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1 – 10 of over 13000Judie Gannon, Sally Bonneywell, Colleen Harding and Sally Jackson
This chapter aims to examine the ways coaching and mentoring are currently leveraged to deliver leadership development in higher education institutions. By exploring the variety…
Abstract
This chapter aims to examine the ways coaching and mentoring are currently leveraged to deliver leadership development in higher education institutions. By exploring the variety of coaching and mentoring approaches and their deployment at different levels and across different institutions we are able to indicate opportunities for further enhancing leadership development in the sector through coaching and mentoring. The chapter examines peer-reviewed articles, sector reports and insights from key informants crafted into mini case studies. Mentoring emerges as a default approach to leadership development, in particular at early career stages and where inclusivity and diversity feature as part of leadership development programmes. Coaching is evident at the senior levels and offers a wider range of individual leader, senior team and organisational leadership development opportunities. Our cases highlight the range of responses and sophistication of coaching approaches and practices, from the highly embedded to other more piecemeal examples. The findings emphasise the importance of empirical research in this area to better understand and inform the sector of the wider benefits and opportunities of coaching and mentoring in supporting leadership development. Opportunities to support greater inclusivity and diversity in leadership should consider coaching approaches and practices too. This exploration of coaching and mentoring identifies why shifts towards coaching may be evident. It challenges those in the sector – researchers, people management and organisational developers, as well as senior leaders – to adopt more integrated and embedded coaching and mentoring initiatives to support the sector in addressing its current challenges.
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Bongi Bangeni, Carla Fourie and June Pym
Co-authored by three South African academics working in higher education development, this chapter uses the transition from professional practice to academic contexts as an entry…
Abstract
Co-authored by three South African academics working in higher education development, this chapter uses the transition from professional practice to academic contexts as an entry point into a discussion of transitions broadly. We reflect on the role of mentoring in supporting the multiple transitions which dual professionals navigate and what this means for the provision of inclusive, quality education (SDG 4) with a focus on higher education. In reflecting on this Sustainable Development Goal, we approach the topic of mentoring from a critical perspective which allows us to attend to the themes of power, access and equity that it invokes. The body of scholarship on the transition experiences of practitioners into academia has challenged the assumption that professional expertise translates into teaching expertise in the classroom. The opening vignette contextualizes this challenge. The vignette protagonist offers to support an academic colleague and approaches a mentoring expert to explore her guiding principles for mentoring within and beyond the classroom. The dialogue surfaces the need for mentoring that considers the various transitions that dual professionals navigate. We engage critically with international literature on the role and positionality of dual professionals in academia and reflect on selected concepts from this literature to highlight the importance of an adaptive mentoring approach for meeting academics in transition at their point of need. We offer a synthesis of literature on holistic approaches to mentoring, critically reflecting on how they enable inclusive quality education for the benefit of society.
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Cindy Olivier and Catherine Burton
The 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…
Abstract
Purpose
The 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/approach
A 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.
Findings
The 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/implications
The perspectives of mentors and faculty were not included. No comparative study with students who did not participate in the programme was conducted.
Practical implications
This research illustrates that it is possible to mentor large groups of disadvantaged and vulnerable students notwithstanding limited resources.
Originality/value
In 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.
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Andrea North-Samardzic and Michael Cohen
We examine the question of whether peer-mentoring programs in higher education develop leadership skills in student mentors.
Abstract
Purpose
We examine the question of whether peer-mentoring programs in higher education develop leadership skills in student mentors.
Methodology/approach
The various forms of peer mentoring are discussed, as well as the benefits that these programs can bestow on mentors. We then turn to a discussion of the relationship between peer mentoring and leadership, and place particular emphasis on implicit leadership theories and the research in this area. A case study of a large peer-mentoring program at an Australian university is undertaken and the various aspects of implicit leadership theory are examined in the light of comments collected from both mentees and mentors.
Findings
Evidence of implicit leadership skills of mentors was seen in the responses of mentees. However, the explicit treatment of leadership skills in the peer-mentoring program needs to be approached in a more deliberate manner if students are to benefit fully from the experience of mentoring.
Originality/value
While the results of this study were inconclusive, it does provide a basis for further inspection of leadership development within peer-mentoring communities.
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Angela Fitzgerald and Noeleen McNamara
The 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…
Abstract
Purpose
The 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/approach
The 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.
Findings
Six 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/implications
While 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/value
These 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.
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Sydney Freeman Jr and Frances Kochan
The purpose of this paper is to examine a long-term mentoring relationship between a White female from the Traditional Generation and an African American male from the Xennial…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine a long-term mentoring relationship between a White female from the Traditional Generation and an African American male from the Xennial Generation, as engaged in a mentoring relationship within higher education institutions in the USA. The study investigated if, how and to what degree the differences and similarities between them influenced their mentoring relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used an autoethnographic approach involving extensive questioning, dialoguing, note keeping and analysis over eight months.
Findings
The analysis suggested that race had the greatest influence on the relationship. The primary reasons for mentoring success were similarities in family backgrounds and commonly held values.
Research limitations/implications
This study may not be generalizable to mentoring relationships that do not involve cultural differences in race, age or gender.
Practical implications
The paper offers a model for the types of strategies individuals can use in cross-racial mentoring endeavors to help build and sustain these relationships. It also includes suggestions for individuals engaged in mentoring relationships, which include gender, race or age differences, and organizations seeking to enhance diversity within their institutions.
Originality/value
There is not an extensive body of research on individual cross-racial, gender and generational mentoring that provides an analysis of the experience of those involved. Additionally, the model presented for examining cross-racial mentoring relationships is unique.
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Kim Watty, Kaye Hilliar, Sophia Ji, Sonia Magdziarz and Melissa Simpson
Increasingly, academics new to higher education find themselves in a “publish or perish” environment, with little if any formal or informal support structures. This is a situation…
Abstract
Purpose
Increasingly, academics new to higher education find themselves in a “publish or perish” environment, with little if any formal or informal support structures. This is a situation that many academics have faced and lamented. The discussion in this paper emanates from the objective of seeking to change this environment. The mentoring provided an opportunity to work collaboratively with accounting academics who are new to the higher education sector, and focuses on developing and/or enhancing a scholarly approach to teaching and learning.
Design/methodology/approach
The reflective practitioner model provides the theoretical framework that underpins this mentoring process. The discussion in this research paper provides an opportunity to explore this mentoring process, primarily aimed at developing and encouraging a scholarly approach to teaching and learning by academics new to the environment. Data on the process were collected using a survey questionnaire and as a result of informal discussions during the mentoring process.
Findings
The findings indicate an overall positive response to the process for both the mentor and the mentee and the achievement of the planned research outcomes.
Originality/value
The discussion in this paper outlines a framework and process that others may follow when mentoring academics entering a “new” educational experience.
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Andrea M. Kent, Frances Kochan and Andre M. Green
The purpose of this paper is to identify and summarize the primary themes and issues examined in relevant international research dealing with the relationship between culture and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify and summarize the primary themes and issues examined in relevant international research dealing with the relationship between culture and mentoring. The focus is on formal mentoring programs for educators in primary and secondary schools and higher education settings.
Design/methodology/approach
The literature surveyed covered the direct and indirect impacts of culture on mentoring in primary, secondary and higher education settings. Manuscripts were organized around the topics of teacher education, teacher and leader development, and higher education. A thematic synthesis approach was used to summarize the findings.
Findings
Findings indicated that research on cultural aspects of mentoring in education has focused on three primary themes: cultural aspects of the mentoring relationship; the impact of organizational structures on mentoring programs and relationships; and the manner in which ethnicity and societal beliefs relate to the purposes and structures of mentoring.
Research limitations/implications
There is a lack of research that deals specifically with the manner in which culture influences mentoring programs and relationships.
Practical implications
It is vital for those involved in developing mentoring programs and relationships to be culturally aware of and sensitive to cultural dynamics in order to counteract and overcome possible barriers to success.
Originality value
Fresh insights are offered into the research that has been conducted within these educational settings. Areas and topics are identified where research is lacking and recommendations for future research that would enlighten the field are presented.
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Bill (W.E.) Boyd, Katrina Alexander, Margie Wallin, Warren Lake, Rob Cumings and Rachel Callahan
This chapter describes an undergraduate peer-to-peer mentoring program, UniMentor, at a regional Australian university, which aims to support students in equity groups. Key…
Abstract
This chapter describes an undergraduate peer-to-peer mentoring program, UniMentor, at a regional Australian university, which aims to support students in equity groups. Key benefits identified are: enhanced retention rates; improved academic performance; and strengthened social networks. While the focus is on commencing students (mentees), significant positive outcomes for third-year mentors are also apparent. Internal and external challenges that may influence access to mentoring among students include shifting institutional support and roles and curriculum change. Enablers include training, clarity of purpose, strong support networks, and fostering student sense of ownership. The effect of disciplinary culture on uptake and effectiveness of mentoring is also important. Overall, the program compares well against published frameworks of successful student mentoring. Nevertheless, critical questions remain regarding the effectiveness of general versus targeted mentoring programs for students in equity groups.
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Karen B. Etzkorn and Ashton Braddock
This study identifies (1) differences that exist between junior and senior faculty in their beliefs about the impact of mentoring; (2) interest among tenured and tenure-track…
Abstract
Purpose
This study identifies (1) differences that exist between junior and senior faculty in their beliefs about the impact of mentoring; (2) interest among tenured and tenure-track faculty in participating in a mentoring relationship and (3) the extent to which faculty perceive mentoring as a critical component of the track to tenure.
Design/methodology/approach
Across a multicampus system of higher education, 1,017 faculty responded to an anonymous online survey that included both quantitative and open-ended items (response rate 51%).
Findings
Although all faculty perceive mentoring as valuable, there are significant differences among junior and senior faculty in their beliefs and perceptions about mentoring, as well as their participation in mentoring relationships.
Research limitations/implications
All five participating campuses operate in the same state under the same governing board, so the findings are not necessarily generalizable to other institutions or populations of faculty.
Practical implications
To support effective mentoring, it is necessary that higher education organizations institutionalize mentoring and develop a purposeful program in which they train/support mentors and allow for flexibility; it is also critical to solicit input from the faculty at various stages.
Originality/value
This study considered multiple aspects of tenure from multiple institution types within a system of higher education. Furthermore, this study compares junior and senior faculty perceptions and outcomes, which few previous studies have done.
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