Self-reflective mentoring: perspectives of peer mentors in an education doctoral program
International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education
ISSN: 2046-6854
Article publication date: 12 March 2019
Issue publication date: 21 May 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discover peer mentors’ perspectives of an education doctoral (Doctorate of Education) peer mentoring program implemented in a mid-sized public institution.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from one focus group and an interview collected from peer mentors as part of a larger case study of mentors and mentees in a peer mentoring program for education doctoral students are presented. Four (n=4) peer mentors participated in a focus group (n=3) and an interview (n=1). Participants were asked about their perceptions of the program and their experiences as mentors.
Findings
Four themes were discovered within the data: mentors relate to social, emotional and academic life balances of mentees, mentors provide support and reassurance to mentees, mentors guide mentees to focus on the future, and mentors gain personal and professional growth from the peer mentoring program. Results indicated that mentors believed that the program was helpful for their mentees and beneficial to their own personal and professional development.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations of this study include the small sample size (n=4) and the short period of time in which participants were asked to be a part of the mentoring program and reflect in focus groups and interview (one academic year). Implications of this study include the benefits of peer mentoring for both mentors and mentees alike.
Originality/value
In contrast to many other studies of peer mentoring programs, this peer mentoring program targeted scholar-practitioner students who were balancing full-time careers with their coursework and family lives. Thus, peer mentors focused more on career and work-life balance with mentees than mentors may in other programs, as well as finding benefit to their own professional development.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the mentors, mentees and Department of Educational Leadership faculty at the authors’ university for their ongoing support of the peer mentoring program. The authors are grateful for the Graduate Enrollment Management (GEM) program at the university that provides the opportunities to design, implement and evaluate methods to effectively recruit and retain graduate students. Additionally, the authors thank Dr Kristy Holley for her helpful conversation with the authors as the authors developed the peer mentoring program.
Citation
McConnell, K., Geesa, R.L. and Lowery, K. (2019), "Self-reflective mentoring: perspectives of peer mentors in an education doctoral program", International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 86-101. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMCE-07-2018-0043
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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