The Study of Mentoring in the Learning Environment (SMILE): A Randomized Evaluation of the Effectiveness of School-based Mentoring

Abstract

The effect of providing youth school-based mentoring (SBM), in addition to other school-based support services, was examined with a sample of 516 predominately Latino students across 19 schools. Participants in a multi-component, school-based intervention program run by a youth development agency were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (1) supportive services alone or (2) supportive services plus SBM. Compared to community-based mentoring, the duration of the SBM was brief (averaging eight meetings), partly because the agency experienced barriers to retaining mentors. Intent-to-treat (ITT) main effects of SBM were tested using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and revealed small, positive main effects of mentoring on self-reported connectedness to peers, self-esteem (global and present-oriented), and social support from friends, but not on several other measures, including grades and social skills. Three-way cross-level interactions of sex and school level (elementary, middle, and high school) revealed that elementary school boys and high school girls benefited the most from mentoring. Among elementary school boys, those in the mentoring condition reported higher social skills (empathy and cooperation), hopefulness, and connectedness both to school and to culturally different peers. Among high school girls, those mentored reported greater connectedness to culturally different peers, self-esteem, and support from friends. Findings suggest no or iatrogenic effects of mentoring for older boys and younger girls. Therefore, practitioners coordinating multi-component programs that include SBM would be wise to provide mentors to the youth most likely to benefit from SBM and bolster program practices that help to support and retain mentors.

Youth Development Through Mentorship: A Los Angeles School-Based Mentorship Program Among Latino Children

“…With 95 % of YEP's pairs lasting at least 1 year, YEP has achieved a high degree of success, and each year has demonstrated a higher percentage of relationships lasting at least 2 years. The rate observed by our program is substantially higher than other reported programs [1,8] in which as many as 50 % of youth mentoring relationships dissolve within a few months. Previous research has identified an average length of SBM matches to be about 5 months [20].…”

“…The program is based on principles from mentoring research, and is only the second report we have found exclusively in this important population [8].…”

“…Each week, mentors are expected to spend 1-h with their mentees over at least 1, and preferably 2 academic years. Mentors are asked to spend half of their time reading with the mentee and addressing one of seven revolving health topics, chosen because previous mentoring research has highlighted the potential for mentoring relationships to influence youth behaviors in these areas [1,[3][4][5][7][8][9]. The other half of the time is spent on recreational activities determined by the mentor/mentee.…”

“…High-quality mentoring relationships have promoted child health through improvements in academic performance, positive feelings of self-worth, perceived social acceptance, relationships with others, and decreases in high-risk behaviors like alcohol/tobacco use and violence [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Directors of mentoring programs, however, frequently face challenges successfully pairing mentors with mentees as well as monitoring the activities of the relationships.…”

“…Thus far, very little mentoring work has focused specifically on low-income Latino children, while this population is at very high risk for underachievement and dropout [8]. Work with this community could provide important insights into mentoring amongst a population with significantly different demographics, cultural practices, and social capital, and therefore likely distinct outcomes from populations that have been studied in the past.…”