Conceptualizing academic mentoring in South African Universities: Interactive qualitative analysis

Abstract

The role of academic mentoring has now become a crucial educational practice not only for student’s academic success and achievement, but also, faculties development and institutional growth. However, the effectiveness of mentoring process is difficult to measure due to a lack of conceptual clarity about the mentoring practices and programs in higher education institutions. In South African universities, mentoring practices face unique challenges and opportunities due to the country’s historical background. Therefore, this literature review conceptualizes academic mentoring by looking at the programs, methods and outcomes associated with academic mentoring in South African universities. An Integrative Qualitative Analysis was employed to review a total of 13 studies that was conducted between 2016 and 2024, and identify three themes namely; Impacts of academic mentoring on student’s performance, Roles of cultural and linguistic diversity on enhancing academic mentoring, and Significance for Integrating mentoring practices into institutional policies. Findings provide a foundation for future research and offer practical recommendations for enhancing academic mentoring practices in South African universities.