Can Peer Mentors Improve First-Year Experiences of University Students?

Abstract

The effectiveness of a peer-mentoring program was examined at a university in California. Previous studies suggest university peer mentoring might increase students' feelings of engagement, which can contribute to their retention. Pretest and posttest data were collected from 304 freshmen (mentored and nonmentored) during the fall of 2012 in a quasi-experimental design. Results indicated mentored students felt significantly more integrated and connected to their university at the end of their first semester compared with nonmentored students. Mentees also provided qualitative responses about what they found beneficial and what they felt could be improved in the program. Results suggested peer mentoring helped the students feel more integrated and supported at college, which might reinforce their persistence toward graduating.

Keywords

university peer mentoring retention attrition integration

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

ACT Incorporated (2010) What works in student retention? Report for all colleges and universities. Fourth national survey, Iowa City, IA: Author. Retrieved from http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/droptables/AllInstitutions.pdf.

Allen

T. D.

Mcmanus

S. E.

Russell

J. E. A.

(1999) Newcomer socialization and stress: Formal peer relationships as a source of support. Journal of Vocational Behavior 54: 453–470. doi:10.1006/jvbe.1998.1674.

Astin

A. W.

(1975) Preventing students from dropping out, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Baum

Payea

(2013) Education pays: The benefits of higher education for individuals and society. College board - Trends in higher education series, Washington, DC: College Board. Retrieved from http://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/education-pays-2013-full-report.pdf.

Bean

J. P.

(1980) Dropouts and turnover: The synthesis and test of a causal model of student attrition. Research in Higher Education 12: 155–187. doi:10.1007/BF00976194.

Beltman

Schaeben

(2012) Institution-wide peer mentoring: Benefits for mentors. The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education 3(2): 33–44. doi:10.5204/intjfyhe.v3i2.124.

Berger

J. B.

Milem

J. F.

(1999) The role of student involvement and perceptions of integration in a causal model of student persistence. Research in Higher Education 40(6): 641–664. doi:10.1023/A:1018708813711.

Bozeman

Feeney

M. K.

(2007) Toward a useful theory of mentoring - A conceptual analysis and critique. Administration and Society 39(6): 719–739. doi:10.1177/0095399707304119.

Bradburn

Carroll

C. D.

(2002) Short-term enrollment in postsecondary education: Student background and institutional differences in reasons for early departure, 1996–1998. Education Statistics Quarterly 4: 42–47.

10.

Chapman

D. W.

Pascarella

E. T.

(1983) Validation of a theoretical model of college withdrawal: Interaction effects in a multi-institutional sample. Research in Higher Education 19(1): 25–48. doi:10.1007/BF00977337.

11.

Chester

Burton

L. J.

Xenos

Elgar

(2006) Peer mentoring: Supporting successful transition for first year undergraduate psychology students. Australian Journal of Psychology 65: 30–37. doi:10.1111/ajpy.12006.

12.

Crisp

Cruz

(2009) Mentoring college students: A critical review of the literature between 1990 and 2007. Research in Higher Education 50(6): 525–545. doi:10.1007/s11162-009-9130-2.

13.

Ehrich

L. S.

Hansford

Tennent

(2004) Formal mentoring programmes in education and other professions: A review of the literature. Educational Administration Quarterly 40: 518–540. doi:10.1177/0013161x04267118.

14.

Gershenfeld

(2014) A review of undergraduate mentoring programs. Review of Educational Research 84(3): 365–391. doi:10.3102/0034654313520512.

15.

Glaser

Hall

Halperin

(2006) Students supporting students: The effects of peer mentoring on the experiences of first year university students. Journal of the Australia and New Zealand Student Services Association 27: 4–17.

16.

Goff

(2011) Evaluating the outcomes of a peer-mentoring program for students transitioning to postsecondary education. The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 2(2): 1–13. doi:10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2011.2.2.

17.

Grant-Vallone

E. J.

Ensher

E. A.

(2000) Effects of peer mentoring on types of mentor support, program satisfaction and graduate student stress: A dyadic perspective. Journal of College Student Development 41(6): 637–642.

18.

Hausmann

L. R. M.

Schofield

J. W.

Woods

R. L.

(2007) Sense of belonging as a predictor of intentions to persist among African American and White first-year college students. Research in Higher Education 48: 803–839. doi:10.1007/s11162-007-9052-9.

19.

(2010) Mentoring and student persistence in college: A study of the Washington state achievers program. Innovative Higher Education 35(2): 329–341. doi:10.1007/s10755-010-9147-7.

20.

Huberty

C. J.

Morris

J. D.

(1989) Multivariate analysis versus multiple univariate analyses. Psychological Bulletin 105(2): 302–308. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.105.2.302.

21.

Hughes

Fahy

(2009) Implementing an undergraduate psychology mentoring program. North American Journal of Psychology 11(3): 463–470. doi:10.1111/ajpy.12006.

22.

Institute for Higher Education Policy (1998) Reaping the benefits: Defining the public and private value of going to college. The new millennium project on higher education costs, pricing, and productivity, Washington, DC: Author.

23.

Karcher

M. J.

Kuperminc

G. P.

Portwood

S. G.

Sipe

C. L.

Taylor

A. S.

(2006) Mentoring programs: A framework to inform program development, research, and evaluation. Journal of Community Psychology 34(6): 709–725. doi:10.1002/jcop.20125.

24.

Kram

(1983) Phases of the mentor relationship. Academy of Management Journal 26: 608–625. doi:10.2307/255910.

25.

Leidenfrost

Strassnig

Schabmann

Spiel

Carbon

(2011) Peer mentoring styles and their contribution to academic success among mentees: A person oriented study in higher education. Mentoring and Tutoring: Partners in Learning 19(3): 347–364. doi:10.1080/13611267.2011.597122.

26.

Lotkowski

Robbins

S. B.

Noeth

R. J.

(2004) The role of academic and non-academic factors in improving college retention: ACT policy report, Iowa City, IA: ACT Policy ReportRetrieved from http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/college_retention.pdf.

27.

MacQueen

K. M.

McLellan-Lemal

Bartholow

Milstein

(2008) Team-based codebook development: Structure, process, and agreement. In: Guest

MacQueen

K. M.

(eds) Handbook for team-based qualitative research, Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press, pp. 119–135.

28.

Mallinckrodt

(1988) Student retention, social support, and dropout intention: Comparison of Black and White students. Journal of College Student Development 29(1): 60–64.

29.

Mcgaha

Fitzpatrick

(2005) Personal and social contributors to dropout risk for undergraduate students. College Student Journal 39(2): 287–297.

30.

McGrath

Braunstein

(1997) The prediction of freshmen attrition: An examination of the importance of certain demographic, academic, financial, and social factors. College Student Journal 31: 396–408.

31.

Mohr

Eiche

Sedlacek

(1998) So close, yet so far: Predictors of attrition in college seniors. Journal of College Student Development 39(4): 343–354.

32.

Murtaugh

P. A.

Burns

L. D.

Shuster

(1999) Predicting the retention of university students. Research in Higher Education 40(3): 355–371. doi:10.1023/A:1018755201899.

33.

Nan

S. A.

(2003) Formative evaluation. In: Burgess

Burgess

(eds) Beyond intractability, Boulder, CO: University of Colorado/Conflict Research ConsortiumRetrieved from http://www.beyondintractability.org/bi-essay/formative_evaluation.

34.

Nora

Crisp

(2007) Mentoring students: Conceptualizing and validating the multi-dimensions of a support system. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory and Practice 9(3): 337–356. doi:10.2190/CS.9.3.e.

35.

Pascarella

E. T.

Terenzini

P. T.

(1983) Predicting voluntary freshman year persistence/withdrawal behavior in a residential university: A path analytic validation of Tinto's model. Journal of Educational Psychology 75(2): 215–226. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.75.2.215.

36.

Pascarelli

(1998) A four-stage mentoring model that works. In: Goodlad

(ed.) Mentoring and tutoring by students, London, England: Kogan Page & BP, pp. 231–243.

37.

Rodger

Tremblay

P. F.

(2003) The effects of a peer mentoring program on academic success among first year university students. The Canadian Journal of Higher Education 33(3): 1–18.

38.

Saldaña

(2013) The coding manual for qualitative researchers, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

39.

Salinitri

(2005) The effects of formal mentoring on the retention rates for first-year, low achieving students. Canadian Journal of Education 28(4): 853–873. doi:10.2307/4126458.

40.

Sanchez

R. J.

Bauer

T. N.

Paronto

M. E.

(2006) Peer-mentoring freshmen: Implications for satisfaction, commitment, and retention to graduation. Academy of Management Learning and Education 5(1): 25–37. doi:10.5465/AMLE.2006.20388382.

41.

Terrion

J. L.

Leonard

(2007) A taxonomy of the characteristics of student peer mentors in higher education: Findings from a literature review. Mentoring and Tutoring 15(2): 149–164. doi:10.1080/13611260601086311.

42.

Tinto

(1975) Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research 45: 89–125. doi:10.3102/00346543045001089.

43.

Tinto

(1993) Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition, 2nd. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

44.

Tinto

(1997) Classrooms as communities: Exploring the educational character of student persistence. The Journal of Higher Education 68: 599–623. doi:10.2307/2959965.

45.

United States Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2011, December 2). Economic news release: Table A-4. Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t04.htm.

46.

Ward

E. G.

Thomas

E. E.

Disch

W. B.

(2010) Goal attainment, retention and peer mentoring. Academic Exchange Quarterly 14(2): 170–176.

47.

Zalaquett

C. P.

Lopez

A. D.

(2006) Learning from the stories of successful undergraduate Latina/Latino students: The importance of mentoring. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning 14(3): 337–353. doi:10.1080/13611260600635563.