Mentoring in the Context of Latino Youth’s Broader Village During Their Transition From High School

Abstract

The aims of this study were to examine the mentoring and social network experiences of Latino youth during the high school transition. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine participants’ natural mentoring relationships before and after the transition along with the broader social networks of youth. A total of 32 Latino participants completed quantitative surveys before the high school transition and then participated in qualitative interviews 1 year later. Having a mentor at Time 1 predicted having a mentor at Time 2. Findings revealed three mentoring groups: participants with mentors at both time points, participants with a mentor at one time point, and nonmentored participants. Participants who had mentors at both time points had rich and varied social networks, whereas participants in the other two groups had limited social networks with little support. Implications and future directions for mentoring research and programs are discussed.

Keywords

Latino adolescents mentoring social networks social support transition from high school

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