. College students with concussion consider recovery as an ongoing process rather than a dichotomized condition. Student experiences may not be reflected in commonly used symptom scales or objective assessments. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21084925.

32355 Evaluation of a dermatology mentoring program for medical students

In dermatology, there is scant research exploring the mentorship of medical students. Our study evaluates the effectiveness of a mentoring program that paired medical students with dermatologists. The goals of the program were to give students exposure to the field of dermatology, provide them with dermatology research, and form connections with dermatologists. Interested medical students were paired with dermatology residents, attendings, and alumni. Pre- and postsurveys were administered to 13 participants.

Supporting Historically Underrepresented Groups in STEM Higher Education: The Promise of Structured Mentoring Networks

Although institutions of higher education have placed a large emphasis on increasing the number of underrepresented minority (URM) students matriculating in higher education, the disparities in STEM retention and graduation rates between URM and non-URM students emphasize the dire need for increased support to help URM students navigate challenges including stereotype threat, impostor phenomenon, and lack of social connectedness that disproportionately affect URM students in majority-dominated fields. Prior research has demonstrated that structured mentoring has the potential to generate substantial improvements in academic, social, and career outcomes for URM STEM students. In particular, network-based mentoring approaches that allow for students to receive both professional and peer mentoring, as well as the opportunity to mentor other students, have demonstrated success in this realm. In this article, we discuss how the current state of academia often fails URM STEM students and faculty, review literature regarding the ways in which structured mentoring approaches can alleviate barriers to success among URM groups in STEM fields, and offer recommendations regarding how academic institutions can successfully implement holistic student and faculty mentoring programs.

Effects of the SPARK Teen Mentoring Program for High School Students

This study employed a randomized controlled trial with pre- and post-intervention measurement to investigate the impact of the Speaking to the Potential, Ability, and Resilience Inside Every Kid (SPARK) Teen Mentoring program on knowledge of the principles of mind, thought, and consciousness; communication, decision making, and problem-solving skills; emotional regulation; and resilience. The SPARK program is a resilience-focused social-emotional learning program designed to promote youth resilience, emotional well-being, and academic success. Study participants included 396 9th through 12th grade students from four high schools. Random assignment occurred at the classroom level and resulted in 12 classes (n = 200 students) in the intervention condition and 12 classes (n = 172 students) in the comparison condition. Students in the intervention condition received the SPARK intervention while students in the comparison condition continued with the regularly scheduled school curriculum. Results revealed that levels of knowledge of the principles of mind, thought, and consciousness; communication, decision making, and problem-solving skills; emotional regulation; and resilience increased for students who received the intervention and either decreased or remained unchanged for students who did not receive the intervention. Results from this study provide initial evidence for the efficacy of the SPARK program with high school age youth and demonstrate the positive effects of the program on the development of emotional and interpersonal capacity required for pro-social behavior and academic success. Considerations for future program development and evaluation efforts are discussed.

Beginning Teaching: Pre-Service Teachers' Experiences with Supported Teaching in Schools

The quality of teachers depends on the standard of teacher education. Every teacher training program should include teaching practice. The experiences that pre-service teachers face during supported teaching are what determine the caliber of training they get. The study aimed to identify pre-service teachers' experiences during supported teaching in schools. The study was carried out with pre-service teachers on a Bachelor of Education program at a Ghanaian College of Education. The study used a phenomenology design and a qualitative approach. Convenience sampling was used to select twenty (20) level 100 pre-service teachers comprising 12 males and 8 females. Data was gathered through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Many of the experiences during supported teaching were related to classroom instruction. Participants also learned about inclusive pedagogy and became acquainted with the larger school community. Student-teachers also formed communities of practice and learned how to work together and share their experiences through peer collaboration. They also gained experience in teachers' professional characteristics and classroom management. Importantly, through supported teaching, they developed a positive perception of teaching as a profession. The study recommends that Colleges of Education should have a systematic mentoring program for mentors and students to use in supported teaching in schools. Mentors should get adequate training before student-teachers begin visiting partner schools.