Career Mentoring in Higher Education: Students’ Perceptions and Experiences

Abstract

Nowadays, the process of building the career of emerging adults is embedded in the need for meaningful paths, connection, creativity and autonomy. Thus, the support services universities offer for students should incorporate subjective aspects of individual experiences such as targeting relevant goals, building meaningful learning experiences, promoting personal resources of adaptability. One of the most effective mechanism for positively influencing students’ career paths is mentoring, by helping them to successfully face the academic and life challenges and to build meaningful careers. The current study aims to investigate perceptions and experiences of seven undergraduate students, in order to understand the mentoring role in the development of a calling orientation in their career trajectory. Data was collected through one-to-one semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis was conducted. The findings revealed a mentoring approach that includes a career construction theory and calling-infused elements has positive effects on self-reflection, self-knowledge, proactive experiences and behaviours that maintain and strengthens the perception of the presence of calling. In other words, the support of a mentor facilitates the activation of personal resources and values the self-directed career oriented towards individualized results in the context of an uncertain and dynamic work environment.

Basic Psychological Needs And Well-Being Of Students In The Post-Pandemic

“…For example, Drugaș (2009) emphasizes that in the school environment, the need for affiliation can be met by at least two types of relationships: horizontal (colleagues) and vertical (teachers). The studies carried out in the field of Education Sciences, emphasize the fact that the need for networking is often satisfied in the classroom, if the student feels that he is pleasant, respected and valued by the teacher (Dumulescu & Necula, 2019). To satisfy the need for competence, teachers must consider innovative learning, which according to Sârb et al (2018), involves thinking and transferring information, using knowledge in different, atypical situations, which favors the transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary organization of learning contents.…”

“…Additionally, an extremely important element in this process is the provision of competence-oriented feedback, by expressing confidence in the students' abilities to succeed (Dumulescu, & Necula, 2019).…”

“…However, supporting and developing students' autonomy involves facilitating and encouraging them to identify and fulfill their personal and learning goals. Thus, the effective teacher achieves this by providing opportunities for choice, explaining the reasoning behind the learning tasks, empathy and respect for the ideas of pupils and students (Dumulescu & Necula, 2019).…”