School-based Mentoring Program Research Articles

Be SMART: Promoting goal setting with students at-risk of early school leaving through a mentoring program

Mentoring programs are a very popular tool in educational contexts. Over the years, many schools have been using mentoring programs to improve academic adjustment and counter the disengagement of students at risk of early school leaving. Since 2016, the Portuguese Ministry of Education has implemented a universal educational policy focused on the implementation of mentoring sessions in public schools. This policy targets students older than 12 years old with multiple school retentions and diverse characteristics likely to place them at risk of early dropout. In the context of this policy, a school-based mentoring program to promote SMART goal-setting skills through the training of self-regulation was developed to be implemented with elementary and middle school students at-risk of early dropout. The 20-session program was implemented over two school terms. Throughout the program, we conducted a multiple case study to examine how students’ goals and SMART goal-setting processes may change after their enrollment in the mentoring program. Students’ goals were collected pre- and post-program through the fulfillment of life map diagrams. Post-program overall data indicated that most students set more academic and fewer non-academic goals. However, a granular analysis showed that a group of older students (17 years old) did not set any academic goal in both pre- or post-program moments; furthermore, only younger students (aged between 12 and 16 years old) integrated SMART characteristics into their academic goals. Limitations and future research directions, as well as implications for practice, are provided.

How to help students in their transition to middle school? Effectiveness of a school-based group mentoring program promoting students’ engagement, self-regulation, and goal setting

School transitions are labeled as challenging events in students’ academic paths likely to affect students’ development and engagement in school negatively. Grounded on extant research advocating the need to act preventively, school-based mentoring programs emerge as responses suited to provide students with developmental and instructional support during school transitions. Using a multivariate mixed-effects model for repeated measures quasi-experimental design, the present study assessed the effectiveness of a 12-session group mentoring program designed to promote fifth-grade students’ self-regulation, school engagement, and goal setting during their first school transition. Participants were 330 fifth graders in four schools randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions. Students’ self-reported measures were collected in four moments. Data were analyzed using a multivariate mixed-effects model for repeated measures analyses with two covariates (age and gender) and considering the students’ level of prior mathematics knowledge. Results indicated that participating in the group mentoring program led to improvements in all dependent variables. The effect size found was large considering all dependent variables simultaneously. However, when considered individually, the effect sizes were medium, small, or null, depending on the dependent variable. Lastly, and contrary to expectations, the effectiveness of our program was not influenced by students’ level of prior mathematics knowledge. The relevance of group mentoring programs in addressing students’ engagement and self-regulation needs is discussed. Future research and educational implications for designing mentoring programs are provided.

Can Nudging Mentors Weaken Student Support? Experimental Evidence from a Virtual Communication Intervention

This paper presents results from an experimental evaluation of an intervention designed to enhance virtual student support. During the 2019–2020 school year, randomly selected mentors in a school-based mentoring program received monthly reminders with tips for communicating with youth via text, email, and phone. Unexpectedly, the results showed that although the nudges did not impact the frequency of mentor outreach (student-reported), they reduced the rate at which students reached out (mentor-reported) and saw themselves as responsive to their mentors. Moreover, and possibly as a consequence, mentors who received the intervention felt less connected to students and less satisfied with their mentoring relationships, and treated students gained less than comparison students from the mentoring program as a whole in terms of their personal and attitudinal growth. The findings add important nuance to the evidence on how behavioral interventions in educational contexts operate. Although past studies find that nudges can support engagement in discrete tasks, these findings suggest that prescribing relational practices may be less effective. Thus, mentor supports must be carefully designed in order to yield the intended benefits for students.

Putting school-based mentors' experience into context: a mixed-methods cross-country comparison

PurposeCross-national research on cultural differences can help understand what drives, in differing contexts, mentors' commitment to school-based mentoring programs. This comparative study aims to explore whether adult volunteers, from Scotland and Italy, experience being mentors of vulnerable youth differently.Design/methodology/approachData from interviews (n = 20) and questionnaires (n = 114) were used to test hypotheses concerning volunteer mentors' perceptions of their role and abilities, as well as motives for participation. According to cross-cultural theories, Scottish mentors should be more likely to identify mentoring with establishing friendly relationships with mentees and promoting youth self-empowerment. They should also be more self-confident and value-driven as volunteers.FindingsDespite the mixed support for the assumptions concerning how the mentor role is conceived, Scottish mentors were less likely than Italians to doubt their abilities and more driven by other-focused and generative concerns.Originality/valueThe study reveals significant variations in how volunteers from countries featuring different welfare regimes and cultural orientations experience mentoring. The research advances the understanding of how culturally sensitive approaches can foster mentors' engagement.

Being a mentor in the digital era: An exploratory study of the benefits undergraduate student mentors derived from providing virtual mentoring to youth.

The purpose of the study was to understand mentors' perceptions of the benefits they derived from providing virtual mentoring to youth at risk of school failure and justice system involvement in an alternative school-based mentoring program. Using data collected from 38 university student mentors, we used a qualitative case study design focused on generating highly credible descriptions of mentors' perceptions of how they were affected by their experiences providing virtual mentoring. The three conceptual themes that emerged in our analysis were that virtual mentors described experiencing the following outcomes: (1) the reduction of biases and development of cultural humility, (2) the development of communication and leadership skills, and (3) a cultivation of civic responsibility and a sense of empowerment to make a difference. These findings suggest that providing virtual mentoring to youth may be one important tool for building competencies for undergraduate students.

New teachers' risk for stress: associations with mentoring supports

PurposeAlthough mentoring is increasingly hailed as one of the most critical components of US teacher induction programs, the corresponding research base has failed to provide conclusive support for the effectiveness of teacher mentoring.Design/methodology/approachCross-sectional data from the 2015 to 2016 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) was used to empirically evaluate the relationship between school-based mentoring programs and US first-year teachers' occupational stress risk. NTPS items assessing teachers' workplace demands, resources and mentoring experiences were used to examine associations between stress risk and mentoring supports received. Multiple regression analysis and chi-square tests of independence were conducted to answer the study's three research questions.FindingsMentor status and study covariates statistically significantly predicted teacher stress risk, with mentor assignment being associated with decreased stress risk. Findings also revealed teachers who were not assigned a mentor were significantly more likely to experience greater stress risk and when assigned mentors, teachers with greater stress risk reported significantly different mentoring experiences than did teachers with less stress risk.Originality/valueThe current study addresses common limitations found in research on teacher mentoring and occupational stress, including the use of local, small samples and the absence of a comparison group and control variables. The associations between first-year teacher mentoring experiences and stress risk have not been firmly established and the current study provides needed evidence to support that mentored first-year teachers are more likely to report lower stress risk than their unmentored colleagues.

Examining heterogeneity in mentoring: Associations between mentoring discussion topics and youth outcomes.

The current study aims to apply a staged approach to document heterogeneity in discussions in mentoring relationships, chiefly, discussion topics from weekly mentoring sessions with undergraduate women mentors (n = 40), then link each of the eight topics (relationships with friends, family, teachers, and romantic relationships, as well as goals, academic skills, academic problems, and hopes for the future) to developmental outcomes for middle school girls (n = 41) who participated in a school-based mentoring program. In doing so, the authors hope to better understand the mechanisms that influence variability in mentoring treatment effects.Mentoring dyads engaged in unstructured one-on-one sessions and structured group meetings across the 2018-2019 academic year. The primary predictors for this study are weekly mentor-reported discussion topics and activities addressed during unstructured one-on-one mentoring sessions, with 11social-emotional, academic, and behavioral outcomes measured via pre- and postsurveys administered by research assistants to mentees during the fall and spring.A series of 11path analyses indicate small to moderate associations, both beneficial and negative, between key discussion topics, such as hopes for the future, family relationships, and goals, and several mentee-reported outcomes of interest at the end of the intervention, including extrinsic motivation, life satisfaction, and self-esteem.Study findings provide information about heterogeneity in mentoring practices to inform how various mechanisms of mentoring (e.g., discussions focused on relationships, goals and skills, and strengths) influence developmentally-relevant effects for youth.

The role of family relationships in youth mentoring: An ecological perspective

Mentoring programs have historically focused on the relationship between the mentor and mentee as the primary means for supporting academic, behavioral, and social-emotional outcomes among youth participating in these programs. However, research also indicates that other significant relationships, like family relationships, are important in promoting positive youth outcomes. The current exploratory study takes an ecological approach by examining family relationships as a potential moderator of youth mentoring outcomes. Participants were adolescent girls who participated in a year-long, gender-specific, school-based mentoring program (n = 69), or served as controls (n = 59). Data were collected from pre- and post-intervention surveys. Multiple regression analyses tested for an interaction between participants’ family relationship characteristics and their intervention status on various social-emotional, academic, and behavioral outcomes. Results indicated that higher levels of family support significantly predicted higher youth academic plans, and lower family deviant beliefs significantly predicted fewer delinquent behaviors; however, the interactions between family and intervention status were not significant. Findings suggest that family relationship characteristics merit attention when seeking to promote youth outcomes. Implications include supporting ecological frameworks for mentoring by refining targets of mentoring interventions to consider the role of family factors.

A qualitative analysis of the utility of a competency framework for mentor training

ABSTRACT This study takes a qualitative approach to determining the potential usefulness of a competency framework for mentor training. Participants were 37 college women mentoring middle school girls as part of a school-based mentoring program. Mentors were trained using a competency model designed to help them navigate the nuances and challenges of forming a relationship with an unknown youth. As the first step in empirically evaluating the effectiveness of this approach, this study examines if and how mentors made use of this training in their relationships with their mentees. Findings suggest that mentors applied the competency approach in order to develop stronger relationships and overcome mentoring challenges.

Promoting mentoring relationships through joint decisions: Evidence from a national mentoring program.

School-based mentoring programs are one of the most popular types of prevention programs offered to support students' social-emotional and academic success. Because a high-quality mentoring relationship is thought to be a mechanism for improving youth outcomes, we investigated how mentor- and mentee-relationship quality develops over time. In addition, we examined how relationship development varied as a function of three approaches to selecting mentoring activities (i.e., mentor-directed, program-directed, or jointly determined). We used a random-intercepts crossed-lagged panel model to test how mentor and mentee reports of relationship quality developed over three time points across one school year. Data were gathered from 2014 to 2018 and included 47,699 youth (56% female; 51% Black or Hispanic) who participated in Big Brothers Big Sisters-which provides school-based mentoring services to youth across the U.S. Results indicated that mentors' positive appraisals of the mentoring relationships led to positive appraisals from the mentee at the subsequent time point. In addition, when mentors and mentees jointly determined activities, we found evidence that mentors' and mentees' positive appraisals at one time point led to positive appraisals at the following time point. These results suggest that school-based mentoring programs should consider ways to support joint decision-making among mentors and mentees participating in school-based mentoring programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Are you better off now? An investigation of perceived outcomes among teachers involved in a mentoring program

ABSTRACT This quantitative study examined mentees’ perceptions of the support they have received from a school-based mentoring program (SBMP) in which they have been involved for three years. The study involved 341teachers in seven schools that hosted the SBMP. The findings indicated that only 45.2% of participants ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that their mentors provided expected support. According to the findings, such a low level of teachers’ satisfaction with the program benefits may have stemmed from a high teacher-mentor ratio (56 for 1), limited mentor’s content knowledge, and time constraints. The study addresses the gap in the current literature on school-based mentoring practices when it comes to the language educational policies involving the use of English as a classroom language in postcolonial contexts. In particular, the study provides education decision-makers with a body of knowledge conducive to designing and implementing school-based mentoring programs that are likely to succeed.

More than fun and games? Understanding the role of school-based mentor-mentee match activity profiles in relationship processes and outcomes

• Mentoring relationships can serve as a platform to address youth challenges. • Activities engaged in by mentors and mentees may influence relationship outcomes. • A balanced approach to activities shows potential promise for relationship outcomes. This study investigated associations between mentor-mentee activities and relationship outcomes of school-based mentoring. Multigroup three-step latent profile analysis (LPA) assessed whether youth could be classified into distinct profiles based on their mentoring relationship activities, and whether these profiles were similar when taking into account youth academic success. Furthermore, regression analyses examined whether activity profile membership of mentored youth predicted youth relationship process outcomes. Participants (N = 1110) were drawn from a national, randomized longitudinal study of youth in Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring Programs. Multigroup LPA results indicated a two-profile model, labeled Balanced and Instructional based on varying engagement in mentoring activities. Descriptive analyses revealed no differences in youth, mentor, and program characteristics across groups. Controlling for these characteristics, mentees in the Balanced profile demonstrated more relational benefits than youth in the Instructional profile. Research and practice implications are discussed.

Web-Based Training for School-Based Mentors of Military-Connected Youth: A Multi-Phase Development Study.

This paper describes a multi-phase effort to develop a web-based training for adults serving as mentors in school-based programs for youth with a parent in the military. In Phase 1, we conducted focus groups with military parents to: gauge their receptivity to this type of supportive intervention, identify program features that would make the option of mentoring for their children more or less appealing, and identify specific training needs for adult volunteers preparing for the role of mentor to youth in this population. In Phase 2, we used an iterative process to develop the training protocol, including cycling through multiple drafts, creating a web-based platform, reviewing and incorporating feedback from various stakeholders, and then pilot testing the training with two groups of mentor volunteers as part of a school-based mentoring program for military-connected students. We report on what we learned from the military parent focus groups, including parent skepticism about the need for such a program, concerns about potential stigma, and the need for mentors to have some understanding of military culture. We describe how we used that information to develop a practical and accessible training module for volunteer mentors, especially those without a military background, who could be matched with military-connected youth.

The ups and downs of mentoring relationship formation: What to expect

The current study examines the development of formal youth mentoring relationships over time in a sample of female mentors. While benefits of youth mentoring have been shown across a variety of domains, research suggests that qualities of the mentoring relationship, including duration and satisfaction, are instrumental in determining mentee outcomes. Despite the central role of the relationship in mentoring, there is a paucity of research examining how mentoring relationships develop over time. Mentors were participants in a school-based mentoring program that is curriculum driven and includes both a group and a one-on-one component. Weekly reports of relationship satisfaction were collected from mentors. Multilevel modelling was used to analyze relationship quality over time. Relationship development was best modeled by a random-effects, random-slopes model. Satisfaction generally started high and grew slightly over the academic year. The intercept, slope and their interaction was not associated with mentee outcomes (e.g., mentee relationship satisfaction or peer self-esteem). This study is a first step towards understanding the developmental pattern of mentoring relationships as measured by mentor reports of relationship strength. Results from this study provide important information to aid in mentor training and to advance the mentoring field. Limitations of the research design include inability to make causal claims, small sample size, and lack of generalizability.

Improving Mentoring Program Fidelity through Ecological Consultation: A Community-University Partnership

ABSTRACT This article describes the process of ecological school consultation within a university’s place-based community engagement initiative. Within higher education, place-based initiatives are geographically specific partnerships between community organizations and a university. First, this article explains the collaboration between a middle school and a university-based consultant. Conceptual and practical contexts for the partnership, mentoring program, and consultation process are provided. Next, the article describes steps in the ecological consultation process, highlighting the consultant’s role in facilitating a problem-solving process and in advancing mentoring program implementation fidelity. The fidelity intervention increased mentor adherence to the program’s components (F(2, 531) = 16.861, p < .001), which were identified as being critical to the program’s potential to enact positive changes with students. Implications for school-based mentoring programs and recommendations for consultation are provided. Finally, strengths and limitations of this descriptive study and of the statistical methods (ANOVA) used to evaluate program adherence are discussed.

The Lived Experience of Professional Mentorship and Its Implications for School-Based Mentoring Programs

School-based mentoring (SBM) is an intervention that addresses the disengagement of “at-risk” youth. Currently, empirical evidence that SBM may help to stem youth disengagement remains largely inconclusive and inconsistent, and few studies have sought to examine the relational element of SBM. This article reports on a study that used a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology to identify and describe the constructs that constitute the lived experiences of two professional mentors working with young adolescents. The study’s analysis revealed the mentor–mentee relationship as the principal operative element of such programs and identified mechanisms for the successful generation of mentor–mentee relational quality.

A school-based mentoring program developing healthy behaviors of adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A pilot feasibility study

BackgroundStudies have reported that adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have a higher prevalence of obesity due to medication intake, poor diet, and physical inactivity. More importantly, they lack awareness and comprehension to prevent weight problems. Thereby, health-promoting practices should be offered in schools for adolescents with IDD. Objective/HypothesisThis pilot study examined the feasibility of a school-based intervention using the I Can Do It! (ICDI) national health promotion model to promote healthy behaviors of adolescents with IDD. MethodsA pretest-posttest design was employed. Fourteen adolescents (9 males, 5 females) aged 12–15 years (mean = 13.4, SD = 0.9) from self-contained classrooms completed a 14-week intervention (60–70 min/session) over 4-month period. Healthy behaviors were evaluated by body composition (waist circumference and BMI z-score), physical activity level and nutrition behaviors. ResultsBody composition did not change as a result of the intervention. The intervention increased the amount of time spent in physical activity, but not the frequency. In contrast, the children's water consumption did significantly increase after the intervention (d = 3.39). The amount of fruit and vegetables also significantly increased after the intervention, where only 7% reported eating these daily before the intervention and afterwards 86% reported eating fruits and vegetables daily (p < .0001). ConclusionsThe results demonstrate that it is feasible to conduct a goal-driven, mentor-based intervention in school for adolescents with IDD. While preliminary effectiveness results are promising, future research should focus on rigorously testing the effectiveness of the ICDI model and examining the programs long-term sustainability.

Risk, support, and reasons for wanting a mentor: Comparing parents of youth in community versus school-based matches

We explored differences between parents/guardians of youth participating in community- (CBM) versus school-based (SBM) mentoring programs sponsored by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada (BBBS-Canada). Assessed were demographic differences as well as perceptions of risk, support, and reasons for wanting a mentor. Participating were 131 parents of youth in CBM (n = 79) or SBM (n = 52) matches recruited with assistance from BBBS agencies. All data were gathered via an online survey. Compared to SBM parents, parents of youth in CBM matches were less likely to be married and were living in homes with fewer adults and fewer children. However, CBM and SBM parents did not differ on ratings of family risk or social support. For CBM parents, a top reason for wanting a mentor was the desire for children to have new experiences; for SBM parents, top reasons included seeking academic support for children and because one of their children had a physical disability or mental illness. CBM and SBM parents in this study were more similar than distinct, but differences that emerged have potential implications for agencies' efforts to involve parents in youth mentoring programs.

Risks and rewards of school-based mentoring relationships: A reanalysis of the student mentoring program evaluation.

In the United States, school-based mentoring programs are a large and widely funded form of mentoring. Despite widespread support, meta-analyses indicate that the effects of school-based mentoring programs are small. One hypothesis for these results is that school-based mentors are not able to develop a sufficiently high-quality relationship with mentees to produce the hypothesized positive effects. This study presents a reanalysis of a large randomized controlled trial of school-based mentoring and examines the estimated effect of mentoring as a function of mentee-reported relationship quality using a novel statistical approach. Although we found that average effect sizes were near zero and consistent with researchers' original findings, our findings also indicate that low relationship quality is associated with some harmful effects, particularly on misconduct, and that as relationship quality improves, so do effects. However, we found that this association decelerates and resulted in small, positive effects for some outcomes. These results suggest that that poor relationship quality may produce harmful effects and a strong relationship may not be sufficient to produce moderate, positive academic and behavioral outcomes in a school-based mentoring context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The Impact of School-Based Mentoring on the Academic Achievement Gap

This study examined data from the Institute of Education Sciences’ evaluation of school-based mentoring (SBM) programs to establish a causal relationship between SBM and reduction of the academic achievement gap between African American and White middle school students. Participation in SBM improved the academic performance of all students. The findings demonstrated a sizable increase in African American students’ grade point average as a result of same-race mentoring. Implications for school counselors seeking to reduce the achievement gap are discussed.