Nurturing female leadership skills through peer mentoring role: A study among undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

Nurturing students' leadership is a crucial element in the twenty-first century due to its effects on their personal growth, well-being and self-awareness. Peer mentoring programmes promoted students' confidence levels and provided leadership development opportunities for them. The majority of peer mentoring studies often looked into the positive outcomes of mentoring on mentees rather than on mentors. Through semi-structured interviews, this study sought to explore the impact of peer mentoring role on female mentors' personal development and leadership practices in one university in the United Arab Emirates. Most participants viewed the mentoring role as the driving force behind their improved academic, personal development and career-related skills. The peer mentoring experience offered a great personal and psychosocial support to female mentors. Involvement in peer mentoring enhanced mentors' well-being and their attachment to their learning environment. Mentors' professionalism and sense of responsibility grew, and they gained experiences and skills that may help them in their future career. This study aimed to inspire female students to be future leaders who can positively contribute to their communities. It strengthened arguments for implementing peer mentoring programmes in universities. | 459 BAROUDI AnD DAVID

Teacher's Organizational Commitment in Mechanistic School Structures: A Study Conducted on the Job Characteristics of a Private School in Abu Dhabi

“…Al Hassanieh et al [5] accounted for the effect of distributed leadership on school governance. Baroudi et al [11] indicate the role of mentorship in leadership development.…”

Liderazgo en instituciones de educación superior: Un análisis a través de Bibliometrix R

“…Una segunda línea de investigación aborda los programas de aprendizaje y desarrollo implementados en las instituciones de educación terciaria para incentivar el liderazgo en los estudiantes, así como en las iniciativas para fomentar el desarrollo de esta habilidad en los docentes. Aquí se encuentran estudios realizados en países como Estados Unidos [47,48,49,50,51,52], Canadá [53], Australia [9,54], Nueva Zelanda [16], Finlandia [55], Reino Unido [56], Suecia [57], Ucrania [58], China [59], Malasia [60], Sudáfrica [14], Emiratos Árabes [61] y España [62,63]. Igualmente, se encuentran iniciativas que cuentan con participación internacional (ejemplo [64]).…”