No abstract

No abstract

The aims of this study were to examine the mentoring and social network experiences of Latino youth during the high school transition. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine participants’ natural mentoring relationships before and after the transition along with the broader social networks of youth. A total of 32 Latino participants completed quantitative surveys before the high school transition and then participated in qualitative interviews 1 year later. Having a mentor at Time 1 predicted having a mentor at Time 2. Findings revealed three mentoring groups: participants with mentors at both time points, participants with a mentor at one time point, and nonmentored participants. Participants who had mentors at both time points had rich and varied social networks, whereas participants in the other two groups had limited social networks with little support. Implications and future directions for mentoring research and programs are discussed.

Little research exists that examines natural mentoring relationships (NMRs) during the college transition. We examine the role of parental attachment and help‐seeking behaviors in students’ development of new NMRs and the role NMRs have on students’ outcomes. Included in the study were 215 first‐year students at a large, urban, private university. Participants completed surveys at the beginning (Time 1) and at the end (Time 2) of the school year. We used structural equation modeling to test a hypothesized model that included predictors (i.e., attachment to parents and help‐seeking behaviors) of NMRs and social and academic adjustment in college. Findings show a path relationship connecting the attachment to parents to help‐seeking behaviors, and then to the number of reported NMRs. Help‐seeking behaviors mediated the association between attachment and NMRs. The number of NMRs is associated with higher social adjustment, but not academic adjustment by the end of students’ first year of college. Based on these results, we discuss the theoretical implications of newly formed NMRs and provide guidance for institutional interventions targeting first‐year college students to assist with transition challenges.

This longitudinal study uses an ecological framework to examine school and individual influences on academic achievement among African American and Latino students with and without disabilities who had recently transferred to more inclusive schools. The authors' ecological framework includes four domains: organizational policies and practices, school environment, student-school connections, and psychological symptoms. The authors tested a comprehensive model with 111 students from 16 schools over 3 years, as well as an organizational model with a smaller sample. Organizational policies and practices of inclusion and student-school connections of belonging each predicted higher academic achievement, and psychological symptoms of aggressive behavior predicted lower academic achievement across time. Their findings are consistent with and extend existing research through support of a comprehensive ecological model across time. Findings also yield significant implications for ecological theory and research in community psychology, school planning, intervention, and implementation of inclusive best practices for students with and without disabilities. C 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Academic achievement in high school is linked with numerous markers of success in life, including subsequent educational attainment and higher earnings (e.g., Leach & Williams, 2007). For students with disabilities, who experience greater likelihood of school dropout, more overall risks, and lower academic performance compared to