Perceptions of Mentors and Mentees in School-based Cross-Age Peer Mentoring in a Low-income Rural Community

Abstract

Cross-age peer mentoring programs are not always effective, and some researchers have questioned the effectiveness of this model. In this article, we use evaluation data to describe a project that has been going for twenty years. The project enrolls high school students as mentors to struggling elementary school students. The article reviews the current literature and details the perceptions of mentors and mentees regarding relational and academic benefits and disappointments. Both mentors and mentees report that the project gave them purpose, motivation, and a sense of belonging in the school and community. They also describe frustrations and regrets. Some findings echo previous studies; however, by presenting a twenty-year retrospective, and including mentor and mentee voices, the article provides a unique contribution to the field. The article provides an appendix with resources and recommendations for effective practices to those seeking to implement such a program.

Assessing Mentoring Effectiveness in Nursing Education: Students' Perspectives

“…The environment for mentoring has a significant impact on the profession as a whole. Positive mentoring and nursing faculty recruitment and retention are directly related (7,8) . The six following dimensions can be used to evaluate the success of mentoring in nursing education as seen by mentees including: confrontational focus, employee vision, facilitative focus, informative emphasis, mentor model, and relationship emphasis.…”

“…All parties involved will benefit if strong, healthy friendships and relationships are formed while students or new nurses are still learning, and these mentees will likely become the soughtafter mentors of tomorrow (17) . Role modeling, nurturing, friendship-building, paying it forward by sharing experiences, effectively meeting on a regular basis, and demonstrating to the mentee the perseverance needed to succeed in the nursing sector and in nursing academics are all qualities of a good mentor (7) . The lack of qualified healthcare personnel may diminish with the implementation of high-quality mentoring (18) .…”

“…In one's academic career, faculty mentoring is equally as crucial as student or new graduate mentorship, and a faculty member's needs will change depending on where they are in their career (8) . Lack of mentoring might cause new nurses to leave the nursing profession, which adds to the nursing shortage (7) . Lack of mentoring causes nurses to feel less supported in their careers.…”