Measuring Success: Researchers Develop a New Measure for Mentoring Effectiveness

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Nuis, W., Segers, M., & Beausaert, S. (2024). Measuring mentoring in employability-oriented higher education programs: Scale development and validation. Higher Education, 87(4), 899–921.

Introduction

Nuis, Segers, and Beausaert (2024) have developed and validated the Mentoring Support Scale, a new instrument designed to assess various dimensions of mentoring support within employability-oriented higher education programs.

Methods

Scale construction process began with a systematic literature review, identifying key types of mentoring support. Next an expert panel refined and validated the items through iterative consensus-building and alignment with theoretical definitions.

Data were then gathered from 534 students across four higher education institutions (three universities of applied sciences and one traditional university) in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to understand the structure of the novel mentoring support scale.

Results

  1. Factor Structure:
    • The Mentoring Support Scale consists of six subscales all on a 5 point scale:
      • Trust and Availability: Focuses on mentor accessibility and the development of mutual trust. Example items are “My mentor and I achieve a high level of trust” and “My mentor is easy for me to talk with.”
      • Emotional Support: Centers on discussing and managing personal challenges.“My mentor advises me in relation to personal problems”, “I share personal problems with my mentor” and “I tell my mentor about my
        troubles.”
      • Networking Support: Emphasizes mentor-facilitated connections and network development. My mentor encourages me to identify the strengths and weaknesses of my network” and “My mentor supports me in developing my own network.”
      • Autonomy Support: Encourages mentees’ independence and decision-making. “I feelnthat my mentor provides me choices and options” and “My mentor tries to understand how
        I see things before suggesting a new way to do things.”
      • Similarity: Highlights shared values and personal rapport. “I speak to my mentor like I would to a friend” and “My mentor displays values similar to my own.”
      • Empathy: Reflects respect and mutual understanding between mentor and mentee. e.g.,“My mentor conveys feelings of respect for me” and “My mentor and I have a respectful relationship.”

Psychometric Properties:

    • The scale demonstrated high reliability (α = 0.75–0.92) and excellent model fit across samples (e.g., RMSEA < 0.08; CFI > 0.90).
  2. Key Findings:
    • Career support was not identified as a distinct factor, suggesting its limited recognition or representation in the studied programs.

Discussion

The validated Mentoring Support Scale represents a significant advancement in measuring mentoring effectiveness. By capturing diverse dimensions of support, the scale provides a nuanced understanding of the mentoring relationship. The absence of career support as a distinct factor invites further exploration of its role in higher education mentoring programs.  Programs should consider measuring support for their mentee’s at the beginning, middle, and end of the mentoring relationship to understand fluctuations in mentoring effectiveness.

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