Extending the research agenda on mentoring in education

Citation

Kochan, F. (2013), "Extending the research agenda on mentoring in education", International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, Vol. 2 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMCE-09-2013-0049

Extending the research agenda on mentoring in education

Article Type: Guest editorial From: International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, Volume 2, Issue 3.

Mentoring has become an international phenomenon, impacting individuals, groups, and societies around the world (Kochan and Pascarelli, 2012). It is an important element in promoting individual growth and development (Maldonado et al., 2002), enhancing organizational capacities (Junutula et al., 2010), and fostering societal improvements and advancements (Fresko and Wertheim, 2003). Mentoring is now being incorporated into almost every aspect of our society in settings such as business and industry, government, health, and education.

While the body of research on mentoring in education has grown considerably over the last two decades (Fletcher and Mullen, 2012), much of what has been done has focused on single cases, states, countries, or other settings and has not examined mentoring on a comprehensive, global scale (Mullen, 2012). Additionally, often, what has been written within educational settings has been built upon or used citations from business, leadership, or other fields. Thus, there does not appear to be a high quality, cohesive, easily accessible body of research available focused on the primary issues of mentoring theory and practice in education. It seems imperative therefore, that the field creates avenues to capture the research that has been conducted internationally, in order to expand upon it and develop a comprehensive research agenda to foster and guide practice and future study.

In 2010 and 2011, in sessions organized by the Mentorship and Mentoring Practices Special Interest Group and with sponsorship from the American Educational Research Association (AERA), individuals from numerous disciplines and locations around the globe met at an annual AERA meeting to begin a collaborative effort to identify critical topics in mentoring in education and to establish a comprehensive research agenda around them. Five topics were identified: foundations, best practice, culture, policies and politics, and technology and innovation. This special issue of the International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education (IJMCE) represents the initial outcomes from this collaborative process. It presents an examination of the current state of the art in each of the five identified topic areas, along with proposals for further research. Most of the authors have chosen to deal with their topic by focusing on adult mentoring in formal relationships and programs.

This special issue begins with an examination of the foundations upon which mentoring is built. Dominquez and Hager delve into the literature and analyze, synthesize, and critique the theoretical foundations upon which mentoring is conceptualized and implemented. The authors present a comprehensive review and critique of the major theories and their components, contributions to mentoring, and implications for practice and research.

Brondyk and Searby present an insightful investigation of best practices in mentoring. Although there appear to have been many attempts to identify these practices, the authors conclude that, in education, the attempts have all too often been neither comprehensive, research based, nor universally accepted. While recognizing that because of the context, not all practices will be appropriate in all situations, they offer a definition of best practices and a systematic and collaborative research process that they suggest could lead to the identification of effective mentoring practices in education.

Kent, Green, and I reviewed the research across primary, secondary, and higher education contexts in order to examine the relationship between culture and mentoring. We found that although not often acknowledged, cultural aspects of mentoring are embedded within individuals, organizations, and societies, and these must be examined and dealt with if mentoring efforts are to succeed in today's global society. We conclude our paper with suggestions for engaging in further research on this topic in order to expand on what is known and uncover that which remains to be discovered.

The thorny issue of policy is tackled by Fransson and McMahan, who provide a comprehensive overview of its definition and purposes in relationship to mentoring in education. Although they found the lack of research on the topic to be somewhat unsettling, they share important insights into how policy can and does impact practice and about the value of involving stakeholders in the policy process. The authors present a compelling case for engaging in research that examines the processes of both policy making and policy production.

The final paper focuses on mentoring in the digital age. Butler, Whiteman, and Crow review the research on the use of technology in mentoring. They stress the importance of reconsidering mentoring definitions and relationships in order to take full advantage of the potential benefits that using technology in mentoring offers. They focus our attention on the future of e-mentoring in education and present a comprehensive research agenda that, if enacted, would shed a great deal of much-needed light on this topic.

Although each of the papers in this issue is distinct in topic, approach, and findings, several themes flow throughout all five that present important insights for practice and research. All note that there have been many attempts to define mentoring over the years. While it seems likely that there are some attributes of mentoring that are valid across many programs and contexts, all the authors stress that mentoring is diverse and that the purposes of mentoring, as well as the context, influence the way in which it is defined. Likewise, they remind us that the manner in which programs are structured and implemented and the outcomes sought are inevitably closely linked to these purposes and contexts. This complexity is evident when seeking to identify and apply our foundational beginnings, to identify best practices, to consider cultural aspects of our endeavors, to develop and implement effective policies, and to consider how best to harness technology to enhance our mentoring endeavors. Finally, the writers remind us that the issue of power and who has and does not have it – whether determined by individuals, organizations, governing bodies, or societies – influences the entire process. These power relationships are often hidden or ignored, and yet they have a significant impact on what can be done, how it can be done, and the extent to which the mentoring effort will succeed or fail.

The issue concludes with a commentary by Clutterbuck in which he revisits five tests he established for mentoring research a decade ago. Although these tests were not focused specifically on education, they resonate with the topics addressed and the conclusions and recommendations proposed by the contributing authors. Clutterbuck provides insightful suggestions for the direction that mentoring research should take, and gives specific recommendations for future research.

As I conclude my editorial, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Sarah Fletcher, the founding editor of IJMCE, who initially approved the publication of this issue. Thanks are also extended to Andrew Hobson, Sarah's successor as editor, who has provided meaningful insights and support as the issue has progressed. Deep appreciation goes to Sophie Barr, the Managing Editor, for her patience and support throughout the process. In addition, I wish to thank all those who served as reviewers. They provided detailed and comprehensive insights, which enabled us to improve and finalize the manuscripts. Finally, I extend my gratitude to the authors, who worked tirelessly to produce the five articles and commentary we present to you in this issue.

Frances Kochan
Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA

References

Fletcher, S.J. and Mullen, C.A. (2012), “Editors’ introduction”, in Fletcher, S.J. and Mullen, C.A. (Eds), The Sage Handbook of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, pp. 1-3
Fresko, B. and Wertheim, C. (2003), “Building cultures of caring and empowerment for Israel's at-risk youth”, in Kochan, F. and Pascarelli, J.T. (Eds), Global Perspectives on Mentoring: Transforming Contexts, Communities, and Cultures, Information Age Press, Greenwich, CT, pp. 23-38
Junutula, J.R., Raman, R., Patel, D., Butler, H. and Jayasuriya, A. (2010), “Advancing the careers of life science professionals of Indian origin”, Nature Biotechnology, Vol. 7 No. 28, pp. 757-758
Kochan, F. and Pascarelli, J.T. (2012), “Culture and mentoring in the global age”, in Fletcher, S. and Mullen, C.A. (Eds), The Sage Handbook of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, pp. 7-23
Maldonado, N.L., Quarles, A., Lacey, C.H. and Thompson, S.T. (2002), “Mentoring at-risk adolescent girls: listening to ‘little sisters’”, Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 223-234
Mullen, C.A. (2012), “Mentoring: an overview”, in Fletcher, S. and Mullen, C.A. (Eds), Handbook of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA, pp. 7-23