Understanding the Student-Faculty Mentoring Process: Its Effects on At-Risk University Students

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to understand the student-faculty mentoring process and how mentoring relationships facilitate at-risk students' adjustment to college. The sample consisted of 65 college students who were involved in a Faculty Mentoring Program (FMP) at a four-year institution. A conceptual model was tested relating ethnic homogeneity in student-mentor backgrounds and frequency of student-mentor contact to perceived mentor supportiveness, students' attitudinal adjustment to college, students' academic performance, and level of satisfaction with the FMP. Results of the path analysis revealed that students with mentors of the same ethnicity met more frequently with their faculty mentors and, in turn, viewed mentors as being more supportive in furthering their career and personal development and expressed greater satisfaction with their participation in the FMP. Likewise, student-mentor ethnic homogeneity and frequency of student-mentor contact directly influenced students' attitudinal adjustment to college and, in turn, impacted positively on students' academic performance and satisfaction with the FMP. The findings are discussed in terms of Social Network Theory.