Entries by Justin Preston

The golden years glow: Older adults draw more positivity from prosocial behavior

Bjälkebring, P., Västfjäll, D., Dickert, S., & Slovic, P. (2019). Greater emotional gain from giving in older adults: Age-related positivity bias in charitable giving. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1-8. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00846.       Summarized by Justin Preston   Introduction It has been well-demonstrated that prosocial behavior has positive benefits for both the recipient and […]

Mentors helping students prepare for college: More than just making the grade

Woods, C. & Preciado, M. (2016). Student–Mentor Relationships and Students’ College Attitudes. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 21(2), 90-103. DOI: 10.1080/10824669.2015.1127767 Summarized by Justin Preston   Introduction Research has demonstrated that low-income high school students are less likely to plan for college, apply to selective colleges and universities, and complete a […]

Social media survey has implications for mentoring

The American Psychological Association (APA) released a report that explores the impact of technology and communication on stress levels in the United States. In addition to the insight the report provides on broader trends in our relationships with technology, social media, and work, there are some important takeaway lessons for mentoring programs and mentors. While […]

The messenger matters: New research shows peers better than teachers at academic motivation

Posted by Andy Henion “Why do I have to learn this?” is a common question among young adults. New research suggests an answer from their peers has more weight than one from their teachers. University students who received a rationale for why learning is important from people similar to them—in this case actors posing as young professionals—wrote […]

Profiles in Mentoring: A conversation with Torie Weiston-Serdan on Critical Mentoring

Written by Vera van den Berg  Torie Weiston-Serdan is the founder of the Youth Mentoring Action Network— a non-profit organization that focuses on youth mentoring. Moreover, Torie Weiston-Serdan is the author of “Critical mentoring: A practical guide”. She examines how marginalized and minority youth are served by mentoring and mentoring organizations. Critical mentoring, central to […]

Profiles in Mentoring: Timothy Cavell on mentoring aggressive children, chronically bullied children, and next steps for the field

Timothy Cavell is a Professor of Psychological Science at the University of Arkansas’ J. William Fulbright college of Arts & Sciences. He has been a speaker and presenter at mentoring conferences, summits, and institutes around the country. Professor Cavell’s research interests focus on how mentoring relationships with children who are highly aggressive or chronically bullied […]

Creating a culture of belonging: How teachers and mentors can help students navigate the return to in-person learning

by Jean E Rhodes School closures and the loss of face-to face instruction remain persistent struggles as schools work to contain COVID-19. In recent months, researchers have begun to publish studies and reports that have explored the academic and social toll that these closures have taken on students academic and social-emotional well-being. In a new […]

Profiles in Mentoring: A conversation with Veronica Fruiht

Written by Kirsten Christensen Veronica Fruiht is an Assistant professor and researcher at Dominican University of California. Her research interests center around the construct of hope and mentoring relationships among young people. Specifically, Dr. Fruiht is interested in understanding and uncovering how hope and positive, supportive relationships influence adolescent and young adults’ academic goals and […]