Mentoring and the Academic Success of Minority Undergraduates
The mentor-student relationship is recognized as a significant element for academic success in higher education. The mentoring process serves not only as a psychological support system for undergraduates, but as professional guidance during their academic training. For African-American and other minority scholars, mentoring has been found to be imperative for success and completion of graduate programs. However, there has been minimal research conducted to illustrate the strengths or weaknesses of minority undergraduate "student-mentor" relationships and the variables that influence them. This study examines the effects of the mentor-protégé relationship on the academic success of minority undergraduate students by looking at the perceptions and experiences of undergraduates, participating in the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP). SROP is a 9-week, summer research program designed to encourage students of color to pursue graduate degrees. Ten students from predominantly white institutions and ten students from historically black institutions will be participating in focus groups. Each focus group will be taped, transcribed and last approximately an hour. In addition, students will be given a questionnaire, which will specifically determine what variables influence the mentor- protégé relationship. The results of this study can only be generalized to this sample on account of the characteristics of the sample. Once the study is conducted, I expect to find 1) characteristics that contribute to successful mentor-protégé relationships; 2) how these characteristics helped students have successful mentor-protégé relationships; and 3) have a better understanding of the dynamics and development of mentoring relationships.
School:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Department:
Sociology
Research Advisor:
James Anderson
Department of Research Advisor:
Educational Policy Studies
Year of Publication:
2002