Entries by Jean Rhodes

Study of natural mentors highlights importance of relationship quality

/in /by

Whitney, Hendricker & Offutt (2014). Moderating factors of natural mentoring relationships, problem behaviors, and emotional well-being. Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 19(1), 83-105. Summarized by Stella Kanchewa, Ph.D. Researcher and practitioners alike have noted that quality mentoring relationships in which there is a sense of trust, mutuality and closeness have the greatest potential to […]

Study Explores Short-term Mentoring

/in /by

Eby, L.T., Durley, J.R., Evans, S.C., & Ragins, B.R. (2006). The relationship between short-term mentoring benefits and long-term mentoring outcomes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 69: 424–444. Mentoring research has often focused on the benefits to the mentees, but few studies have examined the short-term and long-term benefits to mentors. Eby, Durley, Evans, and Ragins (2006) […]

Ask Not What Your Mentor Can Do for You. . .: The Role of Reciprocal Exchange in Maintaining Student–Teacher Mentorships

/in , /by

Editor’s note: I stumbled across this impressive study and, more generally, the work of rising star, Sherelle Ferguson. Sherelle is a doctoral student in the sociology dept. at the University of Pennsylvania where she has been studying mentoring, social class, and social networks. This study explores the important role that mentees play in maintaining relationships, […]

Creating birds of similar feathers: How emphasizing similarities can improve matches

/in , /by

Editors note: This study has important implications for mentoring and other PYD studies. The simple act of emphasizing similarities improves relationships and leads to better outcomes. This should be a routine part of describing the “why” behind matches, for both mentors and mentees.  Gehlbach, H., Brinkworth, M., King, A. M. , Hsu, L. M., McIntyre, […]

Can mentoring create better citizens: These findings suggest so!

/in /by

Editor’s note: For years, scholars have argued that one of the benefits of serving as a mentor is that it awakens the adult to the problems facing today’s youth. Many of us have seen the potential benefits of connecting middle-class voters with at-risk youth. Mentoring provides a lens through which  middle-class adults can see the ravages […]