This study explores a student mentoring program called the Wiz Kidz, located
within a Canadian urban elementary school of 420 students. The Wiz Kidz
participants, their teachers and parents, and a student comparison group
provided data on student connectedness to school, peers, and teachers. Overall
findings suggest the students involved in the Wiz Kidz program enjoyed
participating and reported increases in connectedness at the end of the year,
with statistical significance observed for mentors’ connectedness to school.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BadegruberB.
(2005). 101 life skills games for children: Learning,
growing, getting along (ages 6–12).Alameda, CA: Hunter
House.
2.
BattistichV.,
& HornA.
(1997). The relationship between students’ sense
of their school as a community and their involvement in problem
behaviors. American Journal of Public
Health, 87,
1997–2004. doi:10.2105/AJPH.87.12.1997
3.
ChanC. S.,
RhodesJ.E.,
HowardW.J.,
LoweS.R.,
SchwartzS. E.
O., &
HerreraC.
(2013). Pathways of influence in school-based
mentoring: The mediating role of parents and teacher
relationships. Journal of School
Psychology, 51, 129–142.
doi:10.1016/j.jsp2012.10.001
4.
DuBoisD. L.,
HollowayB.E.,
ValentineJ.C.,
& CooperH.
(2002). Effectiveness of mentoring programs for
youth: A meta-analytic review. American Journal of
Community Psychology, 30,
157–198. doi:10.1023/A:1014628810714
5.
EllisonS.,
& BarnettB. A.
(2006). 365 ways to raise confident kids: Activities
that build self-esteem, develop character and encourage
imagination.Naperville, IL:
Sourcebooks.
6.
FriemanM.,
& FriemanB.
(2000, April). Reducing harassment in elementary
classrooms using high school mentors. Paper presented at the annual
conference of the Association for Childhood Education International, Baltimore,
MD. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED439797).
7.
GarringerM.,
& MacRaeP.
(2008). Building effective peer mentoring programs in
schools: An introductory guide.Folsom, CA: The Mentoring
Resource Center.
8.
GordonJ.,DowneyJ.,
& BangertA.
(2013). Effects of a school-based mentoring
program on school behavior and measures of adolescent
connectedness. School Community Journal,
23 (2),
227–250.
9.
GrossmanJ.
B.,
ChanC.S.,
SchwartzS. E.
O., &
RhodesJ. E.
(2012). The test of time in school-based
mentoring: The role of relationship duration and re-matching on academic
outcomes. American Journal of Community
Psychology, 49,
43–54. doi:10.1007/s10464-011-9435-0
10.
GrossmanJ.B.,
& RhodesJ.E.
(2002). The test of time: Predictors and effects
of duration in youth mentoring relationships.
American Journal of Community Psychology,
30 (2),
199–219.
11.
HagertyB.
M., Lynch
SauerJ.,
PatuskyK.,
& BouwsemaM.
(1993). An emerging theory of human
relatedness. IMAGE: Journal of Nursing
Scholarship, 25 (4),
291–296.
12.
HamiltonS.F.,
& HamiltonM.A.
(2010) Building mentoring relationships. New Directions
for Youth Development, 126,
141–144. doi:10.1002/yd.354
13.
HerreraC.
(1999). School based mentoring: A first look into its
potential.Philadelphia, PA: Public/Private
Ventures.
14.
HerreraC.,SipeC.
L., &
McClanahanW.
S. (2000). Mentoring school-age
children: Relationship development in community-based and school-based
programs.Philadelphia, PA: Public/Private
Ventures.
15.
JonesA.
(1998). 104 activities that build: Self-esteem,
teamwork, communication, anger management, self-discovery, and coping
skills.Richland, WA: Rec
Room.
16.
KarcherM.J.
(2005a).Cross-age peer
mentoring. In DuBoisD.
L. &
KarcherM. J.
(Eds.), Handbook of youth
mentoring(pp.266–285).
Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
17.
KarcherM.J.
(2005b). The effects of school-based
developmental mentoring and high school mentors’ attendance on their younger
mentees’ self-esteem, social skills, and connectedness.
Psychology in the Schools, 42,
65–78. doi:10.1002/pits.20025
KarcherM.J.
(2008). The cross-age mentoring program: A
developmental intervention for promoting students’ connectedness across
grade levels. Professional School
Counseling, 12,
137–143. doi:10.5330/PSC.n.2010-12.137
20.
KarcherM.J.
(2009). Increases in academic connectedness and
self-esteem among high school students who serve as cross-age peer
mentors. Professional School Counseling,
12, 292–299. doi:10.5330/PSC.n.2010-12.292
KarcherM.J.
(2014).Cross-age peer mentoring.
In DuBoisD. L. &
KarcherM. J.
(Eds.), Handbook of youth mentoring(2nd ed.,
pp.233–257). Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage.
23.
KarcherM.
J.,
DavidsonA.J.,
RhodesJ.E.,
& HerreraC.
(2010). Pygmalion in the program: The role of
teenage peer mentors’ attitudes in shaping their mentees’
outcomes. Applied Developmental Science,
14 (4),
212–227. doi:10.1080/10888691.2010.516188
KarcherM.
J.,
HerreraC.,
& HansenK.
(2010). “I dunno, what do you wanna do?”:
Testing a framework to guide mentor training and activity
selection. New Directions for Youth
Development, 126,
51–70. doi:10.1002/yd.349
26.
KarcherM.
J.,
HolcombM.,
& ZambranoE.
(2008).Measuring and evaluating adolescent
connectedness. In
ColemanH. L.
K. &
YehC. (Eds.),
Handbook of school
counseling(pp.651–672).
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence
Erlbaum.
27.
KarcherM.J.,
& NakkulaM.J.
(2010). Youth mentoring with a balanced focus,
shared purpose, and collaborative interactions. New
Directions in Youth Development, 126,
13–32. doi:10.1002/yd.347
28.
KarcherM.
J., &
SassD.
(2010). A multicultural assessment of adolescent
connectedness: Testing measurement invariance across gender and
ethnicity. Journal of Counseling
Psychology, 57 (3),
274–289. doi: 10.1037/a0019357
29.
KingK. A.,
VidourekR.A.,
DavisB.,
& McClellanW.
(2002). Increasing self-esteem and school
connectedness through a multidimensional mentoring program.
Journal of School Health, 72,
294–299.
30.
KohutH.
(1977). Restoration of the self.New York, NY: International
Universities Press.
31.
KohutH.,
& WolfE. S.
(1978). The disorders of the self and their
treatment: An outline. International Journal of
Psycho-Analysis, 59 (4),
413–425.
LewisB.A.
(2005). What do you stand for? For kids: A guide to
building character.Minneapolis, MN: Free
Spirit.
35.
LowryR.
(2016). Subchapter 12a: The Wilcoxon signed-rank
test. VassarStats: Website for statistical computation. Retrieved
from http://vassarstats.net/textbook/ch12a.html
36.
MorrowK.V.,
& StylesM.B.
(1995). Building relationships with youth in program
settings: A study of Big Brothers/Big Sisters.Philadelphia, PA: Public/Private
Ventures.
37.
NakkulaM.J.,
& HarrisJ.T.
(2010). Beyond the dichotomy of work and fun:
Measuring the thorough interrelatedness of structure and quality in youth
mentoring relationships. New Directions for Youth
Development, 126,
71–87. doi:10.1002/yd.350
38.
PayneR. K.,
DeVolP.E.,
& DreussiSmith,
T. (2001). Bridges out of poverty:
Strategies for professionals and communities.Highlands, TX: Aha! Process,
Inc.
39.
PortwoodS.
G., &.
AyersP. M.
(2005).Schools. In
DuBoisD. L.
& KarcherM. J.
(Eds.) Handbook of Youth
Mentoring(pp.336–347).
Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
40.
PortwoodS.
G.,
AyersP.M.,
KinnisonK.E.,
WarisR.G.,
& WiseD.L.
(2005). YouthFriends: Outcomes for a
school-based mentoring program. The Journal of
Primary Prevention, 26,
129–145. doi:10.1007/s10935-005-1975-3
41.
RhodesJ.E.
(2002). Stand by me: The risks and rewards of mentoring
today's youth.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press.
42.
RhodesJ. E.,
& SpencerR.
(2010). Structuring mentoring relationships for
competence, character, and purpose. New Directions
for Youth Development, 126,
149–152. doi:10.1002/yd.356
43.
RiessmanF.
(1965). The “helper-therapy”
principle. Social Work10 (2),
27–32.
44.
RothJ. L.,
& Brooks-GunnJ.
(2003). What exactly is a youth development
program? Answers from research and practice. Applied
Developmental Science, 7 (2),
94–111. doi:10.1207/S1532480XADS0702_6
45.
Simons-MortonB.G.,
CrumpA.D.,
HaynieD.L.,
& SaylorK.E.
(1999). Student-school bonding and adolescent
problem behavior. Health Education
Research, 14, 99–107.
doi:10.1093/her/14.1.99
46.
SipeC.L.
(1998).Mentoring adolescents: What we have
learned. In GrossmanJ.
B. (Ed.), Contemporary issues in
mentoring(pp.10–23).
Philadelphia, PA:
Public/Private Ventures.
TolanP. H.,
HenryD.B.,
SchoenyM.S.,
LovegroveP.,
& NicholsE.
(2014). Mentoring programs to affect delinquency
and associated outcomes of youth at risk: A comprehensive meta-analytic
review. Journal of Experimental
Criminology, 10,
179–206. doi:10.1007/s11292-013-9181-4
49.
WellbornJ.G.
(2013, Spring). Motivating unmotivated students: From theory to
practice. The Canadian School Counsellor
Magazine(pp.39–42). Retrieved from
http://www.marketzone.ca/ebooks/CSC/CSC-Q0113/
