New Study Highlights A Critical Link Between Mentor Support and Educational Attainment

Tise, J. C., Hernandez, P. R., & Schultz, P. W. (2023). Mentoring underrepresented students for success: Self-regulated learning strategies as a critical link between mentor support and educational attainment. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 75, Article 102233.

Introduction

The persistent underrepresentation of Black and Latinx students in STEM highlights systemic inequities that start early and perpetuate through higher education. These challenges, compounded by stereotype threat and limited institutional support, impede interest, persistence, and achievement in STEM disciplines. Previous research has identified the positive impacts of mentoring, particularly for students from marginalized groups, yet the mechanisms behind these impacts remain underexplored. This study leverages Schunk and Mullen’s (2013) Process Model of Mentoring Interactions (PMMI) to investigate how mentoring fosters Self-Regulated Learning strategies (i.e., metacognition, motivation, and behaviors), which, in turn, predict academic attainment.

Methods

This longitudinal study involved 1,094 undergraduates from historically underrepresented backgrounds pursuing STEM degrees across 38 U.S. universities. Participants completed biannual surveys over three years, assessing their mindset, faculty mentoring support, and use of SRL strategies. Degree attainment was measured using National Student Clearinghouse data. The study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze how the presence and quality of faculty mentorship predicted students’ SRL strategy use and subsequent academic outcomes.

Mentorship quality was evaluated using the Global Measure of Mentorship Practices, while SRL strategies were assessed through subscales of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. Growth curve models examined the stability and variability of these constructs over time.

Results

Contrary to initial expectations, students’ SRL strategy use remained stable throughout their undergraduate years, with high baseline levels reported. Faculty mentoring support positively predicted SRL strategy use, with stronger impacts observed for higher-quality mentoring relationships. Interestingly, having a faculty mentor also directly increased the odds of higher degree attainment.

The analysis revealed that SRL strategies mediated the relationship between mentoring and academic achievement. Specifically, students who received mentoring support were more likely to employ effective SRL strategies, which significantly increased their odds of attaining higher academic degrees. However, students’ implicit theories of intelligence (growth versus fixed mindset) showed no significant relationship with SRL strategy use or degree attainment.

Discussion

The findings illuminate how mentoring relationships serve as a conduit for developing and reinforcing SRL strategies among underrepresented STEM students. By modeling and scaffolding effective learning behaviors, mentors help protégés navigate academic challenges, promoting persistence and achievement. The stability of SRL strategy use underscores the importance of early interventions, as students may enter college with established habits that persist throughout their undergraduate tenure.

This study also highlights the double disadvantage faced by unmentored students: they not only miss the direct benefits of faculty mentorship but also lose out on the indirect advantages mediated through enhanced SRL strategy use. These results lend empirical support to the PMMI, demonstrating that mentoring facilitates self-regulation processes critical for academic success.

Implications for Mentoring Programs

For mentoring programs targeting underrepresented STEM students, these findings emphasize the importance of integrating SRL strategy development into mentorship frameworks. Mentors should be trained to model, encourage, and explicitly teach strategies like deep processing, persistence, and effort regulation. Such approaches can help protégés adapt to the increasing demands of STEM curricula while building resilience against systemic barriers.

Additionally, programs should prioritize matching students with mentors who can provide sustained, high-quality support. Encouraging informal mentoring relationships alongside formal program structures can increase access to these benefits.

Read full article here