Mentors' perceptions of negative mentoring experiences: Scale development and nomological validation.

TLDR

The study aimed to develop a psychometrically sound, multidimensional measure of mentors’ perceptions of negative experiences with their protégés through three studies. The authors developed items, established content validity, used CFA to confirm dimensionality, gathered construct and criterion validity evidence from matched mentor–protégé dyads, and replicated the factor structure and validity with a sample of female academic mentors. The instrument’s factor structure was replicated and additional validity evidence was obtained, broadening mentoring research to include the mentor’s perspective on relationship problems and dyadic processes.

Abstract

Three studies were conducted to develop a psychometrically sound, multidimensional measure of mentors' perceptions of negative experiences with their protégés. In Study 1, items were developed, and content-related validity was established. In Study 2, CFA was used to establish the dimensionality of the new measure. Construct-related (convergent and discriminant) and criterion-related validity evidence were also obtained by using data from matched mentor-protégé dyads. Study 3 replicated the factor structure of the instrument and provided additional validity evidence by using a sample of female academic mentors. The findings are discussed in terms of broadening the scope of mentoring research to consider the mentor's perspective of relationship problems and dyadic processes in mentoring relationships.