Although the term “Mentor” dates back to ….., mentoring in the field of education is a relatively new concept that has only gained in popularity since the late 1980’s ( Campbell & Campbell, 2007, p. 526). An attempt was made in 1988 to identify the roles and functions of mentoring in education and how undergraduate students perceive the mentoring experience. As the concept evolved and gained more acceptance more research studies attempted to conceptualize mentoring for both undergraduate and graduate students. There are many different views on what mentoring is, what it is not, what its goals should be, how it should be practiced, and by whom (Crisp & Cruz, 2009; Budge, 2006). This paper will discuss a 2009 literature review that was made
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They explain that most of the research between 1990-2007 on both faculty and peer based mentor models are qualitative, causing the definition to “emerge” from the results (p. 528). Since different studies come to different conclusions, different definitions emerge from the results. Crisp &Cruz (2009) explain that it is the researcher’s views and goals on mentoring that result in different study designs. To begin with, educational researchers seem to have different views as to who the mentor should be. The literature describes the mentor as a faculty member, a staff member, a graduate student, peers, friends, family or a religious leader. Since the dynamics are different within each mentoring relationship, and since the mentors view on what mentoring should may be influenced by his/her professional background and personal experiences, different perceptions and realizations will emerge from each relationship, thus affecting the definition of what “mentoring” is. Secondly, mentoring can be a formal or informal process. It goes without saying that it is difficult to measure and define an activity that occurs informally. Third, although some common definition should have emerged from qualitative studies, the external validity of many of these studies was limited because of small sample and/or homogeneous sample sizes, poor explanations regarding data collection and analysis …show more content…
526). Sixty-nine percent of the studies examined college undergraduates, 30% examined graduate students, and one study examined both undergrads and grads. Only a few of these studies were considered by Crisp and Cruz to be “methodologically rigorous”. The authors especially liked a 1997 study conducted by Campbell & Campbell on the effects of mentoring on minority students’ GPAs and retention rates. The results showed that minority students mentored by faculty members had higher GPAs and retention rates than non-mentored students. They were also twice as likely to remain in school than the non-mentored group. This same study was consistent with other methodologically sound studies in that frequent contact between mentor and mentee resulted in more completed credits and higher GPAs for the mentored versus the non-mentored groups (p.531). Another quantitative study that Crisp and Cruz considered to be methodologically rigorous was a longitudinal study conducted by in 2006 by Paglis et al. on graduate students studying chemistry, physics, and engineering. The results of this study showed that mentoring had a significant effect on productivity in graduate research and self-efficacy (p.
They explain that most of the research between 1990-2007 on both faculty and peer based mentor models are qualitative, causing the definition to “emerge” from the results (p. 528). Since different studies come to different conclusions, different definitions emerge from the results. Crisp &Cruz (2009) explain that it is the researcher’s views and goals on mentoring that result in different study designs. To begin with, educational researchers seem to have different views as to who the mentor should be. The literature describes the mentor as a faculty member, a staff member, a graduate student, peers, friends, family or a religious leader. Since the dynamics are different within each mentoring relationship, and since the mentors view on what mentoring should may be influenced by his/her professional background and personal experiences, different perceptions and realizations will emerge from each relationship, thus affecting the definition of what “mentoring” is. Secondly, mentoring can be a formal or informal process. It goes without saying that it is difficult to measure and define an activity that occurs informally. Third, although some common definition should have emerged from qualitative studies, the external validity of many of these studies was limited because of small sample and/or homogeneous sample sizes, poor explanations regarding data collection and analysis …show more content…
526). Sixty-nine percent of the studies examined college undergraduates, 30% examined graduate students, and one study examined both undergrads and grads. Only a few of these studies were considered by Crisp and Cruz to be “methodologically rigorous”. The authors especially liked a 1997 study conducted by Campbell & Campbell on the effects of mentoring on minority students’ GPAs and retention rates. The results showed that minority students mentored by faculty members had higher GPAs and retention rates than non-mentored students. They were also twice as likely to remain in school than the non-mentored group. This same study was consistent with other methodologically sound studies in that frequent contact between mentor and mentee resulted in more completed credits and higher GPAs for the mentored versus the non-mentored groups (p.531). Another quantitative study that Crisp and Cruz considered to be methodologically rigorous was a longitudinal study conducted by in 2006 by Paglis et al. on graduate students studying chemistry, physics, and engineering. The results of this study showed that mentoring had a significant effect on productivity in graduate research and self-efficacy (p.