The influence of a continuous learning environment on peer mentoring behaviors.

Abstract

The primary purpose of the current research was to examine the relationship between factors that facilitate continuous learning and the demonstration of peer mentoring behaviors. Subjects were 185 members of the U.S. Navy - fifteen teams from five separate submarines. We first explored the appropriate "level of analysis" for analyzing the continuous learning environment. Results of the within and between analysis (WABA) tests suggest that factors in the learning environment and peer mentoring behaviors resided at the individual level rather than the team level. Unfortunately, sample size restrictions precluded testing boat-level hypotheses. Next, we explored the relationship between continuous learning and peer mentoring. Results suggest that respondents who work in a strong continuous learning environment tend to engage in a greater number of peer mentoring behaviors than respondents who do not work in a strong continuous learning environment. Implications for research and practice are discussed.