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Student Peer Mentors As A Navigational R
Student Peer Mentors As A Navigational R
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Introduction
Many undergraduate students travel through their university or college programs
with relative ease, graduating after the requisite three or four years with countless
papers, exams, and assignments completed. For these students, higher education
can be likened to a manageable stroll. For many others, however, the journey is
fraught with difficulties and obstacles, much like a challenging hike through dark
woods. Some of these obstacles can be insurmountable, and this leads to failure or
withdrawal: outcomes that are costly to both the student and the institution. Thus,
college administrators have long sought to identify the support mechanisms necessary
to improve the academic success, performance, and retention of their students by
providing them with the compass necessary for navigating ‘the woods’ of higher
education. Here I look at the role of student peer mentor as metaphorical compass
guiding undergraduates through their educational journey.
differential in experience and age compared to their protégés (Philion, 2005). According
to Kram and Isabella (1985), the peer-mentoring model can be a valuable alternative to
the traditional concept and practice of mentorship.
are more likely than their older counterparts to experience greater ‘uncertainty about
expectations and requirements’ of the university or college environment (ibid. 500) and,
as a result, may experience emotional difficulties that the mentoring relationship can
help alleviate.
Further, similarities between peer mentor and mentee may create the conditions
for a highly effective mentoring relationship. As Loots (2009) found, because senior
students have already ‘been through the mill’ (2009: 231) and probably understand
something valuable about their academic field or discipline and the important role
that support plays, their connection with new students makes them especially well
suited for serving as peer mentors. That is, in addition to providing information about
resources and services of potential value to the mentee, peer mentors may be able to
‘offer confirmation, emotional support, [p. 385 ↓ ] personal feedback, and friendship’
to a greater degree than would traditional mentors (Angelique, Kyle, and Taylor, 2002:
199). In fact, peer mentors may have more success than professionals at connecting
with struggling students, given that peer mentors can draw ‘upon their own immediate
experiences [and] … offer empathetic emotional support rather than just sympathetic
support’ (ibid.). Indeed, it may be the proximity and similarity between partners in a
peer-mentoring relationship that builds trust through establishing common ground, thus
fulfilling the psychosocial function.
Psychosocial support may be particularly important, given research that shows that poor
academic performance is rarely the reason for student withdrawal and that a perceived
poor fit between student and institution explains withdrawal in many cases (Finnie and
Qiu, 2009). Most withdrawals are associated with factors beyond failing marks, such
as lack of fit and loneliness and financial issues, and some of these may be mitigated
by enhanced psychosocial support. In fact, according to Mills, Heyworth, Rosenwax,
Carr, and Rosenberg (2009), one benefit of peer-mentoring programs is their capacity
for positively influencing what is referred to as ‘student fit’ by introducing students to the
culture and practices of their institution, encouraging participation in campus activities,
and, in general, supporting their transition to higher education.
Likewise, supportive relationships in university are one of the most important sources
of stress reduction (Tinto, 1993). Therefore, the mentor who provides psychosocial
support can help reduce the stress that a younger and less experienced student
Clearly, then, forming connections with others is a primary task for students to
undertake. According to Pascarella and Terenzini (1983), the effect of [p. 386 ↓ ]
integration on academic success is most powerful when both forms of integration –
academic and social – occur, but the two forms are also reciprocal in that they act as
a vehicle for integrating the other form. Further, Tinto (1998) suggests that while the
two forms of integration play different roles for students in various contexts – that is,
for some students it is social integration that matters most while, for others, academic
integration is most critical to persistence – when it comes to retention, academic
integration is more important.
Peer mentoring has been shown to stimulate the cultivation of both social and academic
integration. Tinto (1998) suggests that the shared experience of participants in learning
communities, such as those created through peer-mentoring relationships, helps
students develop a support network that not only connects them to their peers but
also more fully engages them in academic life. This connection, he argues, explains
to a significant degree why some students persist in their studies while others, less
integrated, withdraw.
Research on peer mentoring in higher education has shown that student satisfaction
and engagement, as well as persistence, can be enhanced through peer-mentoring
relationships because of the integration that such programs facilitate. For example,
Terrion and Daoust (2011–2012) evaluated a group peer-mentoring program, which
included a supplemental instruction component (a review of course material) called the
Residence Study Group Program (RSGP) for residence students registered in freshman
courses associated with high failure or attrition. The study compared final grades and
re-enrolment rates (i.e., whether the student registered at the university for the semester
following the research study) of students in these courses after controlling for personal
motivation. The researchers found that while those who participated in the RSGP did
not receive higher final grades than non-participants, they were more likely to persist
in their studies. While this peer-mentoring intervention did not have a significant effect
on grades, it contributed in many important ways to the academic and social integration
of first-year students, enabling connections to be made that are critical to persistence
beyond the entry year.
Regarding the issue of linkages forged with peer mentors, Sanchez, Bauer, and Saronto
(2006) studied the effects of a university freshman peer-mentoring initiative. They found
that students who were peer mentored reported greater satisfaction with their university
during the semester of the mentoring intervention and at the end of the following
semester. In terms of commitment and actual graduation rates, however, there was
no significant difference between the mentored and non-mentored students. Sanchez
et al. concluded that the mentoring intervention seemed to have a positive impact on
satisfaction and integration but not on academic performance indicators such as GPA or
graduation.
Peer mentoring thus fosters vital connections with other students that contribute to
social integration. In terms of academic integration, peer mentoring provides mentees
with extra help through reviewing material covered in class (particularly problematic
areas), answering questions, and providing feedback on homework and assignments.
In addition, peer mentors can offer course-related information [p. 387 ↓ ] (e.g., what
content to study for an exam). These activities have been shown in numerous studies to
enhance self-confidence, particularly if they are offered in an individualized format (see
Arendale, 1997, for a review).
Recently, there has been much discussion about the social capital concept since
Coleman (1988) introduced it as an extension of prior research on financial and human
capital. While financial capital describes a family's wealth or income and human capital
is measured by parents' education, Coleman defines social capital by referring to
its function, viewing it as a valuable resource that can be drawn upon for support,
information, access to opportunities, positive role modeling, and so on. Putnam (2000)
refined social capital to include the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that exist in
social networks.
Researchers have examined the impact of social capital on a range of health and
wellbeing indicators across the life span including healthy child development (Resnick,
Harris, and Blum, 1993), adolescent health (Hendry and Reid, 2000), family functioning
(Terrion, 2006), high school retention (Teachman, Paasch, and Carver, 1996), healthy
aging (Keating, Swindle, and Foster, 2005), and even neighborhood mortality rates
(Lochner, Kawachi, Brennan, and Buka, 2003). The consensus among these studies
is that positive human relationships function as an invaluable resource to those who
benefit from such connections.
In addition to contributing to these positive outcomes, Putnam (2000: 312) argues that
the value of social networks lies in part in the ‘enforcement of positive standards’ or
the modeling of desirable values and effective practices. Putnam refers to research
(conducted by such researchers as Pascarella and Terenzini as well as Astin),
suggesting that ‘involvement in peer social networks are powerful predictors of college
dropout rates and college success, even holding constant pre-collegiate factors,
including aspirations’ (ibid.). Further, as Packard (2004–2005) suggests, mentoring
as social capital for postsecondary students in the sciences influences the decision to
remain in one's program of study by connecting students with more senior students,
tutors, faculty members and professionals and thus to the science community,
reinforcing their commitment to be part of the broader community. Likewise, Roberts,
Clifton, and Etcheverry (2001) found that undergraduate students' perceptions of social
capital, particularly in [p. 388 ↓ ] the form of support from other students, had a positive
impact on the quality of academic experience and even grades.
In the university context, researchers have found that peer mentors gain confidence
in facilitating small group learning, a deeper understanding of subject matter, and
enhanced problem-solving skills (Topping, 1996). Terrion, Philion, and Leonard (2007)
concluded that the mentoring experience enabled peer mentors to establish and
maintain networks – fundamental to building social capital – with people throughout
the university, including other students, professors, and university administrative staff.
Research on student engagement (Chickering and Gamson, 1987) and integration
(Tinto, 1998) suggests that these connections contribute significantly to a positive
student experience.
For those students who do not find their own peer mentor, formal programs
administered by college and university support services are necessary. Programs such
as these provide formal peer mentoring whereby a structured relationship is established
between mentees and trained peer mentors who offer support and guidance. The
formal nature of these programs may serve to legitimize and publicize the service, thus
attracting students who might need the support but do not know to whom to turn for
help. Such programs can also enable collaboration with professors, administrators,
and other students who advise students in need of support in order to be able to make
effective use of mentoring programs.
[p. 390 ↓ ]
Group-based mentoring, such as the ‘study group’, is an approach where the peer
mentor leads mentees in reviewing and understanding course material. The study
group, also known as supplemental instruction (SI) (Arendale, 1997), may be offered as
one of a myriad of student support services in university residences to student athletes,
specific groups, such as international students, or a student body. Unlike programs that
focus on at-risk students, SI targets difficult courses, is open to all students within the
target population, and uses peer-assisted study sessions to supplement professors'
lectures. Study groups are most often offered to supplement introductory science,
engineering, and math courses, given the difficulty that many students experience
in these subjects. Through their interaction with the other study group members,
participants establish trust, form relationships, share information and resources,
and experience belonging. Sense of belonging is defined as a ‘subjective sense of
affiliation and identification with the university community’ (Hoffman, Richmond, Morrow,
and Salomone, 2002–2003: 228). This forms as students are integrated into the
academic and social spheres of the university, which has ramifications for retention and
withdrawal, particularly after the first year (Tinto, 1993, 1998).
To enable peer mentors to take on their role and hone these competencies, a training
program needs to be developed. One such service, a Peer-Mentoring Training Program
(PMTP) designed and implemented at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Canada,
enabled student peer mentors to develop skills and knowledge. While the immediate
goal of the training program was to facilitate peer mentors' capacity to support mentees,
the PMTP also furthered the mentors' own personal and professional development. As a
researcher at the University of Ottawa, I evaluated the PMTP (Terrion et al., 2007).
The PMTP began with a three-day intensive training workshop during the week
before the fall semester began and then continued throughout the school year with
ongoing training during the mentors' regular weekly staff meetings. All modules
featured an experiential, hands-on format designed to engage participants in a self-
reflective learning experience (Schön, 1987). According to Philion (2005), this reflective
practice allowed mentors to describe their mentoring practice in terms of its perceived
effectiveness while enabling them to adapt as a result of the learning process they had
experienced in training.
Regarding the impact of this training program, Terrion et al. (2007) reported that
participants demonstrated statistically significant learning in the competencies that
the training was designed to achieve. The least change was reported with respect
to establishing a helping relationship. On the one hand, we suggested that this was
not surprising, given that mentors were hired with the expectation that they already
possessed the interpersonal communication skills, based on previous experience and
personality type, required to establish and maintain a helping relationship. On the
other hand, we found it noteworthy, given that numerous studies have found that the
establishment of the helping relationship is one of the most important components in the
training of peer mentors (Baudrit, 2000; Mee Lee and Bush, 2003; Philion, 2005). We
recommended, therefore, that attention be paid to ensuring that this aspect of training
be well conceived and presented.
measuring short-term outcomes and long-term impacts can identify success markers,
lessons learned, achievements, ways for improving operations, and steps needed to
move forward (Mullen, 2008).
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