Jean Rhodes – Page 2 – The Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring

About Jean Rhodes

Dr. Rhodes is the Frank L. Boyden Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She has devoted her career to understanding and advancing the role of intergenerational relationships in the intellectual, social, educational, and career development of youth. She has published three books, four edited volumes, and over 100 chapters and peer-reviewed articles on topics related to positive youth development, the transition to adulthood, and mentoring. Dr. Rhodes is a Fellow in the American Psychological Association and the Society for Research and Community Action, and was a Distinguished Fellow of the William T. Grant Foundation. She has been awarded many campus-wide teaching awards for her advances in pedagogy and scholarship, including the Vice Chancellor’s Teaching Scholar Award, the Student Government Outstanding Teacher Award, and the Chancellor’s Outstanding Scholar award at UMB.

Entries by Jean Rhodes

The Science of Gratitude: New Findings and Practical Lessons for Mentoring

July 29, 2025/in Editors Blog/by Jean Rhodes

By Jean Rhodes For a long time, the science of gratitude focused mainly on adults and teens. But recent research is showing that it is never too early to learn how to be grateful. A 28-week study by Clemson University Professor and her colleagues (2024) found that even first-graders (children around six years old) can […]

Boys Need Role Models. Let’s Make Sure They Can Afford Them.

July 10, 2025/in Editors Blog/by Jean Rhodes

By Jean Rhodes In a recent NYTimes article, Claire Cain Miller noted that most of the professionals in children’s lives are women–including 94% of childcare workers, 79% of K–12 teachers, and 69% of pediatricians (Miller, 2025, What Happens When Most of the Adults in Boys’ Lives Are Women). This means many boys and young men […]

Join the Future of AI-Supported Mentoring: Help Shape MentorAI!

July 5, 2025/in Mentoring in the News/by Jean Rhodes

With funding from NSF and the Tools Competition, MentorPRO is exploring how we can ethically and effectively integrate AI-driven tools into mentoring. We’re seeking to design a tool that provides mentors with just-in-time guidance and summaries, providing mentors with real-time, evidence-based guidance. Unlike standalone chatbots, this approach maintains the mentor connection critical to student well-being […]

Seeds of doubt: How the source of mentorship initiation influences mentoring expectations

June 25, 2025/in Mentor Recruitment and Retention/by Jean Rhodes

Jean Rhodes A substantial body of research, including meta-analyses, has demonstrated that informal mentoring relationships tend to yield stronger outcomes compared to their formal counterparts. This advantage persists across various educational and professional contexts, suggesting a fundamental difference in how these relationships function and develop. The reason for informal mentors’ relatively stronger influence may lie […]

New study highlights five key characteristics of successful workplace mentors

June 24, 2025/in Mentor Recruitment and Retention, Workforce Development/by Jean Rhodes

Deng, C., & Turner, N. (2024). Identifying key mentor characteristics for successful workplace mentoring relationships and programmes. Personnel Review, 53(2), 580–604. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-08-2022-0535 Workforce mentoring programs have become increasingly common, with more than 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies now offering some version of them. But not all mentors deliver the kind of results organizations hope […]

24,000 adolescents have spoken: Mentors make a difference in mental health

June 24, 2025/in Editors Blog/by Jean Rhodes

By Jean Rhodes Globally, one in seven adolescents aged 10-19 experiences a mental disorder, accounting for 15% of the global burden of disease in this age group. In the United States, the situation has become particularly dire, with approximately 40% of high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past year, […]

What’s lost when young people turn to AI for support instead of real people?

June 10, 2025/in Editors Blog/by Jean Rhodes

Jean Rhodes Chatbots are increasingly serving as on-demand confidants, advisors, and mentors to a growing number of young people. According to a recent New York Times , OpenAI is spearheading an “A.I. native universities” campaign to embed its AI tools, including premium ChatGPT Edu, into every aspect of higher education. Universities like California State are […]

Who Exactly was Mentor?: A Stunning Revelation

May 26, 2025/in Editors Blog/by Jean Rhodes

by Jean Rhodes Books and articles about mentoring often begin with a brief nod to Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey to explain its etymology. In the poem, the legendary Greek king Odysseus asks his old friend Mentor to watch over his house hold and son Telemachus before leaving to fight in the Trojan War. When […]

How Single-Session Interventions Could Transform Mentoring

May 14, 2025/in Editors Blog/by Jean Rhodes

by Jean Rhodes Single-session interventions (SSIs)–brief, targeted approaches to addressing specific challenges–are gaining traction in the mental health field. They could also be an important tool in ongoing mentoring relationships. SSIs arose from a simple but often overlooked observation: most people who begin traditional mental health treatment don’t complete the recommended course. In fact, research […]

A Note From the Editor

April 30, 2025/in Contributors/by Jean Rhodes

Dear Chronicle Readers, I just want to take a moment to acknowledge these difficult times. Heartbreaking and capricious policies are affecting the youth and families we serve and undermining the stability of our mentoring programs and research. The Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring remains committed to advancing the science of mentoring and bridging the gaps between […]

About Jean Rhodes

Entries by Jean Rhodes

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