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Article
Publication date: 25 October 2023

Helen Frances Harrison, Elizabeth Anne Kinsella, Stephen Loftus, Sandra DeLuca, Gregory McGovern, Isabelle Belanger and Tristan Eugenio

This study aims to investigate student mentors' perceptions of peer mentor relationships in a health professions education program.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate student mentors' perceptions of peer mentor relationships in a health professions education program.

Design/methodology/approach

The design uses embodied hermeneutic phenomenology. The data comprise 10 participant interviews and visual “body maps” produced in response to guided questions.

Findings

The findings about student mentors' perceptions of peer mentor relationships include a core theme of nurturing a trusting learning community and five related themes of attunement to mentees, commonality of experiences, friends with boundaries, reciprocity in learning and varied learning spaces.

Originality/value

The study contributes original insights by highlighting complexity, shifting boundaries, liminality, embodied social understanding and trusting intersubjective relations as key considerations in student peer mentor relationships.

Article
Publication date: 31 March 2023

Connie Deng and Nick Turner

The aims of this critical review are to identify the mentor characteristics that lead to superior mentoring outcomes and to provide human resources development (HRD) professionals…

1305

Abstract

Purpose

The aims of this critical review are to identify the mentor characteristics that lead to superior mentoring outcomes and to provide human resources development (HRD) professionals with evidence-based suggestions for recruiting, selecting and training mentors to improve mentorship programme effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a critical review of existing quantitative research on mentor characteristics that have an impact on effective mentoring.

Findings

The authors identified five key categories of mentor characteristics linked to successful mentoring outcomes: competency in context-relevant knowledge, skills and abilities; commitment and initiative; interpersonal skills; pro-social orientation and an orientation toward development, exploration and expansion.

Research limitations/implications

There is limited research on the characteristics of ineffective mentor characteristics, exclusion of articles that used qualitative research methods exclusively and how technology-based communication in mentoring may require different characteristics. Most of the included studies collected data in the United States of America, which may exclude other important mentor characteristics from other non-Western perspectives.

Practical implications

To ensure that there is both a sufficient pool of qualified mentors and mentors who meet the desired criteria, focus on both recruitment and training mentors is important. Incorporating the desired mentor characteristics into both of these processes, rather than just selection, will help with self-selection and development of these characteristics.

Originality/value

Despite the ongoing interest in identifying effective mentor characteristics, the existing literature is fragmented, making this challenging for HRD professionals to determine which characteristics are crucial for mentoring relationships and programme success. Addressing this practical need, this critical review synthesises the research literature and identifies patterns and inconsistencies. Based on the review, the authors provide evidence-based recommendations to enhance the recruitment, selection and training of mentors.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 53 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 30 April 2024

Paul J. Jackson, Nicolette Michels, Jonathan Louw, Lucy Turner and Andrea Macrae

This chapter contributes to the scholarship of teaching and learning in extracurricular enterprise and entrepreneurship education. It draws on research from two annual ‘Business…

Abstract

This chapter contributes to the scholarship of teaching and learning in extracurricular enterprise and entrepreneurship education. It draws on research from two annual ‘Business Challenge Weeks’ (BCW) held at Oxford Brookes University in 2021 and 2022, in which teams of postgraduate students from three faculties worked on external client projects, supported by an academic mentor. It presents and discusses findings derived from a survey and interviews conducted after the second of these years. The chapter takes a transdisciplinary perspective, after Budwig and Alexander (2020), Piaget (1972) and Klein et al. (2001) and explores the relationship between this and the enterprise and entrepreneurship development pipeline set out by QAA (2018). It analyses the experiences of the three main participating groups engaged in the challenge weeks – students, external clients and academic mentors – and explores the organising challenges inherent in multiparty pedagogical initiatives. The chapter contributes to knowledge in this area by revealing and reflecting on the motivations and expectations of the three participant groups, the roles they played during the week and the outcomes they reported. It also expands understanding of transdisciplinary enterprise pedagogy.

Details

Extracurricular Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Activity: A Global and Holistic Perspective
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80382-372-0

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 March 2024

Abigail Newton, Megan Robson and Darren Johnson

Young offender mentoring programmes aim to support young people’s desistance from offending, but despite the importance, there remains limited exploration into mentor experiences…

Abstract

Purpose

Young offender mentoring programmes aim to support young people’s desistance from offending, but despite the importance, there remains limited exploration into mentor experiences of supporting the young people. This study aims to explore how a community-based mentoring intervention supports desistance in young offenders by understanding the mentor's experiences, with a specific reflective focus on facilitators and barriers to their work.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven mentors from Northumbria Coalition against Crime, a youth and community service. Interview transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, with external auditing conducted by the research supervisor.

Findings

Two superordinate themes resulted: “Factors for engagement” and “Personal experiences”, with participant disclosures reflecting professional reward and a sense of success. This was interwoven with “burnout”, emotional investment and challenges linked to barriers to effectiveness. Challenges included the young people having external negative influences, multiple individuals involved in a person’s care and the barrier of in person activities during the coronavirus pandemic. The clinical importance of mentoring programmes, implications for future working practice and research limitations are considered.

Practical implications

The clinical importance of mentoring programmes, implications for future working practice and research limitations are considered.

Originality/value

These findings contribute to understanding mentors’ experiences of working with young people in the community, offering critical insight into the mentorship and wider service dynamics. Furthermore, it provides an inaugural evaluation of the Northumbria Coalition against Crime services.

Details

Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-3841

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 November 2023

Mirit Rachamim and Lily Orland-Barak

This in-depth case study examined the mentor's role in mediating a culturally diverse community of student teachers-as-learners in the context of practice teaching in university…

Abstract

Purpose

This in-depth case study examined the mentor's role in mediating a culturally diverse community of student teachers-as-learners in the context of practice teaching in university teacher education in Israel. Specifically, it explored how the mentor's response to cultural aspects of learning to teach shaped the group's learning environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collection included 23 video-recorded meetings of the learning community and semi-structured interviews with all four participants.

Findings

Findings proposed six actions of the mentor that aimed at promoting an empathetic and supportive learning environment that encouraged collaborative talk around culturally diverse issues that surfaced during practice teaching. Implications for teacher education programs are presented and discussed.

Practical implications

The study offers a practical framework of tools (or mentor actions) that can help mentors to promote social interactions in culturally diverse mentoring conversational settings.

Originality/value

The study identified six actions that can serve as tools in mediating sensitive discourse to issues of diversity in communities of culturally diverse learners.

Details

International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6854

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 December 2023

Orna Schatz Oppenheimer and Judy Goldenberg

This article aims to present a unique dimension to mentor studies in that unlike most research that focuses on the novice-teachers-mentee, this study explores the influence of…

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to present a unique dimension to mentor studies in that unlike most research that focuses on the novice-teachers-mentee, this study explores the influence of mentoring on the mentors themselves. Two main questions were examined: “Which components of mentoring influence the mentors' professional development?” and “What is the differential impact of each of these components as they are internalized by the mentors?”

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 765 mentors completed a questionnaire composed of 47 multiple-choice questions and an open-ended question describing the contribution of mentoring. The survey thus generated both quantitative and qualitative data.

Findings

The results show three main components of mentoring that influence mentors' professional development in the following order: personal–emotional, didactic knowledge and systemic–organizational. The findings also illustrate how the mentors used a comparison process to develop their professional perception: first, by comparing their role as a teacher and their role as a mentor, and second, by comparing their own professional identity as a teacher with that of the novice-teacher.

Research limitations/implications

The implications of the study point to the importance of mentoring for mentors' professional development. Practical implications of this study encourage mentor training courses that combine a body of knowledge of theory and practice, as well as supervision and mentoring for mentors. It may be important for mentors to develop a professional identity as mentors that is distinct from their professional identity as teachers.

Practical implications

The implications of the study point to the importance of mentoring for mentors' professional development. Practical implications of this study encourage mentor training courses that combine a body of knowledge of theory and practice, as well as supervision and mentoring for mentors. It may be important for mentors to develop a professional identity as mentors that is distinct from their professional identity as teachers.

Originality/value

The manuscript attempts to explore the dynamic relationships within the mentoring process by investigating how mentoring impacts the development of mentors. It presents insights into the benefits of mentoring novice-teachers for the mentors themselves via analysis of a large-scale, nationwide study.

Details

International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6854

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 21 August 2023

Joseph Odhiambo Onyango

This study aims to document students’ supply chain solutions developed through the internship hackathon program. The study profiled innovative solutions developed by university…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to document students’ supply chain solutions developed through the internship hackathon program. The study profiled innovative solutions developed by university students in Kenya to solve health supply chain logistics challenges during and beyond COVID-19. This is done by exploring students’ experience in developing sustainable logistics and supply chain management capacity-building programs in a low-middle-income country (LMIC).

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a qualitative approach to explore the experiences and perceptions of students and mentors who participated in a hackathon program. The study followed a cross-sectional descriptive survey design, collecting data from the participants through online questionnaires. The data were analyzed and presented using thematic analysis and narrative techniques.

Findings

Findings provide preliminary evidence for narrowing the gap between theory and practice through a hackathon internship blended with a mentorship program. Assessment of this program provides evidence for developing solutions toward ensuring the availability of essential medicine in LMICs during a pandemic such as COVID-19 by students. The profiled solutions demonstrate a broader perspective of innovative solutions of university students, mentors and potential opportunities for a triple helix approach to innovation for health supply chain system strengthening.

Research limitations/implications

This original study provides evidence for advancing contribution to developing innovative solutions through partnerships between investors, universities and industry practitioners interested in mentoring students in the health-care supply chain during COVID-19 in LMICs. Specifically, contingency factors that affect the implementation of innovative programs during and beyond global pandemics such as COVID-19 by students’ innovators are identified, and implications for policy action are discussed based on the praxis of sensemaking.

Practical implications

This study examines a novel approach that combines internship, mentorship and hackathon projects for logistics and supply chain students in LMICs. The approach aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice and to create innovative solutions for essential medicines during and after COVID-19. The study urges more resources for supporting such programs, as they benefit both academia and industry. The study also argues that hackathon internship programs can help the logistics and supply chain industry adapt to the post-pandemic era. The study offers insights for investors, universities and practitioners in the health-care industry.

Originality/value

This study shows how to develop innovative solutions for the health-care supply chain during COVID-19 in an LMIC through partnerships between investors, universities and industry practitioners who mentor students. The study identifies the contingency factors that influence the success of such programs during and beyond global pandemics such as COVID-19 and discusses the policy implications based on the sensemaking praxis of the student innovators.

Details

Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, vol. 14 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-6747

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 April 2024

Thabang Donald Mokoena and Gideon Petrus van Tonder

This paper aims to determine the impact of mentorship on the development of self-directedness among beginner teachers in their initial years of teaching.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to determine the impact of mentorship on the development of self-directedness among beginner teachers in their initial years of teaching.

Design/methodology/approach

The researcher adopted a positivist paradigm to explore the situation of concern. Quantitative research was conducted, involving the collection and analysis of numerical data. Two closed-ended structured questionnaires were utilised, derived from the 40-item self-directed learning readiness scale (SDLRS) developed by Fisher and King, and a pre-determined questionnaire by Glazerman focused on the first-year teaching experience, induction and mentoring of beginner teachers.

Findings

Beginner teachers merely relying on the knowledge obtained from their studies is insufficient to achieve a satisfactory level of self-directedness when starting a teaching career. Most beginner teachers faced significant challenges in their early years of teaching due to the absence of mentoring support. In addition, most indicated that they resume their teaching duties and rely on their district for general support, guidance and orientation. Finally, the results have shown that mentoring positively impacts beginner teachers’ self-directedness.

Research limitations/implications

The first limitation was that this study was narrowed to one South Africa University part-time B.Ed honours students working as beginner teachers in different provinces at primary and secondary schools. As a result, the findings of this research might be interpreted by some critics as one-sided and not representative of the views of most beginner teachers in South Africa who are working. The second limitation of this study is the sample size. In this study, 222 responses were received. As a result, the findings of this research might be considered not representative of the target sample size.

Practical implications

The presence and effective implementation of mentoring programmes in schools can positively impact beginner teachers' professional development and retention during their first years of teaching.

Social implications

We contend that our research holds significance for international readership as it aims to garner attention towards potential research endeavours in diverse settings concerning mentorship programs for beginner teachers, specifically promoting self-directed learning. Our research offers opportunities to compare our findings with studies conducted in more comprehensive, comparative contexts and foster research possibilities in broader, contrasting contexts.

Originality/value

Based on the findings of this research, the availability and effective use of mentoring programmes would significantly affect beginner teachers' self-directedness, improve their retention rate and alleviate their teaching challenges. This study was the first research on the perceptions of the influence of mentoring on the self-directedness of beginner teachers.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 8 February 2024

Anne Margrethe Glømmen, Beate Brevik Sæthern and Rikard Eriksson

This study aimed to identify and describe how mentoring influences the mentor, by operationalising and specifying learning outcomes involved in mentoring.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to identify and describe how mentoring influences the mentor, by operationalising and specifying learning outcomes involved in mentoring.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used an action research approach, by uniting theory and practice to explore new ways of learning and evolve the field of practice in education. Thematic analysis was used to identify and organise patterns or themes that emerged from the data.

Findings

The results showed that mentoring changed the mentors' perspectives towards improved understanding, more flexibility and approval of other cultures. It seems that mentoring expanded the mentors' search for values, wishes and resources, including an awareness that our values, wishes and needs are more similar than different. Mentoring also seems to have improved the ability to reformulate, be flexible, strive to optimise user engagement and engage with people as they are, based on their own prerequisites.

Research limitations/implications

The low number of participants means the results cannot be generalised, and voluntary participation may have led to more motivated involvement and positive results.

Practical implications

This study shows that mentoring has had an impact on students' development of intercultural competence and cultural sensitivity through regular meetings with individuals from a different cultural background. Mentoring seems to have revealed insights into underlying prejudices and changed perspectives towards better understanding, thus increased acceptance of other cultures.

Originality/value

Search for similar studies shows a lack of research that operationalises and specifies the learning outcomes that mentors gain from being a mentor.

Details

International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6854

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2024

Rona Elizabeth Kurian

The developmental relation of informal mentoring within the organization could aid in tiding over the challenges that arise with change. The purpose is to explore the…

Abstract

Purpose

The developmental relation of informal mentoring within the organization could aid in tiding over the challenges that arise with change. The purpose is to explore the relationship between informal mentoring within the organization and change supportive behaviour to put forth a framework describing the catalytic and a priori role of informal mentoring within the organization in augmenting change readiness and facilitating change supportive behaviour for a successful organizational change.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on the appraisal theory of stress coping, the paper put forward a conceptual framework describing the mechanisms through which informal mentoring within the organization leads to change supportive behaviour among the individuals.

Findings

The conceptual model explains how informal mentoring within the organization develops optimism, resilience, self-efficacy and trust and facilitates change readiness among the individuals, which leads to change supportive behaviours in them. The paper also describes the influence of poor change management history and organizational identity threat on the relations.

Research limitations/implications

The paper explains the underexplored relationship between mentoring and change readiness. It also sheds light on the importance of exploring the micro-foundations of a macro-level phenomenon. Further research should focus on the differential effect of different forms of mentoring on change readiness.

Originality/value

The paper is developed based on the review of extant literature and applying the theoretical lens of appraisal theory of stress coping to the phenomenon. The paper explains the micro-foundation of the phenomenon and describes how informal mentoring would lead to a change supportive behaviour among the individuals.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 37 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

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