Peer Mentoring for Student Success
Dr. Tara Rowe
Associate Director Student Accessibility Services
University of North Florida
Quality information made available when students need it is critical to student retention and graduation, which is especially true for students with disabilities (Hope, 2021). It is well established in higher education that the use of mentoring can increase academic performance, campus engagement, and increase overall student success (Baier, 2018; Marshall et al., 2021). Further, targeted peer mentor programs can have a positive impact for specific student populations (Collier, 2017). One of the most important characteristics a mentor program must include is tailoring support efforts to the specific needs of distinct groups of students. By targeting specific student groups, peer mentor programs can increase facilitation of student academic and social success while increasing opportunities for students to connect with the larger campus communities. With this focus, previous research efforts in mentoring tends to center on evaluating academic progress for mentees and not on the benefits and challenges for both mentors and mentees participating in these programs (Marshall et al., 2021). Little research has been done on peer mentoring (i. e. pairing upper-level students with lower-level peers; pairing previous mentee participants with new mentees) within higher education settings (Rowe, 2021). Further, research on effective peer mentor programs lack in providing evidencebased practices specific to program success (Lucas & James, 2018).
This article seeks to highlight key needs for a successful peer mentor program as well as recommendations for improving existing peer mentor programs by discussing program evaluation, student involvement, matching mentees with mentors, addressing needed social skills, program assessment.
Evaluating Peer Mentor Program Needs
The first step in developing a new peer mentor program must start with an evaluation of what the purpose and focus is for the proposed program. For existing peer mentor programs, it is essential to regularly evaluate and assess program components to ensure that the program purpose and focus are being met and targeting needed changes to ensure program purpose and focus continue to addressed throughout program components.
Solicting Student Invovlemment
Without students, there can be no mentor program, which is why recruiting students is so important. Finding the right fit of mentors can be challenging, particularly for programs for students with disabilities. Depending on institution size and student involvement, mentor recruitment can take place virtually anywhere there are students present. Some examples of recruiting future mentors can include contacting instructors of special education/psychology courses, reaching out to program directors in need of internship/practicum hours for upper-level students, and using social media platforms to help spread the word of programmatic needs.
Matching Mentees/Mentors and Facilitating Friendships
Having the right mentor can make an important impact on program experiences, which is why personality preferences, likes/dislikes, hobbies/interests, and opportunities to interact with potential pairings can be strategic and necessary when determining mentor/mentee assignments. Reassignments can be stressful and counterproductive, which is why it is recommended only doing so after the semester has concluded or after mediations and follow-up meetings have taken place to resolve issues. The mentor/mentee relationship is an opportunity for both the mentor to learn how to respond and resolve interpersonal challenges as well as an opportunity for mentees to step out of their comfort zones and develop important communication skills.
One of the best ways to help facilitate friendships between mentors and mentees is to provide opportunities for interactions to occur in informal, enjoyable settings. Programs can host special events such as gaming tournaments, board game nights or themed/costume gatherings, as a way to help promote informal, friendly interactions to occur between mentors and mentees as well as with other program participants. Events hosted by programs can include a facilitator or coordinator to help mediate and address challenges right when they occur and provide immediate feedback to mentors or redirection to mentees. Program-specific events are essential to mentor program development because they can serve as a middle ground where appropriate behaviors can be modeled and practiced with the support of program staff.
Social skill are an Program Assessment Having the right mentor can make an important impact on program experiences, which is why personality preferences, likes/dislikes, hobbies/interests, and opportunities to interact with potential pairings can be strategic and necessary when determining mentor/mentee assignments. Reassignments can be stressful and counterproductive, which is why it is recommended only doing so after the semester has concluded or after mediations and follow-up meetings have taken place to resolve issues. The mentor/mentee relationship is an opportunity for both the mentor to learn how to respond and resolve interpersonal challenges as well as an opportunity for mentees to step out of their comfort zones and develop important communication skills. One of the best ways to help facilitate friendships between mentors and mentees is to provide opportunities for interactions to occur in informal, enjoyable settings. Programs can host special events such as gaming tournaments, board game nights or themed/costume gatherings, as a way to help promote informal, friendly interactions to occur between mentors and mentees as well as with other important component of any peer mentor program, which is why mentor training should include examples and opportunities for staff to model and show mentors how to strategically address and improve social skills within mentee interactions. Campus events are an excellent opportunity for programspecific skills to be generalized and implemented in unstructured, naturally occurring settings.
Program Assessment
Evaluating and assessing program components is one of the most important aspects to any peer mentor program. With ongoing assessment, such as mentor and mentee survey feedback, staff training topics can specifically target identified areas of need/difficulty as well as expand and explore program highlights and successes. Effective program assessment should be unique to the program, which is why directors and coordinators of peer mentor programs would benefit from seeking formal training from external resources. External training can provide valuable insight into improving program practices as well as increase opportunities for program staff to learn from and with other peer mentor programs.
Concluding Thoughts
While creating, developing and implementing a new peer mentor program can seem overwhelming and daunting at first, there are resources available to help assist no matter what institution type it may be. Connecting with other programs can help identify student and program needs as well as provide direct contact that can serve as external consultants or collaborators in the mentor program development. Ultimately, peer mentor programs can be an important component in supporting students with disabilities in higher education and finding the ‘right fit’ for students to succeed both on campus and beyond.
Checklist for Developing Peer Mentor Program
References
Baier, S. T. (2018). Mentoring matters: A community mentor program for academically vulnerable freshmen. The Chronicle of Mentoring & Coaching, 1(10), 224-229.
Collier, P. (2017). Peer mentoring: A tool for serving the diverse needs of 21st century college students. Metropolitan Universities, 28(3), 3-8.
Hillier, A., Goldstein, J., Tornatore, L., Byrne, E., & Johnson, H. M. (2019). Outcomes of a peer mentoring program for university students with disabilities. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 27(5), 487-508.
Lucas, R., & James, A. I. (2018). An evaluation of specialist mentoring for university students with autism spectrum disorders and mental health conditions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(3), 694-707.
Marshall, M., Dobbs-Oates, J., Kunberger, T., & Greene, J. (2021). The peer mentor experience: Benefits and challenges in undergraduate programs. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 29(1), 89-109.
Rowe, T. (2021). Mentoring university students with ASD on campus: A supplemental support model. Manuscript submitted for publication.